I can finally agree with seabass. They can not both be right.
James says true faith produces work. Mere belief (lack of any true faith) will be worthless. In which case james agrees with paul. We are saved by GRACE through FAITH, NOT OF WORKS, lest anyone should boast. And in romans, Where he says if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to BOAST ABOUT. But in both eph and romans we see that the end result of our faith (and salvation) is a work which is produced by that faith.
You either believe in faith alone in the work of Christ. Or you believe in faith in self and your many works. there is no in between.
The "work of Christ" does not operate in a vacuum.
Faith is an active dynamic. Faith is a "doing principle."
If I have faith in a parachute when I jump out of a plane it means I pull the chord. Those who have faith in God likewise do what God tells them to do because they know that the end of such doing is life.
Noah had faith in God which was the dynamic which produced an ark. Abraham had faith in God which was the dynamic by which he obeyed and left his dwelling place. A genuine Christian has faith in God which is the dynamic by which they are "doers of the word." God counts faith as righteousness because God looks at the inward parts of a man, the heart. A good heart is a faithful heart. It is the heart which matters because everything else flows out of the heart. Men are not saved by outer reformation but rather by inward reformation. God changes hearts and the changed hearts then produce good fruit.
There is no such things as "faith alone in the work of Christ" apart from being a "doer of the word." Jesus was a propitiatory sin offering by which we can approach God seeking reconciliation. The death of Christ is something we put to use by doing something, it is not passive.
Rom 4:1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?
Rom 4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
Rom 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Rom 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
The foundation of Abraham's faith was the grace of God. The flesh of Abraham served to no good end apart from the grace of God. It is through grace or the leading of God by which Abraham was accounted righteous. In other words Abraham followed the blueprint set forth by God and it was through that implementation that he found favour.
Noah utilised the blueprint set forth by God (instruction on how to build the ark) by a genuine faith and it was through that he was accounted righteous (for he yielded to God). Noah could not boast because the source of his salvation was God's blueprint rather than some blueprint of his own. God is the author and finisher of our faith through His grace.
Faith produced words because faith is a work for faith is an active moving dynamic principle. The works do not come after faith but are produced in conjunction with faith. A burning fire produces smoke. Faith produces works. Faith produces arks. Faith produces obedience. Faith is wholehearted trust in God necessitating obedience.
"Faith Alone" and "Grace Alone" are misnomers produced in the minds of men and have no bearing to reality.