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The Christian's Relationship to the Dispensations |
My husband helped me write this post. He helped me articulate my thoughts into words...
I have read through the Bible several times before I heard or read any official teachings on the dispensations. I first read about them in a book by Jack Van Impe, and later from the Dake Bible.
I basically said "duh" to the whole thing, because that's just about exactly what I had picked up from reading the Bible through for myself. There are divisions in the Bible, and these divisions have been given the name "dispensations."
"That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him" -Ephesians 1:10
"If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward" -Ephesians 3:2
An understanding of the dispensations helps one properly divide the Scriptures:
"For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little" -Isaiah 28:10
As I mentioned earlier, I saw these divisions in the Word, before anyone ever "taught" me about them. A thorough reading straight through the Bible reveals this to anyone with an open mind to God's Word.
The First Dispensation - The Dispensation of Innocence
This dispensation stretches from Genesis 1:28-3:22.
The Second Dispensation - The Dispensation of Conscience
This dispensation stretches from Genesis 3:23-8:22.
The Third Dispensation - The Dispensation of Human Government Before "The Law" Given by Moses
This dispensation stretches from Genesis 9:1-11:9.
The Fourth Dispensation - The Dispensation of Promise
This dispensation stretches from Genesis 12:1-Exodus 9:2.
The Fifth Dispensation - The Dispensation of Law
This dispensation stretches from Exodus 19:3-Matthew 27:35 - ends at the cross.
The Sixth Dispensation - The Dispensation of Grace - "If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward" -Ephesians 3:2
This dispensation stretches from Acts 2 to the second coming of Christ.
The Seventh Dispensation - The Dispensation of The Kingdom
A dispensation is basically God changing the way that man relates to God, his fellow man, and his surroundings. An example of where one of these dispensations occurs in the Bible, is the Dispensation of Human Government in Genesis 9:1, where Noah gets off of the ark and receives a new set of rules from God.
Genesis 9
"2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.
6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man."
Verse 2 - The animals will now have a fear of man which they did not have before. God changes animal instincts.
Verse 3 - Man will now eat animals instead of being a vegetarian, which is why God gave the animals a fear of man in verse 2.
Verse 4 - God gives man parameters on how to eat flesh.
Verse 5 - God requires the shedding of blood for the remission of sins, and allows animals to be sacrificed in place of people for the shedding of this blood.
Verse 6 - Before the flood, God dealt with murderers, after the flood, man had the responsibility of dealing with murderers through Government.
When moving from one dispensation to another, many things from the previous dispensation may carry over into the new dispensation. For example, we still eat meat today even though this was dispensed back in Genesis 9. Also, it is still a bad idea to marry your cousin if you want your children to be healthy, and this was dispensed by God through Moses in Exodus 19:3.
Talking about the dispensations is helpful for the purpose of determining and clarifying which of God's rules carry over from a previous dispensation, and which do not. Obviously, when God makes a change, some previous rules may no longer apply. For instance, when God said that man should eat meat in Genesis 9:1, the prohibition on eating meat had passed away.
In each dispensation, God was/is teaching us about Him, and His righteous nature. In the dispensation of Law man learned that he could not earn his way into heaven and needed a Saviour. We are now in the church age - the Dispensation of Grace. Grace is dispensed to all who claim it by believing the gospel of Jesus Christ. But if you do not get saved by faith in Jesus Christ, you are still under the Law. For those who are saved, the Dispensation of Law has passed away. Some of the old testament Law can still be used as a guide for those who are very unsure of themselves and their ability to be guided by the Holy Spirit, but born again regenerated saved Christians are not 'under the Law'.
The old testament/covenant Law has been abolished through Christ's death on the cross for all who get saved:
"But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." Galatians 3:22-25
"But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ." 2 Corinthians 3:14
"And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished" -2 Corinthians 3:13
"For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:" -Ephesians 2:14-16
Careful study of God's word is necessary in order to confirm whether you are being led by the Holy Spirit, or not, when considering how much if any Laws still apply.
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." -2 Timothy 2:15
Coming up, we shall see how the new testament gives us the information we need to know which rules have carried over for the Christian, and which have not.
Next in this series - "Born Again, in Relation to the Law"
"It’s like a person building a house by digging deep and laying the foundation on bedrock. When the flood came, the rising water smashed against that house, but the water couldn’t shake the house because it was well built. 49 But those who don’t put into practice what they hear are like a person who built a house without a foundation. The floodwater smashed against it and it collapsed instantly. It was completely destroyed." -Luke 6:48-49 CEB
"The Lord lives! Bless God, my rock! Let my God, the rock of my salvation, be lifted high!" -2 Samuel 22:47 CEB
"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." -John 8:32 CEB
"Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -John 14:6 CEB |
The terms "Christian" and "personal relationship with Jesus Christ" have been thrown around so much, that for many people, they have lost their original savor. What is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Is it going to church? Is it being a "good person?" Is it via doing certain rituals, or following certain traditions? No, it is so much simpler than that.
Jesus says:
"Look! I’m standing at the door and knocking. If any hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to be with them, and will have dinner with them, and they will have dinner with me." -Revelation 3:20 CEB
Let Jesus into your heart and life. Put your faith and trust in Him, and in Him alone.
Why did Jesus Christ come to this earth? He came to pay for our sins. Have you ever broken any of the Ten Commandments? Did you know that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount that just looking at someone with lust in your heart is the same thing as committing adultery in your heart?
Many people will say I'm a good person. Sure, I've stolen a few paper clips in my time, and I've told some lies, but I've never killed anyone, so I'm good enough for heaven. Don't be so sure. Have you ever felt hatred toward someone? If so, then you are guilty of committing murder in your heart:
"Everyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that murderers don’t have eternal life residing in them." -1 John 3:15 CEB
If you have stolen, lied, lusted after someone, hated someone, loved someone or something more than God, etc., then you have broken at least 5 of the Ten Commandments. Do you really think you'd make it to heaven? Not according to God's Word:
"Don’t you know that people who are unjust won’t inherit God’s kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Those who are sexually immoral, those who worship false gods, adulterers, both participants in same-sex intercourse, thieves, the greedy, drunks, abusive people, and swindlers won’t inherit God’s kingdom." -1 Corinthians 6:9-10 CEB
But there is good news:
"That is what some of you used to be! But you were washed clean, you were made holy to God, and you were made right with God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." -1 Corinthians 6:11 CEB
We are all sinners:
"All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory" -Romans 3:23 CEB
Even Mary, the woman chosen by God to be a vessel that would carry Jesus in her womb, was a sinner, and in need of a Savior:
"In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior." - Mary said this in Luke 1:47 (CEB). Only sinners need a Savior, and Mary also accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior.
We are all imperfect, fallible sinners:
"This is the message that we have heard from him and announce to you: “God is light and there is no darkness in him at all.” If we claim, “We have fellowship with him,” and live in the darkness, we are lying and do not act truthfully. But if we live in the light in the same way as he is in the light, we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin. If we claim, “We don’t have any sin,” we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." -1 John 1:5-8 CEB
The blood of Jesus Christ is what cleanses us from all sins. Jesus came to this earth to die to pay for our sins. You see, Leviticus tells us that 'the life is in the blood,' and that it takes spilt blood to atone for sin.
When we choose to truly believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and to live our lives for Christ, then Christ's spilt blood cleanses us from our sins:
"Come now, and let’s settle this, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow. If they are red as crimson, they will become like wool." -Isaiah 1:18 CEB
Jesus tells us this:
"God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life. God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him isn’t judged; whoever doesn’t believe in him is already judged, because they don’t believe in the name of God’s only Son." - Jesus said this, in John 3:16-18 (CEB)
Paul gives us a simple "step by step process" on how to be saved:
"Because if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and in your heart you have faith that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Trusting with the heart leads to righteousness, and confessing with the mouth leads to salvation. The scripture says, All who have faith in him won’t be put to shame." -Romans 10:9-11 CEB
Jesus is our one and only mediator:
"There is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, the human Christ Jesus" -1 Timothy 2:5 CEB
Jesus is our High Priest:
"Also, let’s hold on to the confession since we have a great high priest who passed through the heavens, who is Jesus, God’s Son; because we don’t have a high priest who can’t sympathize with our weaknesses but instead one who was tempted in every way that we are, except without sin." -Hebrews 4:14-15 CEB
We are to follow the Lord and the Bible, not traditions of people:
"Jesus replied, “Why do you break the command of God by keeping the rules handed down to you?" -Matthew 15:3 CEB
Jesus is God:
"Without question, the mystery of godliness is great: he was revealed as a human, declared righteous by the Spirit, seen by angels, preached throughout the nations, believed in around the world, and taken up in glory." -1 Timothy 3:16 CEB
If Jesus isn't the Lord of your life, then I hope that you will let Him into your heart and life this very moment.
"But God shows his love for us, because while we were still sinners Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8 CEB
Have you built your foundation on the Rock of Salvation?
Jesus is the way. If you would like to receive Jesus into your heart and life, then let Him know. Pray to the Lord, telling Him that you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and that you believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the death penalty for your sins. Tell this to God in your own words, from your heart.
"The wages that sin pays are death, but God’s gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 6:23 CEB
Believe, and Receive:
"You too heard the word of truth in Christ, which is the good news of your salvation. You were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit because you believed in Christ." -Ephesians 1:13 CEB
When you believe on Jesus Christ, you receive the Holy Spirit. You are sealed as a child of God.
If you have accepted Jesus Christ into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior, and you believe that Jesus died on the cross in your place, to pay the death penalty for your sins, and that Christ rose from the dead three days later, and you are ready to let Him lead your life, and you will live for Him, then you are saved, and born again.
