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The notion that God's word contain instructions, truths, and teachings that become obsolete from the passage of time and/or because some new "dispensation" has obsoleted them extrapolates doubt of nearly all God's written word. We've been wrongly taught that numerous verses are "not for today because we aren't living in that dispensation any longer". That type of thinking is nothing short of unbelief of God's word, and unbelief is always frowned on in scripture. Why that type of unbelief seems always to be tied to the improper defining of "dispensation" is strange but is so consistent that I'll show how the Bible deals with both errors.
You'll never find an example in the NT where "dispensation" (gr. oikonomia) can honestly be construed to refer to any type, shape or form of a time period, regardless of whether obsolescence of previous Biblical truth is or is not tied to it. I am of the opinion that our misunderstanding of the term came about because one of the popular theologians (maybe Scofield or Ryrie?) derived a wrong connotation from the phrase in Ephesians 1:10 "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ" or the phrase in Ephesians 3:9 "fellowship of the mystery". It is all too easy to do if one isn't knowledgeable about the other NT occurrences of oikonomia, but I beg you to both see and think for yourself independently about this term. Ryrie (Dispensationalism :: Chapter 2. What Is a Dispensation? - Charles C. Ryrie) does a thorough job of laying out NT usage, but he still curiously is unable to "keep it simple" as he awkwardly tries to force the correlation of the term to time periods.
The simplicity that Ryrie cannot achieve in his above linked definition is spoken of by the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:3: "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." Fellow Christian, it is a sign of intellectual dishonesty to add complexity beyond what is clearly simple!
Why is this subject important, that we continue to believe ancient truths even as new ones are revealed? For the same so obvious reason that these verses are important:
1 Corinthians 10:11: "Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." (Notice no expiration)
Deuteronomy 29:29: "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." (Notice no expiration)
Psalm 119:89: "For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven." (Notice no expiration)
Nehemiah 8:17: "And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness." (Notice no expiration)
2 Peter 1:12: "Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth." (Notice no expiration)
2 Peter 1:15: "Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance." (Notice no expiration)
Since God knew we would be tempted to abandon His word over time, He gives us many, many more examples just like these, if you need me to list them in the future.
Why also is this subject important? Because when we misunderstand the term, we misunderstand
1 Corinthians 13:10: "But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away" (I hope you ask me about the Biblical understanding of "perfect [which] is [to] come" in context of other I & II Cor occurrences of the Greek root [telos, Strong's 5056] of that Greek word [teleios, Strong's 5046]: 1 Corinthians 1:8, 1 Corinthians 10:11, 1 Corinthians 15:24, 2 Corinthians 1:13), leading us wrongly to elevate ourselves to take action and inaction to do away with the Apostle Paul's teachings that we are supposed stay grounded in (see Colossians 1:23 et. al.) relative to:
Long enough OP. I hope you realize I've solidly supported these things by scripture, and that you'll want to hear more from me like this.
1 Peter 1:25: "But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you." (Notice no expiration)
Lord bless!
You'll never find an example in the NT where "dispensation" (gr. oikonomia) can honestly be construed to refer to any type, shape or form of a time period, regardless of whether obsolescence of previous Biblical truth is or is not tied to it. I am of the opinion that our misunderstanding of the term came about because one of the popular theologians (maybe Scofield or Ryrie?) derived a wrong connotation from the phrase in Ephesians 1:10 "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ" or the phrase in Ephesians 3:9 "fellowship of the mystery". It is all too easy to do if one isn't knowledgeable about the other NT occurrences of oikonomia, but I beg you to both see and think for yourself independently about this term. Ryrie (Dispensationalism :: Chapter 2. What Is a Dispensation? - Charles C. Ryrie) does a thorough job of laying out NT usage, but he still curiously is unable to "keep it simple" as he awkwardly tries to force the correlation of the term to time periods.
The simplicity that Ryrie cannot achieve in his above linked definition is spoken of by the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:3: "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." Fellow Christian, it is a sign of intellectual dishonesty to add complexity beyond what is clearly simple!
Why is this subject important, that we continue to believe ancient truths even as new ones are revealed? For the same so obvious reason that these verses are important:
1 Corinthians 10:11: "Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." (Notice no expiration)
Deuteronomy 29:29: "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." (Notice no expiration)
Psalm 119:89: "For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven." (Notice no expiration)
Nehemiah 8:17: "And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness." (Notice no expiration)
2 Peter 1:12: "Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth." (Notice no expiration)
2 Peter 1:15: "Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance." (Notice no expiration)
Since God knew we would be tempted to abandon His word over time, He gives us many, many more examples just like these, if you need me to list them in the future.
And finally, perhaps the most important:
Galatians 3:21: "Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law." Why also is this subject important? Because when we misunderstand the term, we misunderstand
1 Corinthians 13:10: "But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away" (I hope you ask me about the Biblical understanding of "perfect [which] is [to] come" in context of other I & II Cor occurrences of the Greek root [telos, Strong's 5056] of that Greek word [teleios, Strong's 5046]: 1 Corinthians 1:8, 1 Corinthians 10:11, 1 Corinthians 15:24, 2 Corinthians 1:13), leading us wrongly to elevate ourselves to take action and inaction to do away with the Apostle Paul's teachings that we are supposed stay grounded in (see Colossians 1:23 et. al.) relative to:
- spiritual gifts including the command to covet to prophesy,
- teachings about gender-based roles in church,
- doing the miraculous works of Jesus and greater ones than He did.
Long enough OP. I hope you realize I've solidly supported these things by scripture, and that you'll want to hear more from me like this.
1 Peter 1:25: "But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you." (Notice no expiration)
Lord bless!
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