What Dispensationalism is and why it is important to understand.
Another highly disagreed upon area is how God has dealt with Man throughout history. There is a wide range of thinking and positions on this issue.
Dispensationalism simply means how God has dealt with Man in different periods of history. And those dealings have been on many levels on many subjects.
So when talking about dispensations we must determine exactly what kind of dealings we are including. That is a must.
In example, some try to include special categories for government. But there has always been and will always be government on the earth. And God has always been involved in them. So there is no possible way to set aside one specific time for governments.
This all just points out we need to limit dispensationalism to what subject being dispensed we are talking about. And the subjects from a Biblical perspective that have the most value relate to salvation and the realities surrounding it.
Click here for a visual representation which can help in understanding the major dispensations.
But care must be taken here. Salvation has always been and always will be by grace, faith, and repentance made real by the blood of Christ. So whether the blood was looked forward to or looked back upon, grace, faith, and repentance remain absolutely the same.
So what does that leave as regards salvation? It leaves plenty. There are all the issues of revelation, sin, sanctification, justification, righteousness, works, rewards, and so on.
Romans 5: (NIV) 19For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. 20The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
There is a direct correlation between knowledge of sin and the blessings of God. And there is also a correlation between the knowledge of sin and the judgments in eternity against those who reject God. So those born before the Mosaic Law had less sin knowledge than those born under the law as well as those in the Church have greater revelation than those did under Law.
There are also those who deny the reality of dispensations. They attempt to claim a constant progress of increase in revelation and so on. But at the same time in other discussions fully recognize the transitions from one dispensational reality to the next. This is a form of double mindedness. And stems from having doctrinal positions on some subjects that cannot stand up to the existences of dispensations but in other places require the acknowledgement of distinct changes of how God dispenses such issues.
So let us look at dispensations dealing with the manner God dispenses revelation along with the resulting changes and spiritual increases involved. And recognize that various dispensations did not reach all people at the same historical times.
Here is an explanation of each dispensation.
The first dispensation was Innocence. This was when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden prior to eating the fruit. They had no knowledge of what was and what was not sin. So no knowledge meant no conviction for sin even if they did sin.
Romans 5: (NIV) 13…But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.
The next dispensation was Conscience. When Adam and Eve sinned they gained the knowledge of right and wrong. They gained what we call today a conscience that tells us something is good or bad. But it was lesser knowledge of sin than the Mosaic Law and far lesser than in the Church.
Romans 2: (NIV) 14(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)
Following this was the Law, as in the Mosaic Law. Knowledge of sin increased and thus the issues of grace increased.
Romans 5: (NIV)
20The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
The next dispensation is the current one. That being the Church Age.
Again knowledge of sin increases. Now the revelations are within us as well as written. This time the Holy Spirit, God himself, dwells within us and guides us directly. We are born-again and more spiritually aware.
The final dispensation is the Millennial Kingdom. Here is a return to a form of Law but with an improved format. And it will include the direct rule of Christ and King and High Priest.
Finally, it must be noted that more than one dispensation can be at work at time. In fact such as the dispensation of Innocence will be at work as long as there is a child or person unable to tell right from wrong. Conscience was at work in much of the world for a long time when the knowledge of Law or Gospel was unavailable to many.
It has never been the letter of the Law but the intent of the Law that was paramount. The letter simply adds clarity to what violates the intent of the Law.
Romans 2: (NIV) 12All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) 16This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
Nothing here is meant to be taken or imply that avoiding the Bible or its truth makes one unaccountable for the revelation of sin and other issues it contains. Our consciences know that where such is available we are responsible to learn the truth. Failure to learn the truth does not exempt us from being subject to that truth.
