At the beginning of your post, the first thing that came to mind was exactly, "Faith without works is dead", which you referenced.

I am a Roman Catholic. By default we do not take it for granted that we are saved, much less by our own declaration. You may have heard of Catholic guilt, which is a real thing, although somewhat exaggerated. We can simply do our best and hope that when Judgement Day comes, we'll have made good choices. The hope is that God's grace will ultimately be in our favor like a teacher might give you extra points for effort.

Over the years, I've learned some wisdom similar to what you have written. One nugget is that you can't get to heaven through bible study. One should not be too zealous about going to bible study and neglecting one's other obligations. Those of us with family mustn't neglect them. This touches on vocation, which is choosing a way of life either in the priesthood, as a married person, a single person, or consecrated life. In my case, being married, there are obligations to my wife and children. This married life is a way of fulfilling purpose and contributing to the world, which is part of His plan. Raising good people is not a small job.

On top of that, there is a universal call to holiness as part of our vocation. This is about growing closer to God and living according to His will.

There is also the personal journey of discovering and putting our talents to work for the greater good.

And, one's vocation is understood to not be a one-time decision but a lifelong journey of responding to God's call and growing in holiness.

All this to say that "works" are the expression of vocation. We can have faith, but if we raise wicked children we have failed to produce good works. Whatever our calling is, fulfilling that calling in service to God and community is a part of our works.

By this token, it is possible, like the Good Samaritan, for a person without faith to have good works and therefore be on the path to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Another way I interpret it is the example of a gardener. You can have a PhD in gardening. But if you don't have a garden, you haven't fulfilled your vocation. You are fallow ground. Similarly, you can be knowledgeable about the bible, but if your life is not blooming with good fruits, you have not fulfilled your purpose or God's.

Finally, this brings me back to my Grandma Luz. I asked her once what she wanted to be as an adult when she was a little girl. She responded that she just wanted to be a mother. She was, indeed, a mother to her children, her grandchildren, other people's children, and to the community. When she passed, the entire church was filled with people; and it wasn't a small church. That was something quite inspirational for me in demonstrating good works by somebody who truly accepted and fulfilled her vocation.