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.
A saying that came out of the Reformation in Germany is the best way that I’ve come to understand it. God doesn’t need our works. Our neighbor does.
From what I understand of the OT and NT, the law/Ten Commandments don’t make a man holy. They can’t because even in our best attempts to keep the law we sin.
The idea of works as a end to accomplish salvation or “keep” salvation is really laughable. It isn’t possible for us to keep the law at any point in our existence.
The works that James references aren’t related to keeping the law. He is referencing reliance on Christ’s death. That is the evidence of faith which is taught as being gifted to us.
When I was a kid into my early adult life I was taught the opposite of that. But God doesn’t need our works. Our neighbor does.
