Excellent point and fully on display in this thread. If you quote James then according to the OP you must be a "Judaizer", and according to the Reformist-Calvinist you must be an Arminian, Synergist, blah, blah, blah. Nothing but excuses from people not taking all of the writings into account, and rather choosing one author over another, pitting scripture against scripture so as to nullify what they do not wish to accept or believe. However, where do we find any warning about those who twist and subvert the writings of James to their own destruction? (lol), nowhere, but we do read of Peter saying the same concerning the writings of Paul, and that is enough for me to guard myself, and to take that warning seriously, and to be very careful when it comes to the (awesomely supernal) things that Paul is teaching.
As Paul might have said, what I say next, I speak as a fool.
Paul was a university professor. Paul was a lawyer. Paul was a textbook writer. I have sat under many lecturers such as Paul, where they take a simple concept, explain it in depth, and I am left saying "Huh?"
I know the problem is with not so bright me. But there are other not so bright me's 2000 years later who read Paul and still, today, go "Huh?"
So, in my defence, which I call "Paul for dummies" I say, do not just take Paul and ignore Jesus and His brother James. Take them all as speaking the same thing. In fact do not even take Paul and ignore Paul because Paul can seem to be contradicting Paul. Yet I know there is a consistency to Paul. We, the Dummies, just have to find it.
Again, because I know I am a Dummy, when someone quotes Paul, I will not reply till I have read the book they are quoting from, from first to last verse.
Why I say this is because verses quoted out of context may sound completely against the message of the book.
e.g. Rom 7:12
Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. vs...
Rom 3:27
¶
Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
Rom 3:28
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
In the same book Paul seems both for the law and against the law. But I know reading the whole book will tell us which.