While works are required for salvation in order to satisfy the law of justice, our works are, in the end, insignificant. We must show God we want to follow Him by obeying His commandments, but even strict obedience does not “earn” salvation. As the apostle Paul explained, despite our best efforts to follow God, in the end salvation comes through faith in and the application of Christ’s atonement. In this sense, works do not save us; not that they are not required, but that they are not sufficient. Faith is required for salvation.
Ephesians 2:8: