LFBI - THE SEVENS WEEK 5: THE SEVEN COVENANTS & DISPENSATIONS ASSIGNMENT Debate topic for this week: Resolved: Reformed and Covenant Theology is correct in asserting there are three covenants in scripture: a Covenant of Redemption between the Father and Son, a Covenant of Works before the Fall with Adam, and a Covenant of Grace with the elect after the Fall. Deut 31:17 Psalm 119:160 Thesis: People the truth they have because people want the right to make their own truth instead of following God s truth. Point 1. The covenants and dispensations are what show you to rightly divide scripture. 2 Thes 2:10-12 1 Thes 5:4-6 COVENANTS AND DISPENSATIONS Covenants have to do with, dispensations with Covenants are open-ended, but dispensations are time-delimited Covenants concern the plan of action God is carrying out related to his Eternal Purpose; dispensations concern the plan God is using related to redemption and our eternal life Defn.: Grace is the work of Christ, operating on your behalf, as activated by your faith. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A COVENANT AND A DISPENSATION 1. Covenants are promises that deal with people on a collective or level, and almost always without reference to how an individual gets eternal life from God 2. Dispensations are processes, as the way of God to dispense eternal life in any given period of time since the fall of Adam Defn.: A biblical is a divine promise that forms the basis for God s future dealing with mankind. Eph 2:12 THE BIBLICAL COVENANTS (YMMV) 1., Gen 6:18; 9:9-17 (an everlasting covenant of salvation, 9:16) 2., Gen 12:2; 15:18-20 3., Gen 17:2-14; Acts 7:8; Gal 2:7-8 4., Exod 19:3-6 1
EXCURSUS: COVENANT AND REFORMED THEOLOGY A. B. C. Point 2. Covenant and Reformed Theology assumes a covenant of redemption, a covenant of works with Adam before the fall that promises eternal life in exchange for obedience, and accepts a covenant of grace providing salvation for fallen humanity. A. The Moral Law Ten Commandments, Exod 19-20 B. The Civil Law Social Judgments, Exod 21-22 C. The Ceremonial Law Religious Ordinances, Exod 23-24 5., Deut 29:1-30:3 6., 2 Sam 23:5 7., Jer 31:31-34; Heb 8:7-10; 12:24 (an everlasting covenant of salvation, Heb 13:20); Rom 11:25-32 Point 3. The content of all Israel s covenants of promise are in the Millennial Kingdom. DEFINING DISPENSATIONALISM Defn. is a way of approaching the Bible that allows the Bible to interpret itself. THREE RULING LINES OF SPECIAL REVELATION 1. The most understanding of the Bible only comes as you allow it to shed light on itself, 1 Cor 2:13 Point 4. The primary cohesion of your Bible lies in the fact it is the of God for man today, and he has an overall Eternal Purpose. Point 5. Dispensationalism is a system of consistency in Bible interpretation, because one thing you can always count on is the of God. 2. In the final analysis, all scripture is related to the of God, Eph 3:10-11,21 GOD S ETERNAL PURPOSE A. Glorify God B. By his Son Jesus Christ C. Through his Son s body the church Defn. Dispensations are periods in which God is eternal life according to different divine goals, human roles, and biblical rules. 2
3. The illuminating teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit to students in the past can be for those of succeeding generations THE DISPENSATIONAL IDEA A. All scripture has to be related back to the person and of Jesus Christ B. The best way to understand the Bible is by allowing it to interpret itself - and comparing Scripture with Scripture because then you have the context WITHIN TIME THERE IS AN UNFOLDING OF SEVEN DISPENSATIONS, LUKE 16:1-4 Defn.: A dispensation is a different way God dispenses eternal life, with the dual-purpose of proving man s to earn it for himself or be good enough to keep it, and of accomplishing his Eternal Purpose. HOW TO RECOGNIZE A DISPENSATION 1. Every dispensation has a leading 2. Every steward is given a 3. In every dispensation there will be a on the part of the steward or his physical or spiritual descendants to fulfill that responsibility 4. In every dispensation, God comes down in and takes away the stewardship THREE PURPOSES TO THE SEVEN DISPENSATIONS A. To prove how in no conceivable circumstance is man able to either recover or preserve his own and save himself from the law of indwelling sin B. To prove humanity s only hope lies in a direct by the Holy Spirit, so as to result in a new nature being imparted (God s image being restored) to men and women C. To fulfill the Eternal Purpose of God (Eph 3:10-11,21), of glorifying himself by gathering together in one all things in Christ (Eph 1:9-12), through his body, which is the THE SEVEN DISPENSATIONS DISPEN- SATION Edenic Adamic Noahic Abrahamic Mosaic Grace Millennium STEWARD Adam His Sons Noah Abraham Moses Paul 12 Apostles RESPONSI- Gen 2:15-17 Gen 1:28 Gen 9:1 Gen 12:1- Exod 20 1 Cor 4:1-2 Dan 7:18 BILITY 3,7 FAILURE Gen 3:6 Gen 6:2-6 Gen 11:4 Gen 12:10 Exod 32 Rev 3:16 Rev 20:9 JUDGMENT Gen 3:23-24 Gen 6:7 Gen 11:7-9 Gen 15:13 2 Chron 36 2 Cor 5:10 Rev 20:11 CRISIS The Expulsion from Eden Creation to the Fall Innocence in Perfection Destruction of the Flood Confusion of the Languages Flood to Babel Government in Protection Subjugation in Egypt Rejection of Israel Rapture of the Church Rebellion at the End LIMITS Fall to the Abraham to Moses to Cross to the Day of the Flood Egypt Jesus Crown LORD TEST Conscience Promise Law in Mysteries in Kingdom in in thru Precept Patience Power Permission Patriarchs SYMBOL Garden of Mark of Rainbow in Altar of Tables of Cross of Rod of Iron Eden Cain Clouds Sacrifice Stone Christ SCRIPTURE Gen 1-3 Gen 4-7 Gen 8-11 Gen 12-Ex Exod 19- Matt 27-Rev Rev 20 19 Matt 26 3 YEARS 1 1656 426 430 1526+7 1972+ 1000 3
1. EDENIC ( ) GEN 2:17 GEN 3:6 GEN 3:23 2. ADAMIC ( ) GEN 1:28 GEN 6:1-2 3. NOAHIC ( ) GEN 9:1 GEN. 9:6 GEN 11:4 GEN. 11:6 GENESIS 11:7-8 4. ABRAHAMIC ( ) GEN 12:7 GEN 12:10 5. MOSAIC ( ) MAL 4:4 6. DISPENSATION OF EPH 3:1-2 1 COR 4:1-2 Point 6. We are now being tested on our responsibility for a revelation. 7. THE REV 20:4 REV 20:11-12 Seven Times a 1) God deals with Adam and Eve in Innocence Given responsibility through a new revelation, Gen 1-3 2) God deals with them after the fall in Conscience Decline over time into darkness, Gen 4-7 3) God deals with humanity after the flood in human Government Union between believers and the world, Gen 8-11 4) God deals with Abraham s descendants as a chosen family according to Promise Grand but godless civilizations develop, Gen 12-Exod 19 5) God deals with Moses people as a chosen nation according to Law Parallel growth of good and evil (like the wheat and tares), Exod 20-Matt 26 6) God deals with the church as a chosen people according to Grace Apostasy from the truth, Matt 27-Rev 3 7) God deals with the world according to the kingdom of heaven during a Millennium Catastrophe of judgment, Rev 20 1 Cor 15:24 Eph 1:10 4
DISPENSATION Head of Evil World Crisis Intervention Eden Innocence Satan, Gen 3:1 Expulsion from God in garden Eden Adam Conscience Fallen Angels, Gen 6:2,4 Flood Noah found grace Noah Government Nimrod, Gen 10:8-10 Confusion of Go to, go down tongues Abraham Promise Pharaoh, Exod 1:8-14 Bondage in Egypt Burning bush Moses Law Pharisees, John 8:44 Crucifixion Incarnation of Christ Paul Grace Antichrist, 1 John 2:18 Rapture Second coming Jews Millennium Satan, Rev 20:7-9 Fire from heaven Great White Throne 2 Tim 2:8 TOOLS FOR YOUR TOOLBOX Baker, Charles F. A Dispensational Theology. Grand Rapids: Grace Bible College Publications, 1971. Chafer, C. A. God's Plan Through the Ages. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1938. Chafer, Lewis Sperry. Dispensationalism. Dallas: Dallas Seminary, 1951. Cone, Christopher, ed., Dispensationalism Tomorrow & Beyond: A Theological Collection in Honor of Charles C. Ryrie, Tyndale Seminary Press, 2008. Hartill, J. Edwin. Principles of Biblical Hermeneutics. Zondervan, 2007. Ironside, Harry. The Mysteries of God. Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux, 1938.. Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth. Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux, n.d. Johnson, S. Lewis. The Old Testament in the New. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1980. Kaiser, Walter Jr. Back Toward the Future. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1989. McMahon, C. Matthew. A Simple Overview of Covenant Theology, Puritan Publications, 2005. Ryrie, Charles C. Dispensationalism, rev. ed. Chicago: Moody, 2007. Sauer, Erich. The Dawn of World Redemption. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951.. From Eternity to Eternity. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954.. The Triumph of the Crucified. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951. Scofield, C. I. Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth. New London, NH: Dunham, 1956. Showers, Renald E. There Really Is A Difference! A Comparison of Covenant and Dispensational Theology. Bellmawr, NJ: The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc. 1990. WEBLIOGRAPHY Adobe Reader is free for the purpose of viewing & printing PDF docs at http://get.adobe.com/reader/ Science Speaks by Peter Stoner http://sciencespeaks.dstoner.net/christ_of_prophecy.html Wrongly dividing the word by Ironside http://www.wholesomewords.org/etexts/ironside/wrongly.pdf Dispensational study by Ridout http://www.thebiblestands.com/articles/howto3.html Dispensationalism by Ryrie http://michael.buban.cz/wp-content/uploads/ryrie-dispensationalism.pdf Charts by Clarence Larkin http://av1611.com/forums/showthread.php?t=570 A creationist s defense of the KJV http://www.truthfulwords.org/articles/defense.pdf Bible marking by D.L. Moody http://www.wholesomewords.org/etexts/moody/biblemk.html What you should know about the ESV http://www.tbsbibles.org/pdf_information/139-1.pdf 5
GLOSSARY Allegorical to interpret the Bible figuratively, not literally, teaching that it says one thing but has a true meaning other than what the literal wording states. Amillennialism the view the millennium of Revelation 20 is fulfilled in the present institutional church, or in the deceased saints reigning with Christ in heaven. It specifically denies any global millennium; symbolically understood, the 1000 years of Revelation 20 began at Christ s first advent. Augustine theologian and Bishop of Hippo in N. Africa AD 394-430. He is known as the father of Roman Catholicism and Calvinism. He was a sacramentalist and amillennialist. Covenant a solemn, usually oath-bound, pledge between two or more parties. Covenant Theology a theological system of Bible interpretation developed by Reformed theologians, saying God entered into a covenant of works with Adam, who failed, so he then entered into a covenant of grace. Distinctives include: there is only one people of God (called true Israel or the church), the abiding authority of the law, and infant baptism. Dispensation the ways in which God dispenses and distributes eternal life over a given period of time with the dual-purpose of proving man s inability to earn it for himself or be good enough to keep it; the system by which God administers and manages salvation in any age. God has six days of work and one day of rest; there are seven times he dispenses eternal life to humanity, a little differently each time, so as to glorify himself perfectly. Evangelical a movement starting at the Protestant Reformation, but developed under the revival preaching of George Whitefield and the Great Awakening in America, which emphasizes an inerrant Bible, and an individual conversion required for salvation, by being born again, based on John 3:3, Ephesians 2:8-9. Futurist someone who sees the prophecies of Revelation and Matthew 24, etc., as yet to be fulfilled in the future. Hermeneutics the principles of Bible interpretation. Hyper-Dispensationalism the view that the church as the body of Christ did not begin until after Acts 9, Acts 13:46, or Acts 28, and therefore only Paul s prison epistles apply to Christians today, and baptism and the Great Commission do not. Premillennialism a belief that the Second Coming of Christ takes place before the millennium (thousand year reign of Christ), and brings in the millennial kingdom in a literal and visible way, and happens before the resurrection and judgment of the unsaved dead. Postmillennialism the view Christ s second advent will occur after (post) the millennium, symbolically understood as a golden age on earth but not necessarily lasting 1000 years. Progressive Dispensationalism a recent revision, which emphasizes the present spiritual reign of Christ on David's throne, and therefore (like covenant theology) does see the Church fulfilling many Old Testament prophecies. God never stopped working with Israel. A biblical mystery is redefined, not as something previously unrevealed in the OT, but previously revealed unclearly. The Kingdom Age is breaking out now, though it will be completed during the Millennium. This leads to a new Perspective on Missions. Reformed Theology the form of doctrine set forth by Protestant Reformers such as John Calvin, John Knox, and Theodore Beza. This includes the teaching of such confessions of faith as the Heidelberg Catechism, the Canons and Decrees of the Synod of Dort, and the Westminster Confession of Faith; also called Calvinism, and Replacement Theology. Replacement Theology the view Israel was replaced by the Church, around AD 70. The Church is now spiritual Israel and spiritual Jerusalem. This teaching claims all promises and blessings of Israel's entire inheritance now belong to the Church. Steward someone entrusted with the management of another person's affairs. 6