Dispensation of the Church
The church age is ushered in
with the death and resurrection of Jesus. There is some
debate over the official start of this dispensation –
whether it begins when Gentiles are first introduced, or
when Paul declares that he would go to the Gentiles – but it
is probably best understood to begin in Acts 2 on Pentecost
with the giving of the Holy Spirit.
Without a doubt the most
important revelation of this dispensation is the gospel
message of Jesus Christ. It is what every previous
dispensation has lacked but has looked forward to. The
church’s main responsibility can be best summed up in
Matthew 28:18-20. Go, baptize, make disciples, teach them to
obey all that Jesus commanded.
Jesus is the fulfillment of
the Old Testament law. He did not come to do away with it
but instead ushered in an era of grace. Jesus repeats nine
of the ten commandments in the gospels. He also expands our
understanding of what the law meant when He speaks about
topics such as anger and lust. This means that the law does
not need to be followed in the church age. Instead it means
that God’s grace in salvation is extended to us when we do
not follow the law. The point of the law was that we weren’t
capable of following it and needed a savior. Every time we
continue to sin today, we should be reminded that our
forgiveness is only in Jesus’ blood and has nothing to do
with our ability or attempt to follow the law.
The New Covenant is everything
that the old covenants were not. It fixes the problems in
the law, namely that we were incapable of following it.
Hebrews 8:6 says that it is a “better” covenant than the
Mosaic covenant. Jeremiah 31:31-34 give the terms of the New
Covenant. God will write His laws on the hearts of the
people. He will be their God and they His people. Everyone
will know the Lord. God will forgive wrongdoing and never
again remember sin. These promises are unconditional. There
is no requirement of obedience like the Mosaic Covenant, God
has promised that these things will happen.
The New Covenant is made with
Israel and is meant to replace the old covenant as Hebrews 8
tells us. The church has gained the benefits of the New
Covenant as Israel is still currently in denial of their
Messiah. Like other covenants, the New Covenant has not been
completely fulfilled yet. We see parts of its fulfillment,
but it has not been completely fulfilled in Israel yet.
The church dispensation fails
because of the rejection of many. In no dispensation has God
failed. In this dispensation it is certainly not that the
work of Christ for the redemption of man has failed. Many
who hear the gospel will reject the truth however instead of
acting in faith and accepting it. Certainly the New Covenant
has not reached anything more than a remnant of Israel to
this point. We have not achieved the day when all know the
Lord. But the day is coming and will arrive in the
dispensation of the Kingdom.
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