What is dispensationalism and is it biblical? | GotQuestions.org

Today's question is, what is dispensationalism, and is it biblical? In this video

I'll answer that question from a biblical perspective. Then afterwards, as always, I'll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end.

A dispensation is a way of ordering things, an administration, a system, or a management.

In theology, a dispensation is the divine administration of a period of time.

Each dispensation is a divinely appointed age. Dispensationalism is a theological system that recognizes these ages ordained by God to order the affairs of the world.

Dispensationalism has two primary distinctives. First, a consistently literal interpretation of Scripture, especially

Bible prophecy. And second, a view of the uniqueness of Israel as separate from the

Church in God's program. Classical dispensationalism identifies seven dispensations in God's plan for humanity.

There are at least two reasons why literalism is the best way to view Scripture.

First, philosophically, the purpose of language itself requires that we interpret words literally.

Language was given by God for the purpose of being able to communicate. Words are vessels of meaning.

The second reason is biblical. Every prophecy about Jesus Christ in the

Old Testament was fulfilled literally. Jesus' birth, ministry, death, and resurrection all occurred exactly as the

Old Testament predicted. The prophecies were literal. There is no non -literal fulfillment of Messianic prophecies in the

New Testament. This argues strongly for the literal method. If a literal interpretation is not used in studying the

Scriptures, there is no objective standard by which to understand the Bible.

Each person would be able to interpret the Bible as he saw fit. Biblical interpretation would devolve into what this passage says to me, instead of what the

Bible says. Sadly, this is already the case in much of what is called Bible study today.

Dispensational theology teaches that there are two distinct peoples of God—Israel and the

Church. Dispensationalists believe that salvation has always been by grace, through faith alone, in God in the

Old Testament and, specifically, in God the Son in the New Testament. Dispensationalists hold that the

Church has not replaced Israel in God's program and that the Old Testament promises to Israel have not been transferred to the

Church. Dispensationalism teaches that the promises God made to Israel in the Old Testament for land, many descendants, and blessings will be ultimately fulfilled in the thousand -year period spoken of in Revelation 20.

Dispensationalists believe that just as God is in this age focusing His attention on the Church, He will again in the future focus

His attention on Israel. Dispensationalists understand the Bible to be organized into seven dispensations—innocence, conscience, human government, promise, law, grace, and the millennial kingdom.

Again, these dispensations are not paths to salvation but manners in which God relates to man.

Each dispensation includes a recognizable pattern of how God worked with people living in the dispensation.

That pattern is first, a responsibility, second, a failure, third, a judgment, and fourth, grace to move on.

Dispensationalism, as a system, results in a pre -millennial interpretation of Christ's second coming and usually a pre -tribunal interpretation of the

Rapture. To summarize, dispensationalism is a theological system that emphasizes the literal interpretation of Bible prophecy, recognizes a distinction between Israel and the

Church, and organizes the Bible into different dispensations or administrations. Want to learn more?

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