How do you resolve these two contradictory scriptures?
- “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” - James 2:26
- “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. - Eph 2:8-9
How do you decide that any verse is in the expired kingdom gospel or the grace gospel?
When one studies the
bible, cross referencing scripture and comparing verses between Paul’s writings
and the rest of the bible, the evidence is overwhelming that the risen Lord
Jesus Christ revealed to Paul a completely different doctrine from that which
was written in the prophets. In this short post, I simply want to highlight one
glaring piece of evidence, out of a myriad of others, to bring your attention
to the fact that we need to know and understand these different doctrines and interpret
the bible in accordance with this understanding.
The first two verses
below inform of knowledge given since the creation of the world. The latter
three speak of knowledge that was kept secret (or hidden) since the creation of
the world. There can be no objection to the timing within these statements. Prophecy
was given since the world began, but Paul’s mystery doctrine was kept secret at
that time, and only written about and taught when it was revealed to Paul.
Rom 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you
- according to my gospel,
- and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery [doctrine], which was kept secret since the world began, 26 But now is made manifest,
- and by the scriptures of the prophets,
…according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
The above passage is one of my favourites
in all of Paul’s writings. It is essentially a very short summary of the book
of Romans, but more importantly, it provides a condensed list of instructions
that provide a grace believer with stability in their faith and walk. Let me
briefly analyse this passage.
There is no doubt that Paul was Jewish and a
committed and fervent Pharisee in the nation of Israel (Phil.3:5-7), yet just
before he is martyred, he writes to Timothy and says the following,
2Tim.4:18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
So, what is significant about this
statement? Well, notice the location of the kingdom Paul confesses he belongs
to. The heavenly kingdom. Is this strange? Yes, but also no.
I THANK GOD for
the ever-faithful King JamesBible which has stood the test of time, which has been kept pure by
the power and preservation of God, which has escaped the corrupt translations
of the carnal mind of man, so that we can learn and understand the mind of God,
His true intentions and purpose, His will, and His ways for us and for all of
His creation.
The word “to” in the
skewed verses below is vastly different to the word “of” in the KJV.
In the epistle of Romans, Paul lays out the foundational
doctrine of the grace believer. He writes about the key elements of our faith,
how to walk effectually in the faith, and what the resulting fruits of living
in that faith would be. Before the dispensation of grace, Israel had to walk in
obedience to the rigid letter of the Mosaic law, Exo 31:18; Exo 32:16, but now,
grace believers are expected to walk in obedience to a new doctrine, not of the
letter, but of the spirit, Rom 7:6, imparted into their hearts by the Word of
God.
When a person takes time to study the
Bible, that study will ultimately result in the need to rightly divide, (2Tim 2:15).
This cannot be avoided! As one cross-references scripture, it will lead one
into both the prophetic and mystery programs, according to the intent and
design of God’s written Word. Right division is the only way to accurately interpret
scripture by keeping these two programs separate and distinct. Let’s apply this
instruction on the key verse below to understand its true context.
2Cor 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
