“The Catholic religion long ago perverted the Gospel by teaching we are justified before God by our faith AND our works.”
James cares to defer with you. Which is the reason Luther despised the writings of James. Didn’t fit in with his narrative. After all Luther knew Jesus personally and James never met him.
A life long humanitarian who do commits murder is still a murderer and needs to pay a penalty for that crime. Works are a fruit of the spirit a sign that God showed mercy to you and you now live forever under grace. If one can lose grace then the work on the cross was pointless and we still are under the old sacrificial system.