Dispensation The word is found in I Corinthians 9:17, Ephesians 1:10, Ephesians 3:2, and in Colossians 1:25. A dispensation is basically a period of time in which God DISPENSES to man (or to nations) certain responsibilities, and He rewards or judges man for fulfilling or not fulfilling his responsibilities. There are seven major dispensations in the Bible, and each has a different set of responsibilities for man to fulfill. Each of the seven also ends with failure and judgment. The seven are as follows: Innocence-from Adam's creation to Adam's fall. Conscience--from the fall of Adam to the Flood. Human Government-from the Flood to the Tower of Babel. Family (Promise)--from Abraham to Moses. Law-from Moses to Christ at Calvary Grace-from Calvary to the Second Coming Righteousness--the 1000 year kingdom of Christ. The study of dispensations is a matter of "rightly dividing the word of truth" (II Tim. 2:15). Major confusion and heresy can erupt when dispensational divisions are ignored. For example, no one can please God today by keeping the law of Moses, because Jesus Christ is the END of the law for everyone who believes (Rom. 10:4; In. 19:30; Col. 2:14). A definite division must be made between Law and Grace, and this same rule applies to all dispensations
Back to List