I've been having a heated discussion with a fellow church member about the differences between James and Paul.  How James was under a different dispensation than Paul, my friend can't buy that.  I was wondering what scriptures I could show him that would back up my argument?  I tried to explain how James was a legalist, that his teaching was faith plus works for salvation, and Paul's teaching is Faith. Can you help?

I do not know that I will give you the answer you want or expect. I am certainly a dispensationalist and I see definite differences between the Gentile epistles of Paul and the book of James. However, I do not go as far as some and I come short of teaching that James teaches a totally different way of salvation than Paul. James does teach that genuine faith will be accompanied by works and that the kind of faith that saves is the kind of faith that produces works. Yet, there are statements in the epistles of Paul that say almost the same thing. Consider the following verses: Romans 2:1Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
See All..., 6-10; 6:16-17
See All..., 21-22; 8:1
See All... [compare 1 John 1:7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
See All...]; 8:12-14
See All...; 13:2
See All...; 14:22-23
See All...; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 [9] Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, [10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. [11] And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
See All...; 11:29
See All...; 15:1-2
See All... [compare Hebrews 3:6But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
See All..., 14]; 16:22
See All... [compare Hebrews 9:28So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
See All...]; 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 [17] Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. [18] And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
See All...; Galatians 5:4Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
See All..., 19-21; Colossians 1:21-23 [21] And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled [22] In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: [23] If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
See All...; 1 Timothy 3:6Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
See All...; 5:11-12
See All...; 2 Timothy 2:12If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
See All...; Titus 3:10-11 [10] A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; [11] Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.
See All....

Some of these verses can be easily explained. Others take some serious study--just like we have to study James 2. But they do not teach that we lose our salvation or earn it by works. I am not convinced that James 2 teaches works salvation either. For instance, consider James 2:1My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
See All.... It states, "My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons." Obviously, James spoke to believers who had the faith of their Lord Jesus Christ. James may emphasize the works of the believer, but this is not the same as teaching works salvation.

Why, then, is James so different from the epistles of Paul--and, yes, it is different. There are several qualities that have made this epistle a hard one to understand for many.

1. James is written to Jewish believers. As a rule, Paul's Gentiles epistles are written to Gentiles. James is written "to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad" (James 1:2My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
   See All...).
2. James is probably the earliest of the New Testament epistles to be written. It is written early in the transition from the gospel of the kingdom to the gospel of the grace of God. James is coming from the standpoint of a Jewish gospel. The book may have been written before Acts 15. That would significantly change its outlook.
3. James was written in anticipation of a soon return of the Lord. James 5 seems to have special application to the tribulation period. Though I do not feel that James is an exclusively tribulation book, it does have some powerful applications to this time period. But that would make sense if the book was written so early that it looked as there would be no Gentile age. The early Jewish believers expected a quick transition from the apostolic age to the tribulation and the coming of Christ.  James refers to the wickedness of the rich (James 5:1-6 [1] Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. [2] Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. [3] Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. [4] Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. [5] Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. [6] Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
   See All...)--something especially true when buying and selling requires the mark of the beast.  James 5:8Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
   See All... states, "Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." Apply this verse to the tribulation. He proclaims that "the judge standeth before the door" (James 5:9Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
   See All...). this pictures a judge who is preparing to make things right immediately. Jesus is the judge who will come (Acts 17:31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
   See All...). Jesus standing sounds more like the vision Stephen had of Him before his death (Acts 7:55But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
   See All...) than like the descriptions of Paul where Christ is seated at the right hand of God (Ephesians 1:20Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
   See All...; Colossians 3:1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
   See All...). The warning against taking oaths (James 5:12But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
   See All...) could help them avoid the mark of the beast. The reference to Elijah and the lack of rain for three and a half years (James 5:17Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
   See All...) certainly points to the witnesses of the tribulation (Revelation 11:3-6 [3] And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. [4] These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. [5] And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. [6] These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
   See All...).

As you can see, there are interesting parallels. However, James is speaking to believers in Jesus Christ after the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. The extent of grace may not have yet been fully revealed, but that does not mean salvation is by works. In fact, James 2:23And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
See All... points to the common proof text Paul used for salvation through faith--"And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God." James does not deny the imputation of righteousness through faith. He simply states that true faith will be followed by works. The works do not save. They only validify the reality of the salvation in an outward way.

One other thing. James was obviously responding in some way to the teaching that salvation was by faith alone. He is dealing with those who say that they have faith and therefore do not need works (see James 2:17-18 [17] Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. [18] Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
See All...).  The teaching that salvation was by faith was already known. Yet James felt that they also (in addition to justification by faith) needed to be justified by works. How could both apply? The word justify specifically means to declare just. When Christ saves us, we are declare just before the Father on the basis of the shed blood of Christ. That is justification by faith. When someone trusts in the Lord as Saviour and their life changes as a result, their own works declare that they have been made just by Jesus Christ. That is justification by works.