Faith alone per James 2:24 equates to faith alone. Not your subjective "empty profession of faith".
Faith alone is a sincere and correct belief that Jesus is all that He claimed to be, the same belief that the demons have and tremble.
But James calls it a dead faith because it is void of works.
James 2:20: "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?"
Not works of merit but the works of obedience toward God.
We may debate what these works of obedience may be but not the need to obey them.
Dead faith equals faith without works.
It does not equal your "empty profession of faith".
Faith alone is a sincere and correct belief that Jesus is all that He claimed to be, the same belief that the demons have and tremble.
But James calls it a dead faith because it is void of works.
James 2:20: "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?"
Not works of merit but the works of obedience toward God.
We may debate what these works of obedience may be but not the need to obey them.
Dead faith equals faith without works.
It does not equal your "empty profession of faith".
James does not teach that we are saved "by" works as you believe. His concern is to show the reality of the faith professed by the individual (James 2:18) and demonstrate that the faith claimed (James 2:14) by the individual is genuine. Simple!
You have a dead faith producing works in order to become a living faith which would be like saying that a dead tree produces fruit in order to become a living tree. You have the cart before the horse.
We are made alive together with Christ FIRST by grace through faith (not works) then created in Christ Jesus unto good works. (Ephesians 2:5-10)