James and Paul differ in three areas, salvation, prayer, and healing:
James and Paul on salvation:
The most serious area of disagreement between James and Paul is their explanation of salvation. James indicates that good works must be added to faith to produce salvation.
James 2:17-20
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe — and tremble!
20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
NKJV
Paul gives a different explanation of salvation. Paul not only teaches that works are unnecessary for salvation, he specifically excludes works from the salvation process.
Romans 4:4-5
4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
NKJV
These two explanations of salvation are in conflict. What makes the disagreement between Paul and James even more perplexing is that both men point to Abraham as a validation of their teaching.
James said in James 2:21-22
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
NKJV ------ Please note that according to scriptures Abram was accounted as righteous before God long before Isaac was even born. Yet James points to Abraham works many years after the birth of Isaac.
Paul said in Romans 4:2
2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
NKJV
This difference is answered by understanding that James was describing the salvation requirements for his Jewish audience (the circumcision), while Paul was describing the salvation requirements for this age of God's grace which is both for the Gentile audience (the uncircumcision) and the Jews. They each point to Abraham as an example, but use different events from Abraham's life to support their teaching.
Romans 3:29-31
9 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,
30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
NKJV
IMPORTANT It is significant that between the two events referred to above, another very important event took place in Abraham's life. In Genesis 17, God instituted circumcision as a sign of the Abrahamic Covenant. Paul uses Abraham in uncircumcision as an example of justification "through faith" without the works of the law. --- James uses Abraham in circumcision as an example of justification "by faith" plus the works of the law. Paul discusses and explains this dual fatherhood of Abraham in detail in the fourth chapter of Romans.
James and Paul on Prayer:
James and Paul also disagree on prayer. James presents prayer as a way to receive physical blessing from God if you obey the law and ask for the proper things.
James 4:2-3
2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
NKJV
Paul presents prayer as a way to maintain spiritual stability in our lives regardless of the physical circumstances in which we may find ourselves.
Philippians 4:6-7
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
NKJV
James indicates that God will give his readers the desires of their hearts as long as those desires are in keeping with God's law. Paul, on the other hand, indicates that whatever the desires of our hearts are, God's response is always the same, peace. The response that Paul promises involves provision for our hearts and minds, not our bodies. It is not a promise of physical provision as was James' promise to Israel.
The examples of prayer used by James and Paul illustrate the differences in their teachings on the issue.
James 5:17-18
17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
NKJV
A detailed study of the example given by James shows what is in accord with the principles of the law. Elijah was prophesying during the reign of wicked King Ahab. (See I Kings 16:30-33) In response to the king's wickedness, God shut up the windows of heaven just as he had promised in the law. (See Deuteronomy 28:23,24) James presents an example of prayer in keeping with God's instruction to Israel under the law.
Paul's teaching on prayer is best illustrated by an example from his own life.
2 Corinthians 12:7-9
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
NKJV
As Paul prayed about his thorn in the flesh, nothing about his physical circumstance changed. The only thing that changed was Paul's reaction to the circumstance. He changed from desiring the thorn to be taken away to glorying in it. His prayer had changed his heart and mind. This is the prayer promise God gives to the Body of Christ in the Age of Grace.
James and Paul on healing:
The final area of difference in the teaching of James and Paul is healing. James gives the following instructions about healing.
James 5:14-15
14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
NKJV
As with all of James' instructions, his pattern for healing is in perfect keeping with the instructions given to Israel in the Law of Moses. Below is God's instruction in the law concerning the healing of leprosy.
Leviticus 14:15-18
5 And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand.
16 Then the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord.
17 And of the rest of the oil in his hand, the priest shall put some on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the blood of the trespass offering.
18 The rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. So the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord.
NKJV
The pattern of anointing with oil by the spiritual leadership is the same as described by James. Not only is the leper's disease healed, but also atonement is made for his sin. James' instructions about healing also promised that the sins of the person healed would be forgiven when God raised him up.
However Paul’s epistles about healing is II Corinthians 12 quoted earlier. In that passage Paul did none of the things that James instructs. He did not call for the elders of the church, he was not anointed with oil, and he was not raised up. Not only did Paul not follow the instruction of James for himself, he also did not recommend it to other members of the Body of Christ.
When Timothy suffered an infirmity in the flesh, Paul recommended medicine.
1 Timothy 5:23
23 No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities.
NKJV
When Trophimus, one of Paul's ministry partners, was sick, no anointing or prayer for healing was ordered. Paul was forced to go on without him.
2 Timothy 4:20
20 Erastus stayed in Corinth, but Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick.
NKJV
God gives no promise of physical healing for the Body of Christ through Paul as He did for Israel through James. In fact, Paul tells us that we must wait for the redemption of our bodies. (See Romans 8:22-25)
When we rightly divide the Word of Truth, the conflict between Jame's and Paul's instructions concerning healing is easily resolved.
James and Paul on salvation:
The most serious area of disagreement between James and Paul is their explanation of salvation. James indicates that good works must be added to faith to produce salvation.
James 2:17-20
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe — and tremble!
20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
NKJV
Paul gives a different explanation of salvation. Paul not only teaches that works are unnecessary for salvation, he specifically excludes works from the salvation process.
Romans 4:4-5
4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
NKJV
These two explanations of salvation are in conflict. What makes the disagreement between Paul and James even more perplexing is that both men point to Abraham as a validation of their teaching.
James said in James 2:21-22
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
NKJV ------ Please note that according to scriptures Abram was accounted as righteous before God long before Isaac was even born. Yet James points to Abraham works many years after the birth of Isaac.
Paul said in Romans 4:2
2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
NKJV
This difference is answered by understanding that James was describing the salvation requirements for his Jewish audience (the circumcision), while Paul was describing the salvation requirements for this age of God's grace which is both for the Gentile audience (the uncircumcision) and the Jews. They each point to Abraham as an example, but use different events from Abraham's life to support their teaching.
Romans 3:29-31
9 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,
30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
NKJV
IMPORTANT It is significant that between the two events referred to above, another very important event took place in Abraham's life. In Genesis 17, God instituted circumcision as a sign of the Abrahamic Covenant. Paul uses Abraham in uncircumcision as an example of justification "through faith" without the works of the law. --- James uses Abraham in circumcision as an example of justification "by faith" plus the works of the law. Paul discusses and explains this dual fatherhood of Abraham in detail in the fourth chapter of Romans.
James and Paul on Prayer:
James and Paul also disagree on prayer. James presents prayer as a way to receive physical blessing from God if you obey the law and ask for the proper things.
James 4:2-3
2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
NKJV
Paul presents prayer as a way to maintain spiritual stability in our lives regardless of the physical circumstances in which we may find ourselves.
Philippians 4:6-7
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
NKJV
James indicates that God will give his readers the desires of their hearts as long as those desires are in keeping with God's law. Paul, on the other hand, indicates that whatever the desires of our hearts are, God's response is always the same, peace. The response that Paul promises involves provision for our hearts and minds, not our bodies. It is not a promise of physical provision as was James' promise to Israel.
The examples of prayer used by James and Paul illustrate the differences in their teachings on the issue.
James 5:17-18
17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
NKJV
A detailed study of the example given by James shows what is in accord with the principles of the law. Elijah was prophesying during the reign of wicked King Ahab. (See I Kings 16:30-33) In response to the king's wickedness, God shut up the windows of heaven just as he had promised in the law. (See Deuteronomy 28:23,24) James presents an example of prayer in keeping with God's instruction to Israel under the law.
Paul's teaching on prayer is best illustrated by an example from his own life.
2 Corinthians 12:7-9
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
NKJV
As Paul prayed about his thorn in the flesh, nothing about his physical circumstance changed. The only thing that changed was Paul's reaction to the circumstance. He changed from desiring the thorn to be taken away to glorying in it. His prayer had changed his heart and mind. This is the prayer promise God gives to the Body of Christ in the Age of Grace.
James and Paul on healing:
The final area of difference in the teaching of James and Paul is healing. James gives the following instructions about healing.
James 5:14-15
14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
NKJV
As with all of James' instructions, his pattern for healing is in perfect keeping with the instructions given to Israel in the Law of Moses. Below is God's instruction in the law concerning the healing of leprosy.
Leviticus 14:15-18
5 And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand.
16 Then the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord.
17 And of the rest of the oil in his hand, the priest shall put some on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the blood of the trespass offering.
18 The rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. So the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord.
NKJV
The pattern of anointing with oil by the spiritual leadership is the same as described by James. Not only is the leper's disease healed, but also atonement is made for his sin. James' instructions about healing also promised that the sins of the person healed would be forgiven when God raised him up.
However Paul’s epistles about healing is II Corinthians 12 quoted earlier. In that passage Paul did none of the things that James instructs. He did not call for the elders of the church, he was not anointed with oil, and he was not raised up. Not only did Paul not follow the instruction of James for himself, he also did not recommend it to other members of the Body of Christ.
When Timothy suffered an infirmity in the flesh, Paul recommended medicine.
1 Timothy 5:23
23 No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities.
NKJV
When Trophimus, one of Paul's ministry partners, was sick, no anointing or prayer for healing was ordered. Paul was forced to go on without him.
2 Timothy 4:20
20 Erastus stayed in Corinth, but Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick.
NKJV
God gives no promise of physical healing for the Body of Christ through Paul as He did for Israel through James. In fact, Paul tells us that we must wait for the redemption of our bodies. (See Romans 8:22-25)
When we rightly divide the Word of Truth, the conflict between Jame's and Paul's instructions concerning healing is easily resolved.