This is all true but I would suggest that it should be made plain that Paul was not against doing the works of faith.
What he was saying is that we should not think that we can earn our way into glory land by our works.
Even people who do not believe in works will brag about the works they do, but is it the works Jesus told us to do?
We are not saved by works, we are saved by Gods grace.
Was Paul against works?
1 Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
If Paul was against works why would he tell the Corinthians he worked harder than them all?
James 2
shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Any one can holler about how much faith they have, lets see some of it.
Any one can holler about how much work they do, is it the works which come from faith or is it just so they can brag?
John 14
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Matthew 22
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Luke 10
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
Was Jesus against works?
John 14
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do;
In certain churches they use a term ‘Sacerdotalism’ which means that salvation is mediated through the priesthood or persons appointed.. Instead of being regenerated by the word, they have a completely different approach to salvation....
....They ‘combine elements from the Old Testament’ (ie. priesthood, leaders, dress, rituals etc.),.... as ‘the means’ of grace which is “dispensed” by the priest or persons appointed and this through their church or their group..... which therefore nullifies the simple gospel...So the cross is made of NO effect.
They do not trust that the cross that Christ died on can bring full redemption in and of itself...and it is this what Paul stated as ‘a different gospel’.
We know that when Constantine legalized Christianity he had the pagans enter the church ‘by baptism’, not by being born spiritually, which Jesus taught when he said you must be born again...
As the hymn goes what can wash away my sin? “Nothing” but the blood of Jesus”.
Jn.3:3-5 states “Unless one is born again (from above) he cannot see the kingdom of God.” It’s not of man but of God the new birth comes from; it is His Spirit, His power and His work. Titus 3:5 state, “through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.”