Dispensational Theology-Part 2

By: Dr. Renald Showers; ©2001

How do biblical scholars recognize different dispensations? Dr. Showers gives sever points of distinction then discusses the first dispensation, called the “dispensation of Innocency.”

Contents

POINTS OF CLARIFICATION AND THE FIRST DISPENSATION

Introduction

In our previous article we introduced the subject of Dispensational Theology by observing the following six items: (1) a definition of Dispensational Theology, (2) the meaning of the word dispensation, (3) the usage of the word for dispensation in the New Testament, (4) a definition of the term dispensation as it relates to Dispensational Theology, (5) essential characteristics of each dispensation, and (6) secondary characteristics of each dispensation.

This present article will present several important points of clarification concerning the dispensations of God’s sovereign rule over the world, and will examine the first dispensa­tion of that rule.

Some Important Considerations

In order to understand the approach of Dispensational Theology to the Bible’s philoso­phy of history, several important points of clarification must be taken into consideration.

First, the different dispensations are different ways of God administering His rule over the world. They are not different ways of salvation. Throughout history God has employed several dispensations of rule, but only one way of salvation. Salvation has always been by the grace of God through faith in the Word of God, and God has always based salvation on the work of Jesus Christ.

Second, a dispensation is not an age of history, even though a dispensation may cover the same time period as an age. A dispensation is a particular way of God administering His rule, but an age is a particular period of time.

Third, a dispensation may involve a particular way of God administering His rule over all of mankind or over only one segment of mankind. For example, the Dispensation of Hu­man Government was over all of mankind, but the Dispensation of the Mosaic Law was over just the nation of Israel.

Fourth, a new dispensation may continue or discontinue some ruling factors of previous dispensations, but it will have at least one new ruling factor never introduced before. Dis­pensational theologians normally name each new dispensation after the new ruling factor or factors.

Fifth, each new dispensation requires new revelation. God must reveal His new way of ruling and mankind’s new responsibility near the beginning of each dispensation. Since Dispensational Theology recognizes several successive dispensations of God’s rule, it has a strong concept of progressive revelation.

The Dispensation Of Innocency

Most Dispensational theologians are convinced that the Scriptures reveal seven dispen­sations of God’s sovereign rule which cover the scope of this present earth’s history.

Traditionally the first dispensation has been called the Dispensation of Innocency by Dispensational theologians. Since they normally name each new dispensation after its newruling factor or factors, it might be better to call the first dispensation the Dispensation of an Unconfirmed Favorable Disposition. The reason for this suggested name will be seen later.

The Time.

The first dispensation began with the creation of mankind and ended with the fall of mankind from God.

The Scripture.

The Scripture portion which covers the first dispensation is Genesis 1:26-3:24.

The Ruling Factor.

The ruling factor which God used to govern man during the first dispensation was an unconfirmed favorable disposition. Before mankind fell it was favor­ably disposed toward God. Adam and Eve fellowshipped with God. They obeyed God by cultivating the Garden of Eden in accordance with His will. They did not run and hide from Him when He approached them. These things indicate that mankind originally had a dispo­sition that was favorably disposed toward God.

But that favorable disposition toward God was unconfirmed because mankind had not chosen it for itself. It had been given to mankind by God at the time that God created the first two human beings. When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them this kind of disposition in accordance with His own sovereign choice. God did not give Adam and Eve the option of choosing what kind of disposition they wanted toward God.

The only way that mankind’s favorable disposition could become confirmed was for Adam and Eve to choose to remain favorably disposed toward God when confronted with an alternative to that disposition.

The Special Revelation.

The special revelation that God gave to mankind for the first dispensation is recorded in Genesis 1:28-29; 2:15-17, 24. God revealed that mankind was to abstain from eating the forbidden fruit and was to cultivate and keep the Garden of Eden. As male and female, human beings were to live together in a marital, one-flesh relationship, reproduce more humans, and exercise dominion over all the earth. By giving mankind dominion over the earth God established a theocratic government for the world. A theocracy is a form of government in which God’s rule is administered by a representative. God appointed Adam as His earthly representative. It was Adam’s responsibility to admin­ister God’s rule over this earthly province of God’s universal kingdom.

Mankind’s Responsibility.

Mankind’s responsibility during the first dispensation was to obey God on the basis of its unconfirmed favorable disposition toward Him.

Mankind’s Test.

This responsibility subjected mankind to the following test: would mankind obey God on the basis of its unconfirmed favorable disposition?

Mankind’s Failure.

Mankind failed the test. Satan confronted the first two human beings with an alternative to being favorably disposed toward God. The alternative was for them to reject God’s rule over them and to assert their own self-rule—just as God is His own self-ruler. Adam and Eve chose to adopt this alternative rather than to remain favor­ably disposed toward God. They displayed this choice outwardly by eating the forbidden fruit in violation of God’s command.

Mankind’s Judgment.

Mankind’s failure resulted in judgment. Adam and Eve died spiritually as soon as they made their fateful choice (Genesis 2:16-17). A great separation took place between them and God. They lost their favorable disposition toward God and replaced it with a disposition of enmity against God (Romans 8:7). This is evident from the fact that they hid from God when He came to talk with them after their original sin. Be­cause they had chosen to go this route, this disposition of enmity was a confirmed disposi­tion. They were so thoroughly locked into it that they could not rescue themselves from it. Only the redemptive work of God could accomplish that rescue.

In addition to spiritual death, mankind became subject to disease, deformity, accidents, and physical death (Genesis 3:22-24; 5). The woman was cursed with pain in childbirth and the desire to rule the man (Genesis 3:16; compare 4:7). The ground was cursed, thereby making the man’s work of growing food much more difficult (Genesis 3:17-19). All of nature, including the animal realm, was subjected to vanity (Romans 8:19-23). Animals now became wild and flesh-eating. Thus, mankind lost its perfect environment. Because mankind rejected God’s rule and asserted its own self-rule, it determined to exercise its dominion over the earth according to its own thoughts and ways, instead of God’s. As a result, God’s earth began to be abused.

Because mankind defected from God, the theocracy was lost from planet earth, and Satan was able to usurp the rule of the world system away from God temporarily (Luke 4:5- 7; John 14:30; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 John 5:19; James 4:4). As a result, instead of living in a world system characterized by the rule of the benevolent God who loved His human crea­tures, mankind was doomed to live in a world system dominated by a tyrant who would use humanity for his own selfish ends.

Mankind’s Hope.

In the midst of this dismal tragedy, God gave a ray of hope at the end of the first dispensation of His rule. In Genesis 3:15 He pronounced the first promise of the Redeemer who would be born of woman into the world during the course of history. Through this promise and later revelation God indicated that through the Redeemer He would accomplish redemption for fallen mankind, the defeat of Satan, the restoration of His theocracy to the earth, and the removal of the curse from nature.

For a comparison of Covenant Theology and Dispensational Theology obtain the follow­ing book: Renald E. Showers, There Really Is A Difference! (The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. Telephone: 800-257-7843. Mailing address: P.O. Box 908, Bellmawr, NJ 08099).

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