The ONLY way to reconcile conflicting verses

The ONLY way to reconcile conflicting verses

Social Media Question:

How do you reconcile Matthew 7:21-23, Romans 11:6, and Ephesians 2 with James 2 and John 15?

My Reply:

The Foundation Verses in the King James Bible

The only way to reconcile these verses is to rightly divide them between the two programs to which they belong to. Take note of the programs and the explanation below to understand how they reconcile.

The Kingdom Program (Israel and the Circumcision)

• Matthew 7:21-23: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
• John 15:2, 6: "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away... If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned."
• James 2:24: "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only."

The Mystery Program (The Body of Christ and the Uncircumcision)

• Romans 11:6: "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."
• Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
  
  

Rightly Dividing the Word: Prophecy vs. Mystery

To reconcile these scriptures without creating a theological contradiction, one must apply the principle of rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). This requires recognizing that God has two distinct programs: the Prophetic Program concerning the nation of Israel and their earthly Kingdom, and the Mystery Program concerning the Body of Christ and our heavenly places. The verses in Matthew, John, and James belong to the Prophetic Program, which was "spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:21). Conversely, the verses in Romans and Ephesians belong to the Revelation of the Mystery, which was "kept secret since the world began" (Romans 16:25) and revealed specifically to the Apostle Paul for us today. When you see that these are two different sets of instructions for two different groups of people, the "conflict" between faith and works disappears.

The purpose of the Kingdom Program was to establish Israel as a "kingdom of priests, and an holy nation" (Exodus 19:6) to reclaim the earth for God. Under this program, works were an essential requirement because the Law was the schoolmaster and the standard of righteousness for the nation. In Matthew 7 and John 15, Jesus is speaking to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24) under the Law. Because Israel’s national covenant was conditional ("if ye will obey my voice... then ye shall be a peculiar treasure"), their justification required the performance of the "will of the Father" and the bearing of fruit. James 2:24 confirms this for the "twelve tribes scattered abroad" (James 1:1), noting that faith must be made perfect by works, just as it was for Abraham under the covenant of circumcision. In the Kingdom program, works are the legal evidence of a servant's loyalty to the King.

In stark contrast, the Mystery Program—the dispensation of the grace of God (Ephesians 3:2)—is not about a nation reclaiming the earth, but about God forming a new creature called the Body of Christ (Galatians 6:15). In this program, God is dealing with individuals, both Jew and Gentile, based on the finished work of the cross alone. Paul explains in Romans 11:6 that grace and works are mutually exclusive; they cannot be mixed. If salvation were by works in any capacity, it would no longer be grace. The reason the Mystery program excludes works entirely (Ephesians 2:9) is that our "old man" was crucified with Christ, and we are now identified with His righteousness by faith alone, apart from the Law (Romans 3:21-22). We are not "branches" being tested for fruit to see if we can stay in the vine; we are "members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones" (Ephesians 5:30).

The reason for the difference is the object of the program. The Kingdom program is about the government of God on earth through a functional, law-keeping nation. The Mystery program is about the ambassadorship of God in a period of extended grace where God is "reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them" (2 Corinthians 5:19). Therefore, while James tells the twelve tribes that faith without works is dead, Paul tells the Body of Christ that "to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Romans 4:5). Both statements are true, but they apply to different dispensations. We live in the Mystery, so we follow the Pauline revelation of pure grace.