Can such faith save them?
And, why do we need others to see our faith? Can others save us?
Matthew 6:1-4 (But) take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
Faith compels works. If one has faith, one has works and one does these things to glorify God and not himself and not as proof of faith to others.
Works are born from love of God and love of neighbor.
The two commandments Jesus cites as the greatest.
It is not that by my works I will be saved, for I am saved only because Jesus died for my sins. But, if I believe, then works are a part of that belief, that faith. One is not true without the other.
If you are doing works so that others may see your faith, you are doing them for the wrong reason.
Of course we are not in disagreement on this. When James asks the proverbial, "Can faith save him?", who is the "him"? It is the one who is cold and hungry. Can just my faith, and not my actions, save him from being cold and hungry? The obvious answer is no. So then I totally agree that it is by the merciful, love and grace of God alone that can save me. I can never do enough good works to ever pay my sin debt and only the blood of Jesus Christ redeems us.
Consequently, when I live my life in obedience to Christ's commands, I do them out of love and gratitude for such an unspeakable gift that he has given me. Because if righteousness comes from works, Christ died for nothing.
Finally, I wholeheartedly agree that our motivation for our good works should NEVER be to be seen by men, however, when we DO demonstrate the sincerity of our faith by our lives, people cannot help but see and glorify God, not us. I hope you have a blessed Sunday.