Those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham who had faith. For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse. One of the controversies during the Protestant reformation was the assertion that “faith alone” saves. Martin Luther accused the Catholic Church of “works righteousness,” that anyone could get right with God by the dint of their own efforts. While Church practice might have muddied the waters, the constant teaching of the church has been that only God’s grace saves us, not our own works. Of course this controversy is played out right in the Bible itself when St. James in his epistle insists that our charity and love must reflect our faith or it is “thoroughly lifeless.”
