How can you believe in salvation by faith alone when James 2:24 seems to say that salvation is not by faith alone?

TL;DR:

We are saved by God’s grace through faith alone. Faith is demonstrated by action. James’s statement that we are justified by works and not by faith alone is a way of saying that our works reveal our faith.

what does the bible say?

James 2:24 says: "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." At first glance, this verse seems to contradict the rest of the Bible which says we are saved by grace through faith (e.g., John 3:16–18; Romans 10:9–10; Galatians 3:7–9; Ephesians 2:1–10; 1 John 1:9–10). How can Protestants claim that salvation is by "faith alone" when this verse exists? Context is key. When James says we are "justified" by works, he is using the word justified to mean "proven" or "demonstrated." This is a different usage of the word than Paul employs in Romans. When Paul says that we are justified by faith in Romans 3:28, he is using the word "justified" to indicate that we are "declared righteous before God." Reading the entirety of Romans 3 and the entirety of James 2 helps clarify to what each author is referring.

from the old testament

The Old Testament gives us several heroes of the faith who acted in response to faith. We know they had faith because of their actions—their beliefs are evident in how they chose to behave because of them. Several examples are below:
Noah believed God was going to flood the earth, so he obeyed and built an ark (Genesis 6—9).
Abraham believed God had a promised land for him, so he obeyed God’s directive and left Ur (Genesis 12).
The Hebrew midwives feared and honored God, so they kept the infants alive rather than killing them at birth (Exodus 1).
Moses believed God and told the Pharaoh to let the people go out of Egypt (Exodus 6).
Rahab believed the reports about the God of the Israelites and hid the spies (Joshua 2).
Joshua believed God and sent the people walking around Jericho seven times in order to destroy it (Joshua 6).

from the new testament

Paul states that we are created for good works (Ephesians 2:10), right after saying we are saved by faith alone.
James says that true faith in Jesus will result in good works in the life of the believer (James 2:20–26). In other words, good works come from people who have real faith and therefore, good works are proof of genuine faith.
If a person has no good works, then there is no proof that they are a real believer in Jesus (James 2:14, 17, 20, 26).
Hebrews 11:8 says, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” This verse confirms that faith led to actions; Abraham’s actions proved his faith.
Hebrews 11:17, 19 says, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son … He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.” Again, Abraham revealed his faith by obeying God and doing what He commanded.

implications for today

James 2:24 is part of a larger discussion of how spiritual transformation is demonstrated by actions. Just a bit earlier, James wrote, "Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works" (James 2:18). Having faith but no accompanying works is useless (James 2:20). "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (James 2:17). The NIV renders James 2:24 this way: "You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone." The NLT says, "So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone." James is making the point that the proof of our faith is our actions. We are declared right by God through faith, and the fact that we have been made right with Him is demonstrated in our actions.

Second Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." Salvation results in a changed life. We are saved by grace through faith alone—we are not saved by works (Ephesians 2:8–9; Galatians 2:16; Acts 16:31); however, true faith will always be accompanied by works, by obedience to Christ (Ephesians 2:10). This is the point that James is making.

Jesus talks about this in John 15:1–17 when He talks about abiding in Him and obeying Him—belief in Jesus and love for Him means following His commands (also see 1 John). But obedience is not something we produce by sheer willpower or self-effort—we must abide in Christ. When a person is saved, not only is he forgiven of his sin and made right with God, he is given the indwelling Holy Spirit. He works in us to help us know, love, and obey God—to make us new. The process is progressive and lifelong. Philippians 2:12–13 explains it this way, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Actively pursuing sanctification and seeking to “put off the old” and “put on the new” (see Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3) is a result of having believed God and been made new in Him. In that way, our works demonstrate our faith. If our lives are not changed by Jesus, then it seems unlikely we actually had faith in Him to begin with (1 John 2:19). In that way, our faith would be dead. But when we have true faith, our actions will be in line with that reality.

understand

James 2:24 shows that while salvation is by faith alone, true faith is evidenced by works.
James uses "justified" to mean "demonstrated," while Paul means "declared righteous."
Genuine faith leads to good works, showing the transformation that has occurred in a believer’s life.

reflect

How do your actions show your faith in Christ?
How can you reconcile "faith alone" with the concept of works?
Where do you struggle to demonstrate your faith through actions?

engage

How do James and Paul use “justified” differently, and how does this understanding give us clarity on this question?
How does James’s view on works align with salvation by faith alone?
What biblical examples show faith leading to action?