James 2:24 — 'justified by works and not by faith alone' means vindicated before people, not made righteous before God

James 2:24 says a person is 'justified by works and not by faith alone.' Mike argues this means: a person is demonstrated/vindicated to other people by their works — not that a person is made salvifically righteous by works. Connecting to verse 18, it is about showing faith to others ('I will show you my faith by my works'), not about how one stands before God.