As a priest, I strive to promote understanding of biblical concepts, and one particularly significant concept is the Dispensation of Grace. In a nutshell, the dispensation concept refers to a way of ordering events in biblical and religious history. In the sacred Scripture, the dispensation of Innocence was when God worked closely with His highest creation, made in His image. As this concluded with the fall of Adam and Eve, humans were forced to rely on their divinely inserted consciences.
This herded in the second dispensation known as Conscience which lasted roughly 1,600 years until a righteous and wrathful God used a flood to wipe out the rampant sin, sparing only eight persons to continue his sovereign plan for mankind. Civil authority was established during the dispensation of Human Government to govern society, but mankind rebelled yet again at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:4).
After the dispersion of people, God expertly crafted the nation of Israel through Abraham and his descendants in the dispensation of Promise. When the Hebrew people were created, God delivered the Law through Moses. Thereafter, concluded the dispensation of Law. Although people constantly broke these commandments, it was finally fulfilled in Christ. It was then when we saw the arrival of the dispensation of Grace.
Grace is an unmerited favor from God that finally forged a lasting fellowship between His chosen people (believing Jews and Gentiles) and Himself and thus the dispensation of Grace or the sixth dispensation arrived (John 19:31 to Revelation 3:22).
As believers, we are the stewards in the Church – ministers of our spiritual fruit and a “holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9). This age of Grace began on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and extends till the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), spanning almost 2,000 years. Our responsibility in this dispensation is to constantly strive for perfection through sanctification, to love one another, and to exhibit an ever-increasing sense of godliness (1 Thessalonians 4:3; 2 John 1:5).
However, failures are not spared even in the dispensation of Grace – lack of maturity, worldly attachments, and many churches falling into apostasy are seen (Galatians 5:4; 2 Timothy 3:1-5). The judgment for these failures is the blindness of apostasy and false doctrines (2 Thessalonians 2:3; 2 Timothy 4:3). Yet, Grace, being the benevolence of God to the undeserving, offers forgiveness of sins through Christ Jesus (1 John 1:3-7; John 14:20).
This Church Age, or the dispensation of Grace, is significant as, during this period, Jesus is building His Church (Matthew 16:18). It started with Pentecost (Acts 2) and will finish when all who are born again by the baptism of the Holy Spirit are raptured to be with Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
The Church, announcing its return with the Lord Jesus at His Second Coming, is mentioned in Revelation 19. Throughout the world, under the Church’s guidance, God’s grace is extended to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to every corner of the earth.
Grace has multiple implications for us – it saves us (Ephesians 2:8-9), supports us (Romans 5:2), teaches us (Titus 2:11-12), and disciplines us (1 Corinthians 11:28-32; Hebrews 12:5-11). With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we walk with the Lord and live the life He intended for us (Philippians 2:13; Ephesians 2:10; 5:17-18; Philippians 1:6; 4:13; Romans 8:14).
While it may seem elusive and distant from perfection, the Church, via sanctification, gives a tiny glimpse of heaven on earth (Ephesians 2:21-22), providing us with hope and encouragement in our spiritual journey.
Leave a Reply