James 2:26 "For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith with outworks is dead"
Not even viewed through the fractured prism of once saved always saved does the verse mean that works are not part of our salvation. Works of grace to be sure, not works of our own accord which are barren.
I agree. It is true that good works through the faith in Christ is part of our reborn life. It is not true that eternal life depends upon works without faith, nor that anything other than faith is required for eternal life, but eternal life continues beyond the rebirth to include continuing sanctification as manifest by our fruits of good works through faith in Christ.
As James 2:26 faith without works is a state of existence involving separation, namely a state of spirit life, along with life in our mind, and possibly our hearts, but without volition and action the soul and spirit are still separate from the body. Likewise, faith may exist as in our eternal spirit life, but still remain separate (dead) from our mind and hearts when we wtep out of fellowship with Him.
Salvation in not only our being saved from condemnation in eternity in the spirit, but also our anointing by God the Holy Spirit in all aspects faith. All faith is from God. The Holy Spirit enables us with faith of different types in various stages of the sanctification process, and if we ever stray from fellowship in those processes the sanctification continuance stops, but this does not imply the removal of an eternal human spirit life from the degenerate believer.
This merely points out by the mind of Christ, from a positive life filled perspective that our continuing in faith, as we should, will be dead, i.e. separate from another part of our human life, if we do not also perform works.
Human life is more than body and soul, it includes the human spirit which is regenerated upon saving faith.
I believe some catholic teachings refer to this as the formed faith as opposed to the intelligent faith or faith of the mind only, which hasn't advanced to faith in the heart, an outward stage of the soul. I haven't studied the exact meanings of the words used by some catholic doctrines in this regard, but it is easy to confuse the meanings of faith in context if not understood between some RCC doctrines and protestant perspectives. The true meaning is obviously the same for both.