I think it boils down to whose faith is in view in regard to the work. The faith of one seen, or the unseen?
The one wage of sin is everlasting death, eternal separation from God..... never to raise to new spirit life forever more.
It began the moment Adam and Eve experienced doing the will of another voice. God corrupted the entire first creation beginning it process of decay leading to annihilation and a new creation.
Works are required to pay that eternal wage. They just cannot be performed by dead men. An eternal work coming from an eternal living Spirit is needed.
So then we are saved by works but not that of our own selves coming from a dead faith (the imaginations of one’s own heart) which produces dead works. We can offer our dead faith toward God all day long and will never be heard on high.
Note (purple in parenthesis) my personal comments needed to reconcile that which men call separate as if it was possible.. (faith works)
Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith (dead) toward God, (not coming from or after God) .
If we are saved by faith it must be a living faith coming from a living God. It’s there were a schism seems to come from ,the dividing line. The question must be asked "whose faith". That of God ,or the things of men.
Many men for some reason or other do not want to accredit God as needing faith so many separate the word faith from works when in reality it is all together “faith works “.There is not separation between faith, the planning, and the execution of the plan the work of our faithful Creator . Out faithful creator who believed the plan would work and said ;let there be executing or working the plan (faith) and there was Light.
So we are saved by a righteous work but not that of ourselves .We are saved according to His eternal mercy as a imputed work of righteousness.
The key is not by which we have done. But no works altogether makes the faith of Christ which produces the works of Christ without effect.
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
If we would attribute the work of Christ's faith to dead people who cannot work to pay the eternal wage then as we are informed in James 2 ...men do blaspheme the holy name /authority by which he does call us working in us to both will (faith) and do (work)his good pleasure .Again a work of His faith working towards us. not dead works offered towards Him..
Jam 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by "works", when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Abraham seen is not justified by his dead works coming from a dead faith (the imagination of his own heart. But clearly is justified by works in the same way as the other example Rehab, an imputed righteousness .
Because faith is a work neither the word faith or works is attributed to Abraham or Rehab the two witnesses of the same “one faith” that worked in them .
Again to help understand the proper way to understand the verse the comments in (purple parenthesis’s) which equal a imputed work is needed to help reconcile the seemingly difference that many try to put between works and faith.
The parable below.
Seest thou how faith(Christ’s) wrought with his (Christ’s) works, and by (Christ’s) works was faith(Christ’s) made perfect?And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness(Christ’s): and he was called the Friend of God.Ye see then how that by works(Christ’s) a man is justified, and not by faith(Christ’s) only.Jam 2:24
James two is a companion verse of Philippians 2 they work together as one witness as Christ by faith works in us to make it all possible to pay one the eternal Wage.
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Phi 2:12
Not just wills (the faith ) but works, the result of the will .