The Dispensation of Grace

Ephesians 3:1-4…For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles- 2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),(New King James Version)…

Dispensationalism is defined as a method of management used by God to carry out His will, work, and purposes toward mankind. …

So-called “dispensationalism” has had both its advocates and opponents among Bible-believing Christians. The Greek word translated “dispensation” (oikonomia), from which we derive our English word “economy,” actually means an “economy,” or also a “stewardship.”

The number and nature of the various “dispensations” or “economies” through which the Creator has dealt with His human creation during the course of history has been the subject of considerable discussion and variation among commentators.

Possible distinct dispensations might include the post-Eden economy instituted after sin and God’s curse came into the world, the post-diluvian economy established by Noah after the Flood, and the economy begun by Abraham when God began to work especially with the nation of Israel. However, none of these are actually called “dispensations” in the Scriptures, so any such listing is bound to be somewhat arbitrary.

There are two dispensations, however, specifically called such in Scripture.

One is the “dispensation of the fulness of times,” when God will “gather together in one all things in Christ” (Ephesians 1:10).

This will be the eternal economy of the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21–22).

There are generally considered to be seven dispensations, although some theologians believe there are nine.

Depending on the viewpoint, dispensations can number as few as three or as many as thirty-seven.

For now, we will limit ourselves to the seven basic dispensations found in Scripture, and more in particular the Dispensation of Grace. …

Dispensation of Grace

This is known as the sixth dispensation of God (See: What are the seven dispensations of God)

The sixth dispensation is the Dispensation of Grace, represented by the New Covenant through Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross. …This "Church Age" occurs between the 69th and 70th week of Daniel.…It starts with the birth of Christ and ends with the Rapture of the church as revealed in 1 Thessalonians 4.

This dispensation is worldwide and includes both Jews and the Gentiles. It is the divine plan of reconciliation by Christ to call people to repentance and become a part of the family of God who will spend eternity in the final state of the new heaven and earth with Him. This dispensation includes the work of the Holy Spirit indwelling believers (John 14:16-26) as the Comforter.

The terms of this dispensation are expressed in John 3:16 and John 14:1-6. Jesus said you must be born again. This dispensation has been going on for over 2,000 years, and no one knows when it will end. We do know that it will end with the rapture of all born-again believers from the earth to go to heaven with Christ, followed by the judgments of God which will last for 7 years. During this time of judgment will be revealed the Antichrist, the false prophet, the mark of the beast, and an all-out war against the Jews and anyone who will not worship the idol the Antichrist sets up in the temple. During this time many people will come to Christ and be born again and many will die for their faith in Christ. This dispensation ends with the battle of Armageddon and the death of all non-believers.…

Then there is this present “dispensation of the grace of God.” We, like Paul, have been called as “stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10). So, like Paul, each of us could say that “a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me” (1 Corinthians 9:17), and that “I am made a minister |or ‘servant’|, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me” (Colossians 1:25). Thus the dispensation of grace is a real stewardship responsibility committed to each believer.

…

The Dispensation of Grace is the one in which we now live,

This is known as the sixth dispensation of God

It began with the New Covenant in Christ's blood (Luke 22:20).

This "Age of Grace" or "Church Age" occurs between the 69th and 70th week of Daniel 9:24.

It starts with the death of Christ and ends with the Rapture of the church (1 Thessalonians 4).

This dispensation is worldwide and includes both Jews and Gentiles. Man's responsibility during the Dispensation of Grace is to believe in Jesus, the Son of God (John 3:18). …In this dispensation the Holy Spirit indwells believers as the Comforter (John 14:16-26). This dispensation has lasted for over 2,000 years, and no one knows when it will end. We do know that it will end with the Rapture of all born-again believers from the earth to go to heaven with Christ. Following the Rapture will be the judgments of God lasting for seven years.

Grace is God's kindness to the undeserving.

Grace is the rule of life for the Church, and through the Church God's grace is extended to the whole world, as the gospel of Jesus Christ is taken to the ends of the earth.

It has been said that grace saved us (Ephesians 2:8-9),

It supports us (Romans 5:2), …It teaches us (Titus 2:11-12), and …It disciplines us (1 Corinthians 11:28-32 Hebrews 12:5-11). …With the Holy Spirit indwelling His Church, we are able to walk with the Lord and live as He intends (Philippians 2:13 Ephesians 2:10 5:17-18 Philippians 1:6 4:13 Romans 8:14). …It is not heaven yet, and it is far short of perfection, but as the Church is being sanctified, it provides a little taste of heaven on earth (Ephesians 2:21-22).

… The new covenant.

Heb 8:6-7, 13.“But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood for He is the One who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises. 7 If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it.……When God speaks of the New Covenant, it means He has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.

Scripture reading: Heb 8.

Introduction.

The unity of the Old and New Covenants is seen in that the Old speaks of the coming of the new:Jer 31:31.“The day is coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.”

The Old Covenant had a distinct part to play in God’s redemptive plan.

The Old Covenant was the covenant of law between God and Israel.

The New and better way is the Covenant of Grace—-Christ’s offer to forgive our sins and bring us to God through His sacrificial death.

This covenant is new because it goes beyond Israel and includes all the nations.

During the 600 years between the prophecy of Jeremiah and the birth of Christ, the Israelites were convinced that their captivity in Babylon was as a result of breaking the law and were determined that it should never happen again. They were never guilty again of idolatry but in fact they made the law an idol, even hedging it in with man-made commands.

Content.

1.The dividing line.…The dividing line between the old and new covenant is the death-resurrectionand ascension of Christ who became the Eternal High Priest.

The Old began with Moses and the New with Christ.

Both Moses and Jesus Christ are part of God’s revelation but they are not equal. Moses is a servant in the house whilst Christ is the Master of this house.

Heb 3:3 5-6 “But Jesus deserves far more glory then Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths that God would reveal later. But Christ, as the son of God, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.…Knowing the Old Testament is the best foundation for understanding the new Testament.

In reading the old Testament we see:

How God used His people to accomplish His purposes.

How God used events and personalities to illustrate important truths.

How, through prophets, God announced the Messiah.

How, through the system sacrifices, God prepared people to understand the Messiah’s work.

2.The supremacy of the new covenantHeb 8:10-13.

God’s revelation came in many ways to many souls at different times, but His final Word came through Christ. Heb 8:1-2. The Old Covenant shed much light on our relationship with God. But it was like car headlights on a dark night shining only a short way down the road. With the coming of the full light of day, one is no longer aware of the car lights. The whole countryside, as far as the eye can see, lies in the brilliance of the streaming sunlight. The car lights do not fail with the rising of the sun, they are merely swallowed up by the greater is illumination. And so it is with the Old Covenant as it stands beside the new.

Heb 8:10-11…“10 But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,( Greek after those days) says the Lord:I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.…11 And they will not need to teach their neighbours, nor will they need to teach their relatives,( Greek their brother.) saying, ÔÇÿYou should know the Lord.'…For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already.

This New Covenant is not written on stone tablets but on people’s hearts. Obedience comes, not out of fear of punishment, but out of our love for God. To open your heart to Christ is to have the New Covenant inscribed on your heart. The person with Christ in his heart is not dependent on religion or rules that are taught by others for a knowledge of what is right.

The old covenant had no dynamic force no dynamic power.…It was not meant to, but was pointing towards the coming power of the New Covenant. …Rom 8:3-4…” The Law of Mose was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent His own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in the Body, God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us ,who no longer follow our sinful nature, but instead follow the Spirit.”In the Old Testament times, animal sacrifices were continually offered at the Temple. …The sacrifices were to show the Israelites the seriousness of sin. Blood had to be shed before their sins could be pardoned. …But the blood of animals could not really remove sins. Those sacrifices only pointed to Jesus’ sacrifice which paid the penalty for all sins once and for all. After Christ’s ascension, the Holy Spirit came upon believers at Pentecost, marking the entrance of power into the New Covenant. …Disciples today depend on divine strength to serve God.…

The New Covenant is said to be based on more glorious promises. Heb 8:6.“But now Jesus, our High Priest ,has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for He is the One who mediates for us a far better covenant with God based on better promises.”…The New Covenant goes beyond the present life. The land of promise is no longer Canaan but heaven itself. The recipients are not only the physical descendants of Abraham, because all are invited. All nations are to be blessed through Abraham.

The new covenant, sealed in Christ, is the final consummation of redemptions story. … Heb 7:19.“So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge ,can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. …This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into Gods inner sanctuary. “The redemptive death of Jesus Christ guaranteed our inheritance which is clearly set forth in the New Covenant. …There can only be a will written by someone who has died. Since Jesus Christ rose triumphant over death, He remains the heir of all. V 2 “God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance.”…And we had been made heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. …Rom 8:16 .…“For His Spirit joins our spirits to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are His children we are His heirs.”

Conclusion.

The Old Testament has great value even today, because it reminds us that God is in control of the destiny of nations and that He works to bring about His purposes.

The Old Covenant reminds us that we cannot live a perfect life in the law and that we need salvation.

The Old Covenant adds to God’s grace and love and His patience and steadfastness.

There is no place in God’s kingdom for "Old Testament Christians" because Jesus Christ is forever God’s final covenant.

People accept or reject Christ on an individual basis.

Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet because of the sinful condition of his people. But even amid his tears he spoke of a new covenant.

When Jesus Christ came to bring in the New Covenant, He too wept over Jerusalem and yearned to gather in the multitudes that they would not come.

His offer still stands today.

“What is the New Covenant?”……The new covenant is spoken about first in the book of Jeremiah. The old covenant that God had established with His people required obedience to the Old Testament Mosaic law. Because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), the law required that people perform rituals and sacrifices in order to please God and remain in His grace. The prophet Jeremiah predicted that there would be a time when God would make a new covenant with the nation of Israel.……“‘The day will come,’ says the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. . . . But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,’ says the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people'” (Jeremiah 31:31, 33). Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) and create a new covenant between God and His people. The old covenant was written in stone, but the new covenant is written on our hearts, made possible only by faith in Christ, who shed His own blood to atone for the sins of the world. Luke 22:20 says, “After supper, [Jesus] took another cup of wine and said, ‘This wine is the token of God’s new covenant to save you – an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you.'”……Now that we are under the new covenant, we are not under the penalty of the law. We are now given the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). Through the life-giving Holy Spirit who lives in all believers (Romans 8:9-11), we can now share in the inheritance of Christ and enjoy a permanent, unbroken relationship with God. Hebrews 9:15 declares, "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance-now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant."