[Ali Imran]

Let's look at the connection between faith and works. Paul and James quoted from the same scripture, Gen 15:6, which says that Abraham "believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness (or justification)." Paul said that justification comes "by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law" (Gal 2:16). James, however, put the cat among the pigeons when he wrote "..by works a man is justified, and not by faith only (Jas 2:24).

This seems like a direct contradiction of Paul's teaching by those who have a phobia about "works," notably Luther, who was one of the most vocal sceptics, as he dismissed James' letter as a "right strawy epistle," and he later made "By faith alone" one of the key slogans of the Protestant Reformation.

It's clear that Paul is talking about works of the law (any human activity) done to earn salvation (which is a big no-no) while James is talking about works of faith (continual works of faith) to receive salvation (thus ensuring a continual supply of saving grace). While Paul is stressing the root of justification (faith), James is stressing the fruit of justification (works). But each man acknowledges both.

After affirming that we're saved by grace through faith" (Eph 2:8,9), Paul adds, "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Eph 2:10). Again, right after declaring that it's "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us," Paul urges that "those who have believed in God should be careful to maintains good works" (Eph 2:8).

When James says that we've been born again and justified by faith, he doesn't think that we're born again by our works. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. He was dealing with errorists who said that if they had faith they didn't need to show their love by a life of faith (2:14-17). James countered this error by teaching that true, saving faith is alive, showing itself to be so by deeds of love (James 2:18,26). The author of James taught that justification is by faith alone and also that faith is never alone but shows itself to be alive by good deeds that express a believer's thanks to God for the free gift of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.

In summary, there's no conflict between James and Paul. They each have a different focus, a different question they're answering, a different error they're correcting. These two Apostles in fact taught a harmonious view of the gospel of Jesus Christ, albeit to different audiences with different circumstances.

Your attempt at reconciling this apparent dispute in the NT between Paul and James is based on the premise that James wasn't referring to the work of the law. Your premise is inaccurate. James referred to obedience to the law or God's commandments as the criterion, together with faith. Abraham's obedience to God's command was cited, proving once and for all that faith alone wasn't enough. 

Let's say you believe God asks you to do something. Is having that faith enough to make you a righteous person? Is that faith enough to earn your salvation? No, definitely not. Not yet anyway. You must also do that something and if you didn't do it, you have disobeyed God. 

Perhaps that will jot your memory of a saying from Jesus, on the importance of the Law. Without the Law, faith is pointless.