I've been gone for a week and lost track of this thread. I see that James has been quoted a few times in discussing faith vs works. It's often overlooked that James was written to saved Jews. It wasn't written to tell how to get saved. It was written to tell what do AFTER being saved. The statement that faith without works is dead is telling those already saved that they need to do works for the Lord rather than just sitting on their butts doing nothing.

“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
― George Orwell

It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.