Dispensationalism and Grace
by Paul J. Rico (paulrico@hotmail.com)
Classic Dispensationalism
By definition a dispensation is a period of time whereby God deals with man and sin and the judgment of that sin in a particular fashion or administration. Key to classic dispensationalism is the idea that a dispensation begins with a gift or blessing from God and ends with a judgment of humankind’s failure to be obedient to God because of unbelief. The following time line illustrates the classical model of dispensationalism with each succeeding dispensation terminating the one that preceded it. No indication of where the rapture occurs in this illustration because the study at hand doesn’t address it.
Progressive Revelation of the Covenants
(Progressive Dispensationalism-for lack of a better term)
This is a model which provides for the progression of revelation of scripture and more accurately reflects the covenants God has made with man. Down thru the ages God slowly gave us HIS Word over a period of 1500+ years. Covenants seem to be central to all of Biblical thought especially in the OT. Each succeeding covenant builds on the foundation of the previous one and not abolishing it. Matt 5:17-19 A more accurate illustration:
Problems with Classical Dispensationalism
1) Scripture is the standard for what we believe (2 Tim 3:16) yet we find nowhere in the Bible a definition for a dispensation, not even the one preferred by classical dispensationalists. A gratuitous assertion is just as gratuitously denied. The classic definition of what a dispensation is invalid if it contradicts Scripture. And that it does. It is PFA theology (Plucked From Air) Covenants are Biblical and reflect the progressive revelation of Scripture as they build upon the previously given truth.
2) Classic dispensationalism implies (and confuses many) by the naming of the sixth period as the dispensation of Grace that God has never dealt with mankind on the basis of grace in the previous periods. Nothing could be farther from the truth. King David, 1000 years before the incarnation of Messiah, was very much aware of God’s grace. In Psalm 103:6-14 David stated that the message of Torah, what God taught Moses and the Children of Israel, was God’s mercy and grace. This same idea is asserted numerous times in various books. See Deut 7:9, 1 Kings 8:23, Neh 1:5, Dan 9:4, Rom 4:1-8.
A related error is that some assume that during the Old Testament (dispensation of Law) that God justified people by keeping the Law, but that in the New Testament (the dispensation of Grace) people are now saved by grace through faith in the death of Messiah. NOT TRUE!!! There has never been anyone who was justified before God by the works of the Law. Again see Romans 4:1-8 and also consider the whole 11th chapter of Hebrews and Gen 15:6, Ps 32:1-2, Acts 13:39-39, Gal 2:16, Eph 2:8-9, Phil 3:9, Titus 3:5. Torah teaches (as does the NT) that one is given righteousness by faith and rewards by obedience.
3) We find that although the Bible does speak of dispensations there is no indication that any dispensation has ended but rather they become the foundation for the succeeding dispensations. That is, a revealed precept becomes the foundational truth for the next precept God reveals. In other words any covenant or revelation of truth of God is eternal in its validity. God’s words are true when He speaks and remain true forever. God’s revelation to man was progressive in that HE didn’t give us ALL Scripture from the beginning, but rather took a period of time of over 1500 years and over 40 human authors. None of God’s promises are ever invalidated by His further revelation and promises.
Examples: Does man still have to earn his living by the sweat of his brow (we call this work) as dictated by the Adamic Covenant? Does woman still have to bear children in sorrow? Ask any mother if you are in doubt that there is pain and sorrow in childbirth. Does God still use conscience and human government to deal with mankind’s sin today in our dispensation of Grace? Of course HE does!!! Read Romans chapter 1 (concerning conscience) and chapter 13 (concerning human government) to verify this fact. The Adamic Covenant and dispensations of Conscience and Human Govt are still in full effect today, although they have been over shadowed by the following dispensations. The dispensations of Innocence, Conscience and Human Government have become the foundation for those that follow.
Furthermore, Does God still deal with children who die before they reach the age of accountability as innocents? Does that child go to heaven or hell? Of course they go to heaven because they are still innocent until they reject God by their unbelief, read 2 Sam 12. Infants and severely mentally retarded are innocent before God and although one could not say they are saved nevertheless they are “safe”. A person’s name is written into the Lamb’s Book of Life when they are born. When a person dies after reaching the age of accountability and has rejected God’s mercy and grace by not believing in Messiah their name is blotted out of the Book. Those who die before reaching the age of accountability are still innocent and stay in the Book of Life. The dispensation of Innocence has become the foundation for those that follow.
Does God ever renege on even one of His promises? Absolutely not!!! If He did that means that God lies to us and the Scripture clearly teaches that God never lies. All of His promises will come to pass in due time. Our God is faithful and true.
The idea that a dispensation ends is based solely on the misunderstanding of Rom 10:4 “For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”(NASB) This verse has been taken to mean that the Law is terminated by the dispensation of Grace. However a careful look in the same book of Romans at the use of the Greek word “telos” (#5056 Strong’s Concordance) shows that the word is also translated goal or outcome. In Rom 6:22 “But now having been freed from sin and enslave to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the (telos) outcome, eternal life” (NASB). Rom 14:9 “For to this (telos) end (goal or outcome not termination) Christ died and lived again, that HE might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.” (NASB) Christ is the outcome of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Notice what the verse didn’t say. It didn’t say that “…. to everyone who keeps the Law” but rather “….to everyone who believes”. Again the law was never intended to be the means by which we are to earn salvation, but there are well over a dozen legitimate uses of the Law that God intended. See the study outline on SALVATION AND TORAH for fifteen proper uses of the Law and three improper uses.
To believe that Christ is the termination of the Law to those who believe contradicts the same LORD who said in Matt 5:17-19 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish (terminate or destroy) but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” By careful observation we see that heaven and earth have not as of yet passed away. The Law is therefore still in full effect for the purposes that God intended it. The most significant of those purposes is for believers to live a Torah pursuant life to glorify HaShem.
The essence of the New Covenant found in the promise of the New Covenant ( Jer 31:31-35 and Hebrews chapter 8 ) is that the Law (instead of being terminated) would be written on our hearts via the HOLY SPIRIT (also see Ezk 36:25-27). This New Covenant, made unconditionally with each individual based on faith alone, is in contrast with the Old Covenant that God made with the whole nation of Israel, based on their obedience, (when HE took them out of Egypt) as a corporate body to govern the nation as a theocratic monarchy. The Torah was their constitution, especially the book of Deuteronomy. In our New Covenant with Messiah, HE writes the Torah on our hearts and gives us the power of HIS HOLY SPIRIT to be able to fulfill what we are unable to accomplish in our flesh (sinful human nature). Therefore the Scriptural understanding of the transition between the dispensation of Law and that of Grace is that the dispensation of Law became the foundation of Grace. The dispensation of Grace doesn’t abolish, destroy or terminate the Law which is true to the words of Y’Shua. See Matt 5:17-19 and also the promise of the New Covenant in Jer 31:31 and Hebrews chapter 8.
Each dispensation builds on the truth received from God in the previous dispensation. This is not to say that every Law given applies to every person. Even Messiah kept only those laws that applied to Himself. i.e. Messiah didn’t keep the laws pertaining to the Levitical priesthood because He was from the tribe of Judah and HIS priesthood was after the order of Melchizedek. He also didn’t keep the laws regarding ritual washing after a woman’s menstrual cycle; since He was a man those laws didn’t apply to Him. Likewise we, desiring to be like Messiah, should study the Scripture verse by verse from Genesis to Revelation asking God to reveal to us if each commandment applies to us, how does God require us to live and what is truth that we should believe, 2 Tim 3:16,17. Some commandments will not apply to today’s believer because they were part of the constitution of the theocratic monarchy established by God for the nation of Israel as a cooperate entity. The moral codes, heath laws and examples of Israel’s failures concerning holiness were to instruct and guide us (the New Covenant believer) to live a life consecrated to God shedding worldliness and paganism in all their forms.
Strange theology emerges from modern evangelicals who reject the validity of the Law, reject the believers responsibility to live a holy life in accordance with the all the Scripture(2 Tim 3:16) by the power of the Holy Spirit and at the same time require good works to be saved or to stay saved, while denying the eternal security of the believer. Such teaching is a false gospel and legalism, which is using the Law of God for purposes God has clearly stated it was not intended. Legalism prevails in the teaching of such teachers, pastors and evangelists who misunderstand the nature of the Law, the Old Covenant, the New Covenant and Grace. They often err by requiring the lost to live a sanctified life before a person can be justified which is putting the cart before the horse. Deeply rooted in all of this confusion is an inaccurate understanding of the nature of dispensations, that they are progressive building on the foundation of the previous periods and revelation of the Holy Scriptures. Please refer to the study on Salvation and Legalism by Paul J. Rico
Suggested further reading: (NOT to imply that we agree with all that these writings teach as truth, for there are many issues we disagree on):
Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth by Dr C.I. Scofield Scripture Truth Book Co. P.O. Box 339 Fincastle VA 24090
Dispensationalism by Charles C. Ryrie Moody Press, Chicago IL
God’s Free Gift To You:
Would you like to know what will happen to you when you die and leave this world? Would you like to have assurance of what will happen at that tragic moment when your eyes close and darkness comes over you? The Bible, the Holy Scriptures answers this deep soul need that each one of us has in our hearts and minds. The wonderful thing is that the answer is a absolutely free gift to each of us from God in Heaven.
You can know, that is be absolutely sure beyond any shadow of a doubt that when you die you will dwell with the Creator of the Universe for all eternity. God sent HIS Messiah Yahshua (Jesus; HIS name means YHVH the LORD saves) to be a sacrifice for sin and is offering you the free gift of eternal life. Free gift means you don’t have to do good works for it, but believe on HIS name. If you believe on HIS name you believe that the Creator of the Universe provided the sacrifice to save you from you sins.
To receive this gift here are some things you need to understand and accept by faith.
1. We are all sinners and we all need forgiveness. We’re all in the same boat, none of us can save ourselves.
Isaiah 64:6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us wither like a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
2. God provides the way to be forgiven of our sins. HaShem (The LORD) provided Messiah as the perfect lamb of God which would be the sacrifice upon which HaShem would lay all of the sins of the whole world.
Isaiah 53:6
All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But HaShem (the LORD) has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him (Messiah Yahshua).
3. If we acknowledge our sins (Psalms 51), realizing we are powerless to save ourselves and accept Messiah Yahshua (Jesus) as our Savior, we will have eternal life. FAITH in the sacrifice for sin provided by HaShem (The LORD) through Messiah Yahshua’s shed blood is only requirement to receive the free gift. Faith is the ONLY requirement. It has been this way from the beginning since we find in Torah:
Genesis 15:6 Then he (Abraham) believed in HaShem (the LORD); and He (HaShem) reckoned it to him (Abraham) as righteousness.
Psalms 32:1 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!
2 How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit!
3 When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away
Through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.
5 I (acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”;
And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.
6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.
5.This is not a religious formula or ritual. Call upon the name of the Lord and you will be saved!
Are you ready to accept God’s gift of Salvation now?
Pray this prayer (although the prayer does not save you, the faith in Messiah does) between you and God and mean it in your heart:
Holy God in Heaven, Creator and King of the Universe, I realize that I am a sinful person compared to YOU and I deserve to be separated from YOU for all eternity.
I am powerless to provide my own payment for sin.
So I accept Yahshua the Messiah as my sacrifice for sin.
I believe YOU raised HIM from the dead. Please wash me clean and give me a new life, give me the new birth as your child and be my Father in Heaven. In the name of Yahshua the Messiah. Ah-main!
Now that you have made the above decision HaShem wants you to grow and mature spiritually. Don’t stay a baby believer!!! Grow!!! Start studying the Bible, find a congregation to fellowship with, pray, do good works in appreciation for the free gift of salvation, and share your faith with those who don’t yet know the incredible love and mercy of the Creator.
Our suggestion is that you read the articles on this website www.OliveTreeCongregation.com, watch the videos and check back regularly to see the new items added daily to our website. Email questions to paulrico@hotmail.com and please share with us your new found faith. We want to rejoice with you and keep you in our prayers.
You should also note that there is no such thing as a perfect fellowship, congregation, synagogue or church. Every group will have some truth and some error. Take what is good and reject what you see is not good. It’s like eating chicken, you eat the good meat and spit out the bones. Grow as much as you can where you have been planted and if you find that you stop growing as fast as you know that you should, then find another place to grow in different ways. Hint: if you find a group that studies the Word of God the Holy Scriptures verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book you will be closer to staying on track with truth than at a place where they just entertain you. Beware of the preacher who is entertaining but doesn’t study the Holy Scriptures verse by verse.
Another suggestion: buy yourself a good study Bible in the largest print you can find so that it will be easy to read and study. The best version for people who speak American English is the New American Standard Bible or NASB or NASV. No translation is perfect but the NASB is the best for those who speak American English.
Written by Paul J. Rico
