1. Systematic Theology I The Doctrine of Scripture
The Dispensations:
Understanding the Progress of God’s Truth

2. Definition and Analysis
“A dispensation is a distinguishable economy in the outworking of God’s purpose” (Ryrie, as quoted by McCune, p. 106).
Stewardship is a key concept. Three Greek terms are significant:
Oikonomia – office of a steward
Oikonomos – the steward himself
Oikonomeo – the function of stewardship
Thus a dispensation is “a stewardship or management of God’s revelation, which is more appropriate than emphasizing a period of time, as many older dispensationalists did, particularly The Scofield Reference Bible and The New Scofield Reference Bible” (McCune, pp ).
Each dispensation has some features, created by divine revelation, that make it distinguishable from others.
These different dispensations all work together to progressively unfold God’s purpose.
Dispensationalism by Charles C. Ryrie is an excellent resource for further study.
These terms for stewardship occur some twenty times in the NT.

3. Discontinuity and Continuity
Discontinuity: Progressive Revelation
God’s revelation is progressive in that it has been spread out through time.
Hebrews 1:1-2 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son.
Progressive revelation emphasizes the movement of history towards a goal, “with a view to an administration [oikonomia] suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth” (Eph 1:10).
Dispensationalists have typically identified seven such economies.
Innocence
Conscience
Human Government
Promise
Law
Grace
Kingdom

4. Discontinuity and Continuity
Continuity: Cumulative Revelation - Past revelation continues to be relevant.
The new economy will restate this previous revelation. Examples:
Nine of the Ten Commandments are restated in the NT.
Conscience and civil government remain operative in the dispensation of Grace.
The previous revelation is rooted in God’s nature.
Capital punishment in Gen 9:6 (the image of God in man).
Women’s subordination in the church is tied to the functional subordination among the members of the Godhead (1 Cor 11:3).
The previous revelation is grounded in the created order.
All forms of deviant sexual behavior violate this order (Exod 22:19; Lev 20:15-16; Deut 27:21).
Adultery violates the husband-wife relationship established at Creation (Matt 19:3-9; Eph 5:31; cf. Gen 2:24)
If revelation from a previous dispensation is fulfilled or annulled in a new dispensation, it is no longer viable (e.g., the Sabbath).

5. Primary and Secondary Features of a Dispensation
Primary Features – those without which there could be no dispensational arrangement.
Specific revelation from God
A governing relationship between God and the world
A corresponding responsibility of man
Secondary Features – those without which it would still be possible to have a dispensational arrangement.
A test, failure, and judgment.
These occur within each dispensation but are not necessary for a dispensation (see pp ).

6. Three Irreducible Tenets of Dispensationalism
A distinction between the church and Israel, particularly in origin, purpose, and destiny
Israel began as descendants of Abraham; the church began at Pentecost.
Israel’s purpose was to model true religion, bring forth the Messiah, and give the Scriptures; the church’s is to make disciples of the nations through the proclamation of the Gospel.
Israel will be the chief of the nations in the kingdom; the church will rule and reign with Christ.
A consistent use of literal interpretation, including prophecy
The underlying purpose of God in human history is His own glory

7. The Dispensations

8. Innocence
This dispensation began with Creation and ended with the Fall. Adam and Eve had a holy nature (made without sin) but not a holy character (they failed the test of obedience to God).
New (initial) Revelation (Gen 1:28-30; 2:15-17)
Reproduce and fill the earth
Subdue the earth
Rule the animals
Eat only vegetables
Cultivate the garden
Abstain from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
New (Initial) Responsibilities
Man’s responsibility was to obey God, recognizing His lordship and dominion, and thus become confirmed in holy character.
His failure in this responsibility brought God’s curse and man’s expulsion from the Garden.

9. Conscience This dispensation extended from the Fall to the Flood.
Man’s conscience was clear before the Fall; now it would either approve or condemn his actions.
Gen 6:3 indicates that God’s “striving” with man would be for a limited time of 120 years.
New Revelation
The protoevangelium – “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel” (Gen 3:15). Thus evil will ultimately be conquered!
The need for blood sacrifice, as begun with the animals which were killed for their skins as a covering for Adam and Eve.
New Responsibilities
Man was now responsible to obey God’s rule as mediated through his conscience.
He was also still responsible to reproduce and rule.
Failure is described early on (Cain’s murder of Abel) and culminates with the judgement of the Flood.

10. Human Government This dispensation extended from the Flood to Abraham.
New Revelation
God instituted civil government, including capital punishment (Gen 9:6).
God revealed that he would place the fear of man in animals (Gen 9:2).
God permitted man to have a meat diet (Gen 9:3-4).
God bound Himself in covenant with Noah and the human race never to destroy the world again by flood.
New Responsibilities
Man was responsible to rule for God and believe the Noahic covenant.
Noah failed first (Gen 9:21), then the nations failed to spread out over the earth, resulting in the judgment of the confusion of languages.
It is assumed that capital punishment carried with it a process for determining guilt, though this is not spelled out in Scripture.

11. Promise
This dispensation extended from Abraham to Sinai (roughly from 2090 to 1445 B.C.)
New Revelation
The Abrahamic Covenant, promising to Abraham descendants, a particular land for those descendants, and blessings both material and spiritual.
Through Abraham all of the families of the earth would be blessed.
New Responsibilities
To believe the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant.
To receive the sign of the covenant: circumcision.
To stay separate from the nations.
To remain in the land of promise.
Failure began with Abraham’s individual actions and culminated with the nation of Israel in Egyptian bondage for 400 years.

12. Law
This dispensation extended from the giving of the Law at Sinai (ca B.C.) to Pentecost (1st century A.D.).
New Revelation
The Mosaic Covenant, a comprehensive law code that governed all of life.
New Responsibilities
All of the statues of the Mosaic Law.
The climactic failure of this period brought exile from the land. Later, Israel would crucify her own Messiah, introducing a delay in God’s kingdom program and the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple in 70 A.D.

13. Grace
This dispensation extends from Pentecost until the second coming of Christ. It is especially characterized by the grace that came with the life and death of Jesus Christ.
New Revelation
All the new provisions, promises, commands, and exhortations that resulted from the life and death of Jesus Christ.
Revelation about the church as Jew and Gentile in one body is a significant part of this.
New Responsibilities
Man must receive the righteousness that God has provided in Christ by faith.
He must join himself to a local church which includes the responsibility to be baptized and all the other related responsibilities of church membership.
He must participate in the Great Commission of making disciples around the world.
This dispensation also will end in climactic failure, with a great apostasy (2 Thess 2:3; 2 Tim 3:13) and the revelation of the lawless one following the rapture of the church (2 Thess 2:6-12). Climactic judgment will follow in the seven years of tribulation.

14. Kingdom
This dispensation will extend from the second coming of Christ to the dissolution of the present heavens and earth. The kingdom of Jesus Christ will be the golden age of history to which God’s prophets and apostles point.
New Revelation
Anything that proceeds from the direct reign of Christ.
New revelation will also come from the nation of Israel (Joel 2:28-29).
New Responsibilities
Man will be responsible to obey the king and receive the blessings of the new covenant.
Climactic failure occurs when Satan is released at the end of the millennium and gathers an innumerable assembly for a final rebellion against Christ.

15. Next Week: Theology Proper
The Existence of God
Read Chapter 4 in McCune, pp