Dispensational Change and evidence.

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Mike_White
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Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2008 7:57 am
Location: Washington

Dispensational Change and evidence.

Post by Mike_White »

Sorry for the late post… for the next part of the discussion I would like to discuss another scripture and the different dispensations. This Post may be long and after that I will endeavor to keep them concise.

But first I thought it would be good to spend a little time on the thought of transition between dispensations and the recognition of them among (believing) Bible scholars. Forgive me for my numerous quotes from William MacDonald in advance but to get the discussion moving forward why restate what has already been said well.

William MacDonald compares dispensations with the way a home is run as follows. “When there is only a husband and wife in the home, a certain program is followed. But when there are young children, an entirely new set of policies is introduced. As the children mature, the affairs of the home are handled differently again. We see this same pattern in Gods dealings with the human race (Gal 4:1-5). when the fullness of time had come” For example when Cain killed his brother Abel, god set a mark on him, so that anyone finding him would not kill him (Genesis 4:15). Yet after the flood God instituted capitol punishment, decreeing that “whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed” (Gen9:6). The difference is due to a change in dispensations.” 1
More examples of what Macdonald cites above are as follows…

Psalm 137:8,9 – psalmist calling down curses towards Babylon
Matt5:44 – Israel is told to love her enemies.

Leviticus 11 – Certain foods unclean
Mark 7:19b - all foods declared clean

Ezra 10:3 – Israelites were told to put away their foreign wives
and children
1 Corinthians 1:12-16 – New Testament saints are told not to put
them away.

Hebrews 9:7 – only the high priest could enter presence of God.
Hebrews 10:19-22 – Now all true believers have access.

Not all Christians understand, accept or believe in dispensations but most recognize a difference between law and grace “John 1:17For the law was given through Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” Most people understand the break between the Old Testament and the New or the fact that believers today are not required to make animal sacrifices. All of these things are because of a change in dispensations. If one recognizes the difference between Law and Grace than he or she believes in at least two dispensations. To take it further, if one recognizes the difference between law and Grace, then he or she has to admit to a dispensation before the law (Romans 5:14), because the law was not given until Sinai (Exodus 19). And if one recognizes the difference between law and grace then they must also admit to a time coming after the present age or “The age to come” (Hebrews 6:5) when Christ will come back. So then by default he or she recognizes at least 4 dispensations. William MacDonald notes the following “Paul also distinguishes between the present age and the age to come. First he speaks of a dispensation that was committed to him in connection with the truth of the gospel and the church (1 Cor. 9:17, Eph 3:2, Col. 1:25) that is the present age. But then he also points forward to a future age when (Eph 1:10) he refers to “the dispensation of the fullness of times” it is apparent from his description of it though it has not yet arrived.”2

In the next post I will lay out the 7 dispensations as seen by C. I. Scofield it is not important to agree on all the details of the dispensations but it is helpful to see there are different dispensations. The distinction between law and grace is exceedingly important otherwise we take passages that were written to other peoples and for our understanding and we make them to us. All scripture is profitable and for us but not all of it is to us. (2 Timothy 3:16) When God told Noah to build a boat it was to him but it was for our understanding in types and shadows which we can see how God used the ark to save godly people while destroying the world. Peter uses that specific example later in scripture referring to the salvation of 8 souls emphasizing that there was a time when only 8 people in the whole world were right and everyone else was wrong. This is used in a situation where the majority of Jews are urging true believers to turn back to the law and the minority is clinging by faith to Jesus.

One last thing to understand that when there is a change of administration or dispensation the change occurs over a transition period it is not a hard fast stop/ change. We will talk more about this in a later post.

For a closing thought lets consider the following passage.

ROMANS 13:8 : 8Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 10Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.


The passage above illustrates that a mode of worship towards God has changed between Law and Grace. Love has always been a fulfillment of the law even under Old Testament times Deuteronomy 6:4, Leviticus 19:18b “…but love your neighbor as yourself” ,but the focus then was obedience to avoid a curse whereas this verse shows obedience out of love for a position we have been brought into, in Christ. The verse commands us to live this way “understanding the present time” That is to say that Gods administration or method in the Old Testament is no longer in effect. So instead of trying to keep the letter of the Mosaic Law as a mode of worship now we understand the present time and realize our mode of worship is through Jesus Christ. In fact this passage ends with the phrase “rather clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ and do not think about how to gratify tour sinful nature” Romans 7:6b makes this same thought clear through the statement “…we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.”

So until next time God Bless.

Michael

1. William MacDonald, The Believers Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers), 106
2. Ibid...
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