If you try to explain the Jehovah's Witnesses - but also many other Christians - the gospel message, namely the justification before God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, as Paul points out in his letter to the Romans, Chapter 3, in greatest detail, usually comes, like shot from a pistol, the reply: "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:17 +26); or quoted James 2:24 is quoted: "You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone." This has caused that already in the past appeared controversies among commentators about the significance and importance of both statements.
Is therefore a conflict between Paul and James? Here again shortly compact Paul's message: Paul straightened out that by works no man can be righteous before God. The man is righteous and saved by faith in Christ and his sacrifice, by faith alone (Romans 3:28, Ephesians 2:8-9). Any person who believes or teaches that this one faith to justification before God should be added something like works, personal contribution, etc., reduces the value of the sacrifice of Jesus (Romans 11:6, Galatians 4:4, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Titus 3:5). The blood of Jesus is not a blood like any other in its value (Hebrews 10:29).
Paul namely is seeing the risk that people want to boast before God of their works; they believe, because they live a decent life, they have claim to rescue. How often one hears: "I need not to be afraid of God's court, for I have always lived decently and done good works; If God is fair-minded, He will save me" and "I am doing right and fear no man". In this way or similar a lot of people think and talk; this then goes sometimes so far that they even tell them what they must do to be saved, such as for example preaching or belonging to a particular community and follow its instructions.
But Paul knows that we can gain the justice, which is before God, only by trust in the righteousness of Jesus Christ (the Greek word for "faith" - pistis - especially means "trust", so it has a substantial focal point in the believing confidence in God and in His Son). His service is completely sufficient for all and is disposal by faith in him. Therefore, he emphasizes the faith without works; Jesus also has done this repeatedly by giving the promise of life those, who believed in him (for example, John 3:36). And in the parable of the vine (John 15:4-8), Jesus shows that those, who believe in him, are and remain in him, the vine.
Paul contradicts so strongly the believing that one could be saved by following a set of rules or rituals, the observance of laws, traditions and customs. Rather, he points out that the faith of the heart of a man in Jesus Christ completely is enough before God to be considered as fair.
On the contrary James is warning against another danger. It could be - and the facts confirm this argument - that people say: "I believe in Jesus, and since faith is enough, I can go on as before!" Already Peter warned (1 Peter 2:16). So explained James and supported his statement by biblical examples, that a belief (which is even in his sight standing in the first place and is condition) that doesn't change a person in his character and action, in the way of life, living and quality of lifestyle in Christian direction, is not a belief at all or is a dead faith, at least. Such a "faith" is not a justifying faith. Even Paul had declared such a reaction as impossible (Romans 6:1-2). And Paul shows in his letters - as examples can be called Romans 12: 1-2 + 9-21 and Ephesians 2:8-10 - that faith by which alone we are justified, in our lives must produce deeds, not deeds to justification, but deeds of justification, as a result of our justification, as its fruit, out of gratitude, love and praise.
James tries to say that while faith is the only condition for our justification in Christ, but if it has no practical impact on your life, if you can not see that you are a Christian and go to a Christian life, then shows the fact that this your faith is only lip service and not justifying faith. Or, as someone said: "We are justified by faith alone, but not by faith that is staying alone". He wants to say that living faith is the natural need to bring fruit to the glory of God. To this is belonging a Christian way of life within the meaning of Romans 12:1-2, it includes to attract the new, Christian personality, to renew our minds. The Bible calls it the "way of sanctification," the path of following-up in Jesus.
Jesus himself said in the aforementioned parable of the vine, that those who are associated with him - by grace through faith - would then bring forth fruit; He spoke of that one would recognize his followers by their fruit and that his father would be glorified by these "fruits".
So Paul and James do not contradict each other; both are convinced of the biblical message of justification by faith. However, the related works prove the righteousness of faith, they make it be known. Paul also speaks of the various facets of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). A faith without fruit is a dead faith. Also here Paul does not have a different view than James. So check your attitude but once; does it correspond to the attitude that Paul expressed: "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." (2nd Corinthians 5:14-15)
We can therefore agree with both, Paul and also James: We are justified by faith, by faith alone, but we also bring the living Christian faith fruit. And we do not need to be concerned anxiously, if we bring about enough fruit or not. Jesus showed in his parable that a vine, that is bringing fruit, is maintained by the gardener; you are justified and saved through faith; the fruit of your faith is confirming.
There are not many people who have zeal for God, who also consider themselves to be Christians, and of which Jesus announced yet, he'll (have to) tell them, he had never known them (Matthew 7:22-23). It may be that people do not have a justifying faith in Jesus, but a belief, based on rules and statutes, indeed possessing "pillars" of works, perhaps even showing sacrifice of time and dedication according to the instructions of certain communities, but not coming from the innermost heart of a new man, a man, loving the father and the son and striving for their pleasure. External pressure and drill prevent genuine faith, the love of Christ, however drives him on.
So let us be cheerful about the justification given to us from God by faith, and may we do all that - like the majority of the servants of the Lord in His parables of the pounds and talents (Matthew 25 and Luke 19) - we bring fruit in our lives for the glory of God the Father and our Lord.