The Second Dispensation

The Dispensation of Conscience

In the Second Dispensation, now that man has the knowledge of good and evil, through his conscience he is to seek out and do good.

Cain is the Steward of the Dispensation of Conscience.

God gives Cain instructions concerning how he, and those of the household, are to govern their lives. After Cain attempted to offer the works of his hands as a peace offering to God. When God rejects the offer, Cain is very upset. God speaks to him at this time, giving him specific instruction concerning the standard he is to live by.

Whether if you do good, you will be lifted up, but if you do not do good, the sin at the opening is laying and unto you its desire and you are to rule over it, Genesis 4:7

Failure of the Steward:

Rather than doing what is good and offering a peace offering according to how God stated it was to be offered, Cain slays his brother as a sacrifice, since he is seen as righteous. When God confronts Cain on what he has done and punishes him, his response is that his sin nature is very difficult to manage.

Genesis 4:13 – And Cain said to Jehovah, “My perversity is greater than I can bear.”

The reason Cain offered the works of his hand rather than a lamb out from faith was more than just someone wanting recognition for what they had done. Satan had persuaded Cain to follow him rather than God. Cain’s actions were out from what Satan wanted. In his frustration for not getting what he wanted, Cain slew his […]

The Second DispensationLuther Walker2023-12-27T11:18:18-08:00

The First Dispensation

The Dispensation of Innocence

The first dispensation began after God created Adam and placed him in a garden in Eden, Genesis 2:8. Adam is in a state of innocence, not knowing good (that which is beneficial) or evil (that which causes calamity).

Adam is given instruction by God concerning the standard by which he and those of the household are to live.

And Jehovah God commanded unto Adam saying, “From every tree of the garden eating you will eat, but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil do not eat from it because in the day you eat from it dying you will die.”, Genesis 2:17

The Length of the Dispensation

This dispensation lasted about 100 years before Adam’s disobedience brought judgment on the household.

The genealogy of Adam states he was one hundred and thirty years old at the birth of Seth, Genesis 5:3.

And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years and he bore in his likeness, his image and called his name Seth, Genesis 5:3

Time was created before Adam was placed in the garden, Genesis 1:14. Therefore, his age would be counted from his creation, not from when he sinned.

Based upon Adam’s age at the birth of Seth in Genesis 5:3, we can surmise that Adam was about 100 years old when he determined to break God’s law.

The Building of Eve

Eve was built from Adam’s side, Genesis 2:21-22.

And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept. And He took one from his side and closed the flesh in her place. And Jehovah God built […]

The First DispensationLuther Walker2023-12-27T08:47:40-08:00

Dispensations

DISPENSATIONS

A system of order for a household by which the steward dispenses rules and provides for the household according to the owner’s requirements.

God uses dispensation to show something to human about humans

Definition of a Dispensation

“Dispensation” comes from a Greek word that is a combination of the words “house” and “law”. It is the standard by which a household is managed.

Dispensation is not unique to Scripture. The concept of a steward running a household by the standards that the master sets are well recorded in human history, dating back thousands of centuries. Today we do not tend to use the word “dispensation”, rather, we express the same concept by “administration”. Scripture uses this well-known concept of a dispensations (administration) to reveal to us what God is doing and how to properly discern the standards God has set for the household we are in, which is the household of Grace.

Biblical Evidence for Dispensations

Biblical Requirements for a Dispensation

Scripture defines what a dispensation is and gives us the standard by which we can discern all of the dispensations that are revealed by God. Scripture specifically states two of the dispensations, the dispensation of grace, and the dispensation of the fullness of times. Along with these two dispensations, when we examine how the concept of a stewardship works in Scripture and history we are provided with a solid foundation for the requirements for any dispensation. Applying these standards will result in a proper understanding of the dispensations revealed in Scripture.

All dispensations must have:

An owner of the household

[…]

DispensationsLuther Walker2023-12-27T08:53:22-08:00

Stewardship and Dispensations: The Significance of Οικονομός and Οικονομία

Stewardship and Dispensations:

The Significance of Οικονομός and Οικονομία

The sixty-six books of the Bible span thousands of years of human history and beyond. They begin before God created man and end with the creation of new heavens and a new earth where righteousness settles down and feels at ease^[1]. Within the pages of the Bible, we see changes in God’s relationship and standard for mankind and the failure of mankind to live up to God’s expectation, which ultimately brings judgment. In the Garden of Eden, Adam was not allowed to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil^[2]. Upon eating the fruit from this tree, his spirit was separated from God^[3], he became subject to physical death, and he was expelled from the garden^[4]. Having been expelled from the garden, God’s expectation for humans was for them to properly govern the manner of their lives by the knowledge of good and evil, now that they possessed it. However, again, men failed, and God judged the earth by bringing a flood^[5]. After the flood, God instructed Noah that men are to govern themselves and that capital punishment is to be implemented^[6]. Again, men fail to follow God’s instruction, reject God, and seek their own way. Therefore, God brought judgment and forced man to separate and spread across the earth^[7]. This judgment brought about multiple languages and the division of the continents, which caused man to spread out across the earth^[8]. Having scattered man across the face of the earth, God then approaches Abram and ultimately offers him four covenants^[9]. These covenants included a promise of land that Abraham and his descendants […]

Stewardship and Dispensations: The Significance of Οικονομός and ΟικονομίαLuther Walker2024-09-08T17:47:28-07:00

Church (ἐκκλησία)

Often translated as Church, ἐκκλησία (ekklesia) actually means a regularly summoned assembly. It is used of a legislative body, casual gathering, or an assembling of people. The English word “Church” is derived from the Greek word κυριακόν (kyriakon), meaning “pertaining to the Lord,” which was used to describe the place of meeting, the Lord’s house, referring to the building the assembly meets in. Due to its predominant use to describe the building or place of meeting, over the centuries, Church became the word of choice to describe more than just the physical building, incorporating within its meaning the local meeting of the members of the body of The Christ as well as the institution of Christianity. In Anglo-Saxon England, the word circa was used to refer to both the congregation and the building. This use influenced modern English translations to adopt Church over the Greek word assembly.

In Matthew, chapter sixteen, verse eighteen, Jesus speaks to Peter about an assembly He will build with its foundational rock being Christ Himself, Matthew 16:18. Context clarifies that Jesus is not speaking of the Jews but an assembly of people to come. After the resurrection of Christ, this assembly came into existence on the day of Pentecost when the promise of the Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers in the upper room who were waiting as Christ had instructed them before His last ascension. Assembly is used to describe this group of believers in the resurrection of Jesus, indicating their uniqueness from the general population of Jews, Acts 2:47.

Assembly is used to describe the gathering of Israel in the wilderness at Mount Sinai, Acts 7:38. However, this does not refer to those who are in […]

Church (ἐκκλησία)Luther Walker2024-10-10T06:12:25-07:00

Previous 123 Next