Dispensationalism Lesson

Overview

Definition: Dispensations are “a distinguishable economy in the outworking in the revelation of God’s purpose” (Charles Ryrie)

“Who can deny that at the call of Abraham or the call of Moses (the burning-bush incident) there was a genuinely new outpouring of revelation? The same is true of the coming of Christ and of Pentecost. These events shed new light, and the relationship between God and His people changed accordingly” (Eirckson, p.109).

economy | əˈkänəmē | noun (plural economies) 1 the wealth and resources of a country or region, especially in terms of the production and consumption of goods and services. • a particular system or stage of an economy: a free-market economy | the less-developed economies. 2 careful management of available resources: even heat distribution and fuel economy. • sparing or careful use of something: economy of words. • (usually economies) a financial saving: there were many economies to be made by giving up our offices in Manhattan. • (also economy class) the cheapest class of air or rail travel: we flew economy.

Salvation is by faith, and always has been and always will be that way. While new light has been shed upon the relationship between God and man, no new way of entering into that relationship has ever been instituted.

The moral law of God, unlike ceremonial law, applies to all dispensations, though of course it may be differently applied at different times.

For example, murder is always wrong at any point of history.

To sum up: the saints in various ages have more points in common than points of difference.

Some writers have divided biblical history into periods or eras, like patriarchal, mosaical, and evangelical periods (William Cave, 1633-1713), or into 6 periods: creation, sin, restoration before the incarnation, restoration after the incarnation, cooperation with the operation of God, and universal providence (Pierre Poiret, 1646-1719). While these divisions served to distinguish periods of time, they did not distinguish ways of God’s working.

Historical Notes

The developer of dispensational hermeneutics and theology was John Nelson Darby (1800-1882), who became the leader and organizer of the Plymouth Brethren. Darby’s system became followed by notable men such as C.H. Mackintosh, Harry Ironside, A.C. Gaebelein, & C.I. Scofield.

The Scofield Reference Bible has probably popularized dispensationalism more than anything else.

Bible institutes, which taught dispensationalism, gained popularity, which some turned into Bible colleges and seminaries, like Dallas, Talbot, and Grace.

Tenets of Dispensationalism

The Bible must be interpreted literally.

Dispensationalism developed in a time when higher criticism of Scripture was developing, which advocated other ways of interpreting the Bible.

Dispensationalism slogan: “When the plain sense makes good sense, seek no other sense.”

A typological interpretation of historical or narrative passages.

A sharp and definite distinction between Israel and the church.

In this view, God made a special covenant with Israel that is unconditional. Regardless of the response of Israel, they will remain God’s special people and ultimately receive His blessing (p.116-119).

Ryrie gives 3 proofs of the church’s distinctiveness:

The mysteriousness of the church.

Paul’s remarks on the beginning of the church:

The Two Kingdoms— Kingdom of God & Kingdom of Heaven

Kingdom of God= universal, including “all moral intelligences willingly subject to the will of God, whether angels, the Church, or saints of past or future dispensations.”

Kingdom of Heaven= is Jewish, messianic, and Davidic. It had been promised to David, was postponed, and will be realized in the millennium.

The Purpose of the Millennium

It is more than a thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth. It’s place in the plan of God is the restoration of national Israel to its favored place in God’s program and the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel.

Progressive Dispensationalism

Developed in the middle of the 20th century.

Softened some of the sharp distinctions often drawn by traditional dispensationalists.

God’s plan of salvation within history

The plan of redemption has different aspects, and one dispensation may emphasize some of these more than others, but this should be regarded as a progressive unfolding of God’s plan or revelation.

Israel and the Church

Not as sharp a distinction between Israel and the church as classic dispensationalism.

“A Jew who becomes a Christian today does not lose his or her relationship to Israel’s future promises.”

Hermeneutical Concerns

Evaluation

Positive

The fact that it is a system. It tries to synthesize or integrate the entire biblical witness into a unified whole.

Takes the idea of progressive revelation seriously and has developed a theology based on it. They understand that God has revealed more truth as time has elapsed.

Has attempted to be genuinely and thoroughly biblical.

Negative

The “golden age” of God’s redemptive history was the time of His special dealings with Israel. After some intervening dispensations, the plan of God calls for a reversion to His dealings with Israel. Consequently, the OT has in a sense not really been superseded.

The distinction between Israel and the church is difficult to maintain consistently. For example, and seem to regard the church as the true heir to the promises originally made to national Israel.

There is a tendency to usurp certain positions.

Dispensationalism must continue to work out its treatment of typology in a fashion consistent with its hermeneutic.