By Arthur J Licursi

Explanation of Dispensational Understanding

How are we as Christians, in this day of the “dispensation of the grace of God,” (Eph 3:2), to look at and apply Bible Scripture?

There are three sorts of people in God’s view of humanity. They are listed in this one verse written during the Acts period. “Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God [Israel’s believing remnant]” (1Cor 10:32).

At one time Israel was the Lord’s elevated people (Exo 19:5, but now Paul makes clear that those “in Christ” are no longer Jews or Gentiles – all are now one “in Christ” without distinction. Today, after the Acts period closed, in the time of the Gentile church of “the body of Christ”;

“…  there is neither Greek [i.e., non-Jew] nor Jew, circumcision [Israel] nor uncircumcision [non-Israel], Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. Colossians 3:11 (KJV))

So what in the Bible applies to who?

• All the Bible is written “for our learning” (Rom 15:4, cf., 2Tim 3:16), but what of the Scriptures specifically apply to us as “the body of Christ,” concerning us and instructing us today?
• Only part of the Bible is written specifically to “His body,” concerning us, and instructing us… while the rest of the Bible principally concerns others (Israel and mankind). Yet All the Bible is profitable for our learning of human history and the nature and character of God our Father?

We of course know that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and that it is all for us, for our learning, … but most Christians have not considered that not all scripture is about us or written to us specifically, (e.g., the over 600 Mosaic laws). We must “rightly divide the word of truth” in order to be good workmen who need not be ashamed (2Tim 2:15) We must note the differences God place in His word in order to determine what applies to us as “the body of Christ.”

Paul tells us we can discern the things that differ.

“That ye may approve (GK, dokimazo, discern) things that are excellent (Gk. diaphero, differ); that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;” Philippians. 1:10

Paul here is telling the Philippian Church to “discern the things that differ… so that you might be genuine and faultless.” We are to search out the differing aspects of relationship with God under varying times and seasons in history, called dispensations.

In considering the significance of how we may apply the Bible, let’s now consider, from the Scripture, the following question of the dietary laws of God over the Biblical ages as a simple example of the dispensational nature of the Bible truth. Here we note the changes in what God has authorized for men to eat as food over the course of the Biblical ages. This will help us to see what believers may eat for food during today’s “dispensation of the grace of God.”

Note that there are four (4) different Scriptural instructions in the matter of what food men are to eat. If one believes that the entire Bible Scripture is to us today, which it is not, and that we should follow ALL its commands God gave men, which we should not... then what should we do in the simple matter of eating, during this day of “the dispensation of grace of God” (Eph 3:2)?

1. Before the flood Adam was given only herbs and fruits for food.

Genesis 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat (food).

Should we deduce from this that Christians, should be vegetarian. No!

2. Note that after the flood, Noah and mankind was given every meat to eat, in addition to this “every living thing that moveth.”

Gen 9:3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

Here the Lord tells the Israelites they can eat every living anything - animal flesh in addition to the vegetation.  They could have meat and potatoes.

3. But then at Mt Sinai God limited Israel’s meat diet to only certain clean animals, birds, and fish.

 “And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, ² Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. ³Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat. ⁴Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you ….” Leviticus 11:1-47, excerpt

We would deduce from this that Christians, should be a kosher diet?

4. In the present “dispensation of the grace of God” for us today … Paul says we may eat;

“Every Creature Of God Is Good, And Nothing Is To Be Refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” (1Tim 4:4-5)

Now then, for those who say they “follow the whole Bible.” they have a quandary. It should be obvious that nobody can obey God’s instruction to Adam, limiting what you eat to be only herbs, fruits, and nuts, and …then at the very same time obey the Lord’s words to Noah to eat every meat in addition to the veggies... and also follow Moses kosher dietary laws... and then also Paul’s in “every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused.” This is obviously impossible, since you cannot do everything and not do some things at the same time. Thus they face an apparent contradiction.

So, it is evident that while all four of these Biblical dietary instructions listed above may be for our learning as we read the Bible. They obviously are not all given for our obedience today since not all can be kept simultaneously.

How then can we claim, as some Christians do, that we are called to obey the entire Bible as if it consist of one dispensation for all mankind throughout all the dispensational ages? We keep true to the Bible by “rightly dividing the Word of truth” (2Tim 2:15) according to God’s calling in its various dispensations.

In the example of God’s various dietary laws, only the last Scripture listed in Point #4 per 1Tim 4:4-5, is written TO US and FOR today’s Gentile “body of Christ.”

“If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I [Paul] write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 14:37 (KJV)

Only Paul’s instructions apply to those of “the Church, which is Christ’s body,” (Eph 1:22b-23a) during this day of the “dispensation of the grace of God,” superseding all other Bible instruction pertaining to all other dispensations.

Having the foregoing information, Is It Better to Be “Scriptural” or to Be “Dispensational”?

Dispensations are the God-prescribed relationships whereby God deals with mankind differently at different times under the different Biblical dispensational ages; e.g., before the fall of Adam it was the “dispensation of innocence”, and then after eating of the “Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil,” it was the “dispensation of conscience and so on… until we arrive at today’s “dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph. 3:2) under which we live until we “appear with Him in [heaven’s] glory” (Col. 3:4).

From the Part 1 dietary example concerning foods you can and cannot eat you can see how that unintelligized men have found ways of divisions and produce denominations founded upon false understandings of Scripture. According to the Part 1 dietary example we could have the “First Vegetarian Church,” etc. This is because men refuse to acknowledge the various dispensations seen in the Scriptures. We can say ALL four dietary points are Scriptural... but not all are “dispensational” for today

The dietary example demonstrates the importance of rightly dividing the Scripture. The sad truth is that Christians have been mostly mistaught and many teachers and preachers play fast and loose with the scripture, incorrectly believing that it all applies directly to us. Obviously There are many much more serious matters than the foods we are to eat that are mistaught and serve create apparent conflicts in the word of God, such that no thinking and reasoning person could believe the Bible as they present the Scripture. They make Bible believers a laughing stock by their misuse of the Scripture.

The in reading the Scripture we must be those who rightly divide and discern that which those applies to these three kinds of folks. “…the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, ... the church of God:” (1 Cor. 10:32). These are the three classes of people that are addressed in the Bible, individually, and sometimes in context as a whole. The main concern is that we must divide that which is written to  and concerning “the Jew, the Gentile (heathen), and “the Church of God.”

The literal interpretation of the Bible means it is taken literally and that it means what it says. The Bible sometimes includes allegory in order to expand the truth behind what it says. The problem is that when we do not understand or believe the literal Bible words then we try to spiritualize the Bible, where and when it need not be and is not intended to be. Jesus’ parables are of a different class; they are always spoken of as such, being given with the interpretation from Jesus. Some today accepted the Catholic church view that the church today is the new or “spiritual Israel,” (Catechism 877), thus supplanting Israel’s place in the eternal plan of God. This is patently untrue. God will keep His word literally to Israel in “the fullness of times.”

This is the source of great error for most Christians.

Example: When we allegorize the Book of James, considering wrongly that it is written to the Church in this day of grace, we make an error that only leads to apparent serious contradictions. The book of James, speaks of the requirement of faith PLUS “works” for righteousness, which is at conflict with the writings of our “Apostle to the Gentiles,” Paul (Rom. 11:13), who speaks of “pure (100%) grace”

“And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace...” (Romans 11:6)

The contradiction that appears between James and Paul is gone if the believer would simply take the word for what it says – James is writing not to the church, which is Christ’s body, but rather to the Diaspora, lost people of Israel. Note the first verse of James.

James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad,

Thus the matter is immediately cleared up. James is not writing to the Christian members of the Church, which is His body, as presented by the Apostle Paul in his 14 epistles that make up the core of our Christ8ian faith and understanding of Christ grace work done for us and in us as believers. James was writing to the Diaspora, the dispersed “twelve tribes” of Israel, not to you or me. We cannot say it is to the Church, which is His body, because we know that, according to Paul, there are no more Jews or Gentiles as they makeup the Church, which is the body of Christ. “… there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.” Colossians 3:11 (KJV)

Four Key Questions To Ask When Studying the Bible

In our Bible study it would always help us to apply four key questioning when we interpret any particular Scripture. If we are to rightly divide and apply the Scripture, we must closely look at the Scripture to determine the answer to these four questions.

1. To whom it is written? … either, “1Cor 10:32 …The Jew, the Gentile, or the Church of God”

2. Concerning what specifically? … “Acts 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

Note what was spoken by Peter at Pentecost and after, addressing the Jews, three times Acts 2:22; Acts 3:12; Acts 5:35. Peter said Pentecost concerned things that were prophesied by Joel, and were witnessed by the miracles of Jesus as signs of the validity of His message. Thus, these things have nothing to do with the “mystery” of “the dispensation of grace” that was later revealed to Paul.

Paul’s message and gospel had been until then “kept secret since the world began.” It was  never was prophesied (Eph 1:11, Rom 16:25). The mystery of the grace dispensation that Paul wrote about was never revealed by anyone before Jesus Christ directly revealed it to Paul. (Gal 1:12)

3. At what time is it applicable? …”In the last days I will” as with many prophecies.

4. In what context is it applicable? … “If you… I will.” Such contingencies “if” are always typical of the law and not grace which is unconditional.

Let’s now consider vertical truth and horizontal truth.

The things that are written specifically to us in this age are what we could call vertical truth - that is it was formerly hidden truth that was ultimately dispensed by the ascended Lord to Paul for us in this age of “the grace of God.” The grace truth the ascended Lord Jesus gave Paul for us today was inserted, interrupting the timeline of Biblical prophecy that had been given concerning Israel and the Kingdom to come to earth.

While Paul’s message “had been kept secret since the world began” (Rom 16:25), there are in the Bible record of those things written to and concerning Israel, that had been fully revealed, according to Peter, “by all the prophets” (Acts 3:24). These oft spoken so-called Jewish things cover 75% of the Bible span the time of Abraham’s call to the end of Revelation, with the exclusion of Paul’s 13 epistles (Romans to Philemon) written to and concerning “the body of Christ.” In the Old Testament we have Israel’s history and the many prophecies, many of which are yet to be fulfilled.

Thus there are vertical and horizontal truths in the Bible.

That which is written to one in a specific dispensation, such as the Church which is His body, is vertical truth (example: grace for this dispensation may not be mixed with law of another dispensation), while that which is written in any dispensation but may be used for our learning in any other dispensation is “horizontal truth” (example: those things such as the nature of God). These horizontal truths continue always, traversing all dispensations.