AN OVERVIEW OF DISPENSATIONALISM vs COVENANT THEOLOGY.

 

Overview of Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology

Dispensationalism and covenant theology are two different frameworks for interpreting the Bible.

Dispensationalism emphasizes distinct periods in God’s plan for humanity, viewing Israel and the church as separate entities, while

Covenant Theology sees a unified plan of salvation through covenants, viewing the church as the continuation of Israel’s promises.(see Wikipedia and puritanboard.com).

Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology are two distinct frameworks for interpreting the Bible, particularly regarding God’s relationship with humanity.

Dispensationalism

• Definition: A theological system that divides history into different “dispensations” or periods where God interacts with humanity in various ways.
• Key Features:
  • Two Peoples of God: Distinguishes between Israel and the Church, each with separate destinies.
  • Historical Divisions: Classic dispensationalism typically identifies seven dispensations, while modern forms may simplify this.
  • Israel’s Role: Views Israel as an ethnic group with specific promises, while the Church is seen as a new entity with distinct blessings.
  • Eschatology: Emphasizes a future, literal fulfillment of promises to Israel, including a millennial kingdom.

Covenant Theology

• Definition: A theological framework that sees the Bible as a unified story of God’s covenantal relationship with humanity.
• Key Features:
  • One People of God: Believes in a single people of God throughout history, with the Church as the continuation of and with Israel.
  • Covenants: Focuses on a series of covenants (e.g., Covenant of Works, Covenant of Grace) that reveal God’s redemptive plan.
  • Fulfillment in Christ: Sees the promises made to Israel fulfilled in Jesus, with the Church inheriting spiritual blessings.
  • Eschatology: Generally views the fulfillment of God’s promises as spiritual rather than strictly physical or national.

Comparison Table

Aspect	Dispensationalism	Covenant Theology
View of History	Divided into distinct dispensations	Unified narrative through covenants
People of God	Israel and Church are separate	One people of God (Israel and Church)
Eschatology	Literal future promises to Israel	Spiritual fulfillment in Christ
Covenant Understanding	Less emphasis on covenants	Central to understanding God’s plan

These theological perspectives offer different interpretations of Scripture and the nature of God’s promises, shaping the beliefs and practices of their adherents. (see Dispensational_and_Covenant_Theologies.pdf ).

WHAT IS COVENANT THEOLOGY

Understanding how God works out His purposes throughout the timeline of history helps believers to develop a worldview for living in harmony with His will. Having a divine perspective on the past, present, and future helps us to know what God expects of us in this present day and age. Scholars have called this area of study a philosophy of history. Although the Bible is not a philosophy of history per se, Scripture does help us to understand how God is working throughout the annals of time.

Theologians have developed two distinct approaches to understanding the philosophy of history as it is depicted in God’s Word. Those two systems are known as Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology.

Covenant Theology can be stated briefly as a system which understands the philosophy of history based on theological covenants. Covenant Theologians depict all of history as being covered by two or three theological covenants. The covenant of works, the covenant of grace, and (sometimes) the covenant of redemption is used to explain all relationships between God and man from the beginning of creation to the end of time. Since the foundation of Covenant Theology is based on two or three covenants that cannot be found in Scripture, we need to examine these theological covenants.

WHAT IS DISPENSATIONAL THEOLOGY

Briefly stated, we could say that Dispensationalism represents all Scripture and history as being covered by several dispensations of God’s rule.

Dispensationalism is built upon the foundation of consistent, literal interpretation. Literal interpretation means taking God’s Word at face value. Therefore, literal interpretation also results in recognizing distinctions in the Bible. No interpreter of Scripture denies the fact that there are distinctions in Scripture. However, the extent to which one recognizes distinctions is the evidence of his consistent use of the principle of literal interpretation. Taking the Word of God at face value means the recognition of distinctions in Scripture. Distinctions in Scripture naturally leads to dispensations.

The Seven Dispensations

Most normative dispensationalists understand the Bible to be organized by these 7 dispensations. Each dispensation begins with God giving man a specific responsibility. Each one ends in failure as man disobeys the responsibility that was given to Him. As a result, man is judged because of his failure.

1. Innocence (Genesis 1:1-3:6)
2. Conscience (Genesis 3:7-8:14)
3. Human Government (Genesis 8:15-11:9)
4. Promise (Genesis 11:10-Exodus 18:27)
5. Law (Exodus 19:1-Acts 1:26)
6. Grace (Acts 2:1-Revelation 20:3)
7. The Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 20:4-20:15)

Okay, okay, okay. Enough already! So, how does this affect you or me, and how should it direct us, that is our Christian thought as it relates to  salvation, and as it develops into our behavior? Does it give us a standard for conduct, for witnessing, for believing, for the foundations of faith in Jesus? Does it or should it affect our view of God, the Trinity, humankind, how we are to be prepared for the return of Jesus?

The major idea or question I should take away from this is, How does this affect the outcome of my life and my eternity, and will I be ready for Jesus return?

I cannot affect or change whether history has occurred in dispensations or according to God’s Covenants. I cannot alter the eschatological timelines. I cannot change God’s fixed timing of the beginning of the final seven years of the Great Tribulation. I can only prepare myself, now, for what is to come – and that, only according to what Jesus has said and by what the Bible tells me.

Read and study keywords in the language it was written; discover the intention of the author who penned the subject matter; find the context of the matters-at-hand by searching throughout the Bible; understand the differences between a literal face-value-reading of scriptures, the use of similes, metaphors and parables and then read and accept what the Bible says at its face value.

My personal take on these matters?

The sometimes stark and important differences between dispensationalism and covenant theology leads me to believe neither is completely correct and neither is completely incorrect. So, I choose to believe:

There are distinct periods in God’s plan for humanity, viewing Israel and the church as separate entities, while at the same time seeing a unified plan of salvation through covenants, viewing the church, (Christians), as having been grafted into the family, the Elect of God, and is therefore the completion and the continuation of God’s promises. It is not replacement theology, (supersessionism), but completion theology, (the fulfillment of God’s Plan, Purpose and Promises).

Although, due to denominationalism, Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology are considered as two vastly distinct frameworks for interpreting the Bible, particularly regarding God’s relationship with humanity, and may have differing paths to follow, they have a common destiny.

• • Israel as an ethnic group has specific promises, and while the Church is seen as a new entity with distinct blessings, both become one in Christ in the end.
  • There is a future, literal fulfillment of promises for all believers, including a millennial kingdom.

• • All believers comprise a single people of God throughout history, with the Church as the continuation of Israel.
  • There are a series of covenants (e.g., Covenant of Works, Covenant of Grace) that reveal God’s redemptive plan.
  • The promises made to Israel fulfilled in Jesus, with the Church inheriting spiritual blessings.

So, I find some helpful and useful direction in both Dispensationalism and in Covenant Theology which inform me about my responsibility to Christ to follow Him and to obey Him regardless of our positioning on His eschatological timetable – and I find confusion from both.

But here is what I do see in the Bible – chapter upon chapter, verse upon verse (please click this link):

God’s plan of perfection – an illustrated timeline from the beginning to beyond the end.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Additional helps on this matter found at GotQuestions.Org.