Oh, but I DID answer your questions. If you want a "simple" letter answer, then perhaps you need to pose better questions.
Yes, I've seen people cite the "not of works" Scriptures to try and prove that God expects only faith. The trouble is a confusion as to what "works" means in the various places the Bible writers used the term. Since Abraham was justified by faith after working, James concludes that his works made his faith perfect.
People cite Scriptures because they are the final answers of God to the questions we have. I've seen the Roman Catholic hedge of presuming the "works" Paul is talking about that don't justify are works of the law of Moses and not the other kind of works Catholics list that are outside of the Mosaic law. However, what they fail to acknowledge is that Paul DOES speak about ALL works of righteousness which we do - whether of the law or not. He says:
I would remind you also that Paul EVEN addresses the case of a person who does not do good works and says that it is STILL by faith that we are justified:
Abraham was NOT justified by faith after working, that is a mischaracterization of what Scripture says and is disproved by the passage cited above, as well as others. When James refers to Abraham's faith being "perfected", he is talking about completeness, not the quality of his faith as if his faith was imperfect. Paul says so.
Does James' understanding of works conflict with Paul's? No, Paul is speaking of different sort of works in many passages. And so are you when you say, "We are saved by grace through faith apart from our works."
Of course James doesn't conflict with Paul, it's the SAME Holy Spirit carrying them along as they wrote. I think it is your own misunderstanding, and those who join with you in your insistence of works added to faith being what justifies and the false dichotomy of works of the law vs. works of righteousness. Instead, James is addressing how others see our faith in action. Does God NEED to see our works in order to accept our faith for salvation? No. To presume He does is blasphemy as it assumes God is not omniscient - all knowing.
What I'm trying to get you to focus on is the role works play in faith. It's not that they "contribute to our justification", as you put it. It's that they make our faith a justifying faith.
What I'm trying to get you to focus on is that our works play NO role in our justification before God. They are evidence to others as well as ourselves of the caliber of the faith we profess and they are the way through which God blesses us in this life and how we witness to a fallen world of the power of faith. Scripture says Abraham received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised and that is the place of the rite of water baptism today. Neither circumcision nor water baptism are of themselves the cause of justification but a "sign" and a "seal" of genuine faith and an outward testimony of what we have entrusted to Christ.
It's impossible to separate this sort of faith from works. Read James 2 again. To say that this faith exists separate from works is an error. The only faith that exists separate from works is the dead faith such as the devils have. Is that what you have? Or do you have a working faith?
Who is trying to separate genuine faith from the resulting acts of faith? Do demons have the ability to have justifying faith? NO. Jesus didn't die for demons, but for humanity. Do demons believe Jesus is God incarnate? Yes, because that is true whether they like it or not.
All we're trying to do here is show how there is NOTHING we do that can justify us before God, ONLY the blood of Christ takes away our sins. We receive God's gift by faith and He saves us not because of our works of righteousness but because of His mercy. Remember:
Basing an entire belief or dogma on one single verse causes them all types of error doesn’t it.
**(Titus 3:4-8)**
Paul (born again person), writing to one of his converts, Titus (born again person).
The need to fully detail their Acts 2:38 pattern of conversion is not necessary in Paul’s letter to Titus. They’ve both already been to that rodeo.
**Abraham was NOT justified by faith after working, that is a mischaracterization of what Scripture says and is disproved by the passage cited above, as well as others.**
Then you had better move Genesis 15:6 back in front of 12:4, cuz Abraham was quite a faithful busy body for over three chapters, before God makes that 15:6 commendation.
Is it ok to have faith and breath, and breathing not be a ‘work’? (think about the hairsplitting that you are trying to do. Deal with something concrete: Acts 2:38, is it from heaven, or of men?)
Peace, and God bless