day no. 15,257: a shared hostility

"Paul and James were in full fellowship, both their concerns were legitimate, and they extended the right hand to one another. They did this, and what they both wrote is in the Scriptures because sinful men constantly want to veer off in one direction or the other. Paul opposed dead works, and James opposed dead faith. What they shared was their hostility to death." - Douglas Wilson, European Brain Snakes

There is an attempt in some circles to promote the idea that Paul and James were opposed to each other. But their hostilities were not aimed at each other at all. In fact, they agreed emphatically that light had come and that it was the life of men. Therefore, they set their sights on darkness and death. They were fighting the same battle against the same enemy on different fronts.

Their agreement was on the adjective. The nouns may have been different, but the adjectives were common ground. The adjectives declared the uniform, the nouns informed the regiment. Paul and James both were at war with death. Paul took a rod to dead works and James set his fists to fighting dead faith. Paul was also opposed to dead faith and James was against dead works, but they fought at the posts which their passions assigned them and used weapons appropriate to their respective terrains.