“You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works” James 2:22
“For in Christ Jesus** neither circumcision** nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love.” Gal 5:6
Most Protestants view works as a by-product of faith - that is, faith comes first, and saves, and then works flow from the faith. The relationship is seen as a one-way street. The biblical view is circular: faith inspires works, works strengthen faith. Faith is a gift,
" For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God" Eph 2:8
This gift is like athletic gifts - it is a potentiality that can only realize full fruition (salvation) through study (“hearing”), practice (“works”), and discipline (“suffering”).
“24] Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.
25] Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
26] Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air;
27] but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” 1 Cor 9
" So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ." Rom 10:17
“6] For he will render to every man according to his works:
7] to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;
8] but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury.
9] There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek,
10] but glory and honor and peace for every one who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.” Rom 2
" 4] In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
5] And have you forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as sons? – “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor lose courage when you are punished by him.
6] For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
7] It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
8] If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
9] Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?
10] For they disciplined us for a short time at their pleasure, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness." Heb 12