Several things, in this instance faith and works/faith alone.
"...a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24).
''For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast." - Ephesians.
The quote from James is the one most often used. I notice that no one who uses that verse to discuss their personal holiness doesn’t do so because they can’t.
There really isn’t a conflict between the two. James is talking about justification before men rather than God. People mistakenly read that as justification before God and keep parroting bad theology.
EFW nailed down the traditional Christian view to which I hold.
Both can't be true. If salvation purely through grace is true, one's works are irrelevant.
