Dispensation: The Big Word With An Important Message

By Pastor Richard Church

Eph 3:2 (KJV) If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

Have you heard of "the dispensation of the grace of God?" In the book of Ephesians, Paul says that this "dispensation" was given to him by God for us. Yet some had not heard of this "dispensation of grace." Even today, after 2000 years of history have passed, very few Christians have heard of the "dispensation of the grace of God" which God delivered to the Apostle for us.

But what is a "dispensation?" The Greek word used here is "oikonomia," which referred to a set of rules for the orderly management of a household. It is from this Greek word that we get our English word "economy." The American Heritage Dictionary defines an economy as, "An orderly, functional arrangement of parts; an organized system." And this is exactly what the Bible means when it speaks of a dispensation.

As we study the Bible with the intent of living a godly life, we must understand the concept of dispensations. We must realize that not every command given in the Bible is specifically for us to carry out under this dispensation of grace. It is important to understand that God has given different instructions to different people at different times in order for them to fulfill his will under various dispensations.

Let us take the matter of dietary restrictions, for instance. In the Bible, we see at least four distinct sets of instructions, or dispensations, regarding what man may eat.

To Adam and Eve, "...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." (Gen 1:29 KJV) But after the Flood, God commanded Noah, "Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat." (Gen 9:3,4 KJV)

In the Law, God limited which animals Moses and the children of Israel could partake of. He commanded Moses, "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth." (Lev 11:2) Yet through the Apostle Paul, God teaches, "For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer." (1 Tim 4:4,5 KJV)

So how do we know which of these instructions to follow today? Paul says that we are under the dispensation of the grace of God which was revealed to him for us. Therefore we joyfully and faithfully follow the instructions which God delivered to us through the Apostle Paul, not only in matters of diet but in all matters of faith and practice.

1 Cor 11:1 Be ye followers of me [Paul], even as I also am of Christ.