The Bible is from God and He is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33). There can be no claim of contradiction without impugning the nature of God. God gave us His written word to allow all men who chose to, can find the truth which sets men free. The finding of truth requires us to handle the Word of God in a correct manner (2 Tim. 2:15). One cannot make Paul and James be in contradiction to each other because their message came from God and not each other (2 Peter 1:20,21; 1 Cor. 2:13). If one needs an example look to how Jesus said that Peter made his statement in Matthew 16. Jesus said, “…for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 16:17).
Part of the discussion in James chapter one concerns a Christian who goes back into the world. As an example, Paul says that Demas loved this present world (2 Tim. 4:10). The Christian who returns to the world is like a man who looks in a mirror, turns away and forgets what manner of man he was. When we come to verse 25, the verse begins with the word, “but”. It is making a contrast between the man who goes back into the world and the Christian who desires to remain faithful to God. Within chapter one is revealed things which can keep us from falling away from God (Jude 24).
One thing is that we are to be doers of the Word (James 1:22). A person would need to have a familiarity with the Word of God in order to know what to do with their service to God. James writes that if a person knows to do what is good and then fails to do it, to him it is sin (James 4:17). What is clearly implied is a working knowledge of what God expects. In order for us to understand “working knowledge” let us look back at James 1:21. How would one lay apart or lay aside filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness without action of some kind? The very nature of these things speaks about spiritual activity in the wrong direction.
A person is to then lay aside the wrong but also receive the engrafted word which is able to save the soul. Paul reveals that the gospel of Christ is the power of God to all that believe (Rom. 1:16). The truth does not affect a person who does not believe it. Receiving the Word of God is equal to the gospel being the power of God unto salvation. Those who receive Christ by accepting what is taught then have the power to become the children of God (John 1:12). God keeps man from reaching wrong conclusions by providing more evidence from other scriptures. What does it mean to receive Christ? Is this just some mental acceptance of the truth about Jesus? Jesus said, why do you call Me Lord and do not the things I say (Luke 6:46). Receiving Christ then means one is willing to do what Jesus has said through the written Word if a person “looks” into the perfect law of liberty, they of necessity must continue therein (James 1:25). What if one does not continue in the Word? They have ceased to look into the perfect law of liberty. This goes back to James’ argument about turning away from the mirror. the example of a person who continues to hear is one that is a doer of the work. Why the change in the wording? He was discussing looking into the perfect law of liberty. At the end of the verse is the idea of work. Looking into the perfect law of liberty is therefore equal to being a doer of the work. You will hear people say, “oh, we ought to go by the Bible”. Is such a statement filled with truth from the person who says it? If we do go by the Bible then it should follow that we are engaged in the work of the Lord. We should understand from the scriptures that our work or labor is not in vain (1 Cor. 15:58). We accept this truth because God cannot lie and He willreward those who diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6).
The fear created by those of the religious world is to scare people away from works. For you see if you do not have works, then you are not held responsible to God. The ugly doctrines of “faith only” or “grace only” are taught so that men do not feel guilty when they do nothing for God. If one has to continually look into the perfect law of liberty then they must also continue to do the work of the Lord. Paul and James do not contradict, men and their manuals, do.