Covenants and Dispensations in the Scripture

By James D. Quiggle

The primary focus of this book is to examine at length God’s covenants and dispensations. A dispensation is how God manages sinful human beings in agreement with God’s progressive revelation of Scripture in human history. Each of the seven dispensations is outlined as to responsibilities, duration, judgment, and content of saving faith. Then a chapter is devoted to each dispensation for an in depth examination, and other relevant discussions.

A covenant between God and humankind is like a contract, with conditions binding on all parties. Each of the seven covenants is outlined as to type, conditions, duration, and judgment. Then a chapter is devoted to each covenant for an in depth examination, and other relevant discussions.

Other questions answered in this book are: What are Dispensational and Reformed theology? What is a dispensation? What is a covenant? Why did God make dispensations and covenants? Five appendices explain certain related matters in greater detail.

In reading this book, both Reformed and Dispensational will see God’s covenants and dispensations work in harmony to accomplish God’s purpose, plans, and processes in human history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: James D. Quiggle
• Release date: Nov 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005721565

James D. Quiggle

James D. Quiggle was born in 1952 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He grew up in Kansas and the Texas Panhandle. In the early 1970s he joined the United States Air Force. At his first permanent assignment in Indian Springs, Nevada in a small Baptist church, the pastor introduced him to Jesus and soon after he was saved. Over the next ten years those he met in churches from the East Coast to the West Coast, mature Christian men, poured themselves into mentoring him. In the 1970s he was gifted with the Scofield Bible Course from Moody Bible Institute. As he completed his studies his spiritual gift of teaching became even more apparent. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Bethany Bible College during the 1980s while still in the Air Force. Between 2006–2008, after his career in the Air Force and with his children grown up, he decided to continue his education. He enrolled in Bethany Divinity College and Seminary and earned a Master of Arts in Religion and a Master of Theological Studies.As an extension of his spiritual gift of teaching, he was prompted by the Holy Spirit to begin writing books. James Quiggle is now a Christian author with over fifty commentaries on Bible books and doctrines. He is an editor for the Evangelical Dispensational Quarterly Journal published by Scofield Biblical Institute and Theological Seminary.He continues to write and has a vibrant teaching ministry through social media.

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Preface

Abbreviations

Introduction

Dispensational and Reformed Theology

What is a Dispensation?

What is a Covenant?

Why Did God Make Dispensations?

Why Did God Make Covenants?

The Dispensations: A Brief Outline

Adam’s Dispensation

Noah’s Dispensation

Abraham’s Dispensation

Moses’ Dispensation

The New Testament Church Dispensation

The Tribulation Dispensation

The Davidic-Messianic-Millennial Kingdom

The Covenants: A Brief Outline

The Adamic Covenant

The Noahic Covenant

The Abrahamic Covenant

The Law Covenant

The Land Covenant

The Davidic Covenant

The New Covenant

Appendices

Appendix One: Reformed Covenants Redemption, Works, Grace

Appendix Two: The Literal Hermeneutic

Appendix Three: Eschatology, Ecclesiology, Soteriology

Appendix Four: Doctrinal Statement

Appendix Five: Thirty-Six Essentials

Sources

Preface

In this book I use the word believers to identify those who have placed saving faith in Jesus Christ and submit to the Scripture as the rule of faith and practice. Not all who call themselves Christians are believers.

The use of believer versus Christian in no way states or implies those who disagree with me are not believers or Christians.

The genuine Christian, or believer, is the person who has placed saving faith in Jesus Christ, submits to the Scripture as the rule of faith and practice, and holds to the essential doctrines of the Christian faith.

To review what I define as the essential doctrines of the Christian faith, see appendix four, my doctrinal statement, and appendix five, thirty-six essentials.

In this book I mention several of my books. The purpose is not advertisement, but to refer the reader to in depth explanations in those books. I never worry about sales. The Holy Spirit decides who will read my works, and I trust in his decisions.

Abbreviations

AD … Anno Domini (In the year of the Lord [since Christ was born])

ANF … Ante-Nicene Fathers

Ant. … Antiquities of the Jews

AUC … Anno Urbis Conditae. In the year of the founded city. The date in years from the founding of Rome, which was about 753 BC.

BC … Bello Christo (Before Christ [was born])

ca. … about (an approximate date) (Latin: circa)

cf. … compare (Latin: confer)

e.g. … for example (Latin: exempli gratia)

etc. … and so forth, and so on (Latin: et cetera)

ff. … and the following verses.

HGH … Historical-Grammatical Hermeneutic (aka, Literal hermeneutic)

Ibid … in the same place (referring to the source cited in the previous entry) (Latin: ibidem)

i.e. … that is (Latin: id est)

NPNF … Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers

LXX … Greek translation of the Old Testament

n. … note (referring to a footnote or endnote in the work cited)

m. … Mishnah (followed by tractate name, e.g., m. Baba Metzia)

s. v. … under the word (Latin: sub verbo)

v. … verse

vv. … verses

Introduction

There is a certain theological divide among believers that ought not to be. Believers following Reformed theology recognize God’s covenants, but deny God also interacts with humanity through changing economies, which are more commonly known as dispensations. Although some dispensations are associated with a particular covenant, others are not. God exercises a particular management of humankind in each dispensation.

Believers following Dispensational theology recognize both God’s covenants and God’s dispensations. The Dispensationalist, however, does not recognize three covenants created by Reformed theology: the covenant of redemption; the covenant of works; the covenant of grace (see appendix one). Those three covenants, as admitted by Reformed theologians [Grudem, 516–519], are not recognized by the Bible but are theological constructs created from reason and certain scriptures.

The reason Reformed theology does not recognize dispensations, but Dispensational theology recognizes both covenants and dispensations (but reject the three Reformed theology has created), is a difference in biblical hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation. Interpretation is the search for meaning in communication. Biblical hermeneutics is the science of interpreting the Bible to discover meaning and significance (sense and relevance; interpretation and application).

Reformed and Dispensationalists use the same hermeneutic, up to a point. That hermeneutic is known as the Grammatical-Historical Hermeneutic (HGH) or the Literal hermeneutic. Under both names the method of interpretation is to use the plain and normal meaning of the words and languages of the Bible as the basis of interpretation. (See appendix two.)

As I said, both theological systems use the plain and normal meaning of the words and languages of the Bible as the means of interpretation—up to a point. The Dispensationalist applies the HGH- Literal hermeneutic to every word, every verse, every doctrine.

The Reformed use the HGH-Literal hermeneutic for every verse and every doctrine except those verses and doctrines relating to eschatology (doctrine of last things; end times), ecclesiology (the church), and certain aspects of soteriology (doctrine of salvation). It is this last that has resulted in the Reformed covenants of redemption, works, and grace.

The Reformed use a Christocentric hermeneutic for soteriology and an allegorical hermeneutic for eschatology and ecclesiology (see appendix two). The result is in eschatology the Reformed are either Postmillennial or Amillennial. In ecclesiology the Reformed believe the New Testament church has succeeded national ethnic Israel in God’s purpose, plans, and processes by which he accomplishes his will and fulfills his promises. In soteriology the Reformed believe Old Testament sinners were saved by knowing of and believing in a coming Christ. (See appendix three.)

The Dispensationalist uses the Literal hermeneutic for all the doctrines taught in Scripture, including soteriology, eschatology, and ecclesiology. In eschatology the Dispensationalist is Premillennial. In ecclesiology the Dispensationalist believes national ethnic Israel and the New Testament church are two separate people groups in God’s purpose, plans, and processes, with independent but related futures. In soteriology the Dispensationalist (most Dispensationalists) believe Old Testament sinners were saved by believing in God and God’s testimony as given in the progressive revelation of truth.

In all areas except eschatology, ecclesiology, and soteriology both Reformed and Dispensational have the same doctrine. So much so I can label myself a Dispensational Calvinist Baptist. I have given my personal doctrinal statement in appendix four, and a list of the essentials of the Christian faith in appendix five.

The primary focus of this book is to examine at length God’s covenants and dispensations. I give, in two chapters, a brief outline of each dispensation and covenant, then chapters focused on each dispensation and covenant. The appendices explain certain related matters in greater detail. In reading this book, both Reformed and Dispensational will see God’s covenants and dispensations work in harmony to accomplish God’s purpose, plans, and processes in human history.

That phrase, purpose, plans, and processes, is meant to indicate the way in which God fulfills his purpose in creating the universe. A purpose assumes a plan by which the purpose can be fulfilled. A plan requires processes by which the plan is accomplished. Human beings are among the processes by which God accomplishes his plans to fulfill his purpose in creating the universe with all its things and persons. That purpose is to manifest his glory to sentient beings who can appreciate and praise his glory. All human beings, in one way or another, manifest God’s glory in the past, present, future, and in the eternal age of the new heaven and earth.

What is God’s glory? The manifestation of God’s nature, character, and attributes: in his essential Person, e.g., Revelation 4:3, 5; his intrinsic worth, e.g., Revelation 4:11; and his attributes as seen through his works, e.g., Revelation 5:12. God’s glory is the demonstration of who he is and what he has done. God’s glory is the manifestation of his intrinsic worth as God, not merely as the Creator, Sustainer, Governor and Redeemer of his creation, but simply due to his essential being as God.

May God’s glory shine through my words.

Dispensational and Reformed Theology

What is Reformed Theology?

The name reformed is synonymous with protestant.

Broadly speaking, Reformed theology includes any system of belief that traces its roots back to the Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century. [https://www.gotquestions.org/reformed-theology.html]

Reformed theology is recognized by the doctrines it reformed from the Roman Catholic Church’s doctrines, which (doctrines) the reformers believed before they became Protestant and Reformed, by conforming their doctrines to Scripture only, denying Roman Catholic Church traditions and councils and popes are of equal authority with Scripture.

After about 1,000 years of Roman Catholic Church dominance, approximately AD 500–1517 (when Luther presented his now-famous 95 Theses or Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences), God led several believers to study scripture and develop biblical doctrines opposed to certain doctrinal beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church.

Those leaders and their doctrines were first known as protestants, because they protested that their church, the Roman Catholic Church, needed to reform its doctrines to agree with the scriptures. Over time the Protestant movement made a clean break from the Roman Catholic Church and rebranded as Reformed, to contrast with the unreformed Roman Catholic Church.

Reformed theology is identified by the doctrines of the Protestant aka Reformation churches. These doctrines are epitomized by the Five Solas.

Sola scriptura (by Scripture alone)

Sola fide (by faith alone)

Sola gratia (by grace alone)

Solus Christus or Solo Christo (Christ alone or through Christ alone)

Soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone)

What is Dispensational Theology?

History

Studies of the writings of the early church fathers (e.g., Morris, Early Dispensational Truth) have revealed dispensational theology was the theology of the early New Testament church. Dispensational theology fell into disfavor as Augustine’s eschatological theology changed from premillennialism, to postmillennialism, then to amillennialism, by exchanging the Literal hermeneutic for an allegorical hermeneutic. The Roman Catholic Church adopted postmillennialism, seeking temporal power in order to create a kingdom for Christ to receive when he returns. When the Reformation arrived in the 16th century, dispensational theology revived. Most Reformers retained Roman Catholic eschatology. Those who returned to dispensational theology soon re-discovered the premillennialism of the early church.

As I indicated in the Introduction, Dispensationalism is Reformed except in eschatology, ecclesiology, certain aspects of soteriology, and accepts the same biblical covenants Reformed theology accepts.

A Description of Dispensational Theology

Theology is the science that seeks to understand God and his interactions with his creation through systematic study of God’s revelation of himself in the Bible.

Dispensationalism is a systematic method of understanding history as a series of God-initiated economies, or dispensations, by consistently applying the principles of the Literal (HGH) hermeneutic to all scriptures.

Dispensational theology is that branch of the science of theology that seeks to understand God and his interactions with his creation, as God has revealed himself in the Bible through a series of God-initiated economies, or dispensations, by consistently applying the principles of the Literal (HGH) hermeneutic to all scriptures. [Quiggle, Understanding, 19.]

Dispensationalism views the world as a household managed by God. Every household is managed in a particular way, which we might call an economy.

From time to time God changes his economy—the way in which he manages his household—as human civilization develops. Those different economies are called dispensations. For example, we can see God managed his previous economy, Moses’ dispensation, different than the way he manages his present economy, the dispensation of the New Testament church.

Dispensationalism as a theology is defined by three essential beliefs.

1. The consistent application of the Literal hermeneutic to every Scripture and every doctrine.

2. The New Testament church is not a new Israel, but a different people group in God’s plans. Dispensationalism believes God has a continuing plan for national ethnic Israel and a different (but in some ways related) continuing plan for the New Testament church.

3. The purpose of God in the world is his own glory. Dispensationalism believes God gets glory not only from salvation but also from his justice on unsaved sinners, and how God leads his saved people in the world to victory over sin.

The Dispensationalist, like the Reformed, believes and practices the Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation. Dispensationalism, the belief of the New Testament church until the age of the Roman Catholic Church (see James C. Morris, Ancient Dispensational Truth, Refuting the Myth Dispensationalism is New), was revived by certain Protestant Reformers who believed and practiced the Five Solas (see William C. Watson, Dispensationalism Before Darby, Seventeenth-Century and Eighteenth-Century English Apocalypticism.)

The Dispensationalist practices Sola Scriptura in a different manner than the Reformed. For the Dispensationalist, The primary meaning of any Bible passage is found in that passage [Vlach, 31]. Whether Old Testament or New Testament, the Dispensationalist seeks to discover the original authorial intent: what the writer meant when he wrote. Certainly, what the writer meant when he wrote had meaning for himself and his contemporaries within their particular historical-cultural circumstances.

The Reformed manner of Sola Scripture is to use the New Testament to reinterpret or transcend Old Testament passages in a way that overrides the original authorial intent of the Old Testament writer. Hence the unhappy alliance of the HGH, Christocentric, and allegorical hermeneutics that created three covenants, an ecclesiology that denies a future for national ethnic Israel, an eschatology that denies the Davidic Kingdom, and a soteriology that teaches Old Testament sinners were saved by placing saving faith in a coming Christ (see appendices two and three).

What is a Dispensation?

Three Greek words are translated dispensation, steward, stewardship, administration, job, or commission (depending on the Bible version). The verb oikonoméō [Zodhiates, s. v. 3621], means to be a manager of a household. The noun oikonómos [Zodhiates, s. v. 3623], means a person who manages the domestic affairs of a family, business, or minor; an overseer, a steward, a house steward; a treasurer; the chamberlain of a city. The noun oikonomía [Zodhiates, s. v. 3622], describes the position, work, responsibility, or arrangement of an administration, as of a house or property, either one’s own or another’s.

A dispensation is a stewardship, arrangement, or economy: a means of managing things and persons. This is how both the Dispensationalist and the Bible use the term.

A recent definition agrees with the above: A dispensation is God’s distinctive method of governing people during a time period of human history in which God gives new revelation, tests man’s obedience to the revelation, judges man’ disobedience but saves man by his grace for God’s glory. [Gromacki, 2021].

The Bible uses the term dispensation in the sense of a means of managing things and persons in at least two verses. The first is Ephesians 1:10, "the oikonomía of the fullness of the times." The second is Ephesians 3:2, the oikonomía of the grace of God." Other uses of oikonomía are Luke 16:2, 3, 4; 1 Corinthians 9:17; Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:25; 1 Timothy 3:4. The verb oikonoméō is used at Luke 16:2 corresponding to the noun oikonomía. The word oikonómos is used at Luke 12:42; 16:1, 3, 8; Romans 16:23; 1 Corinthians 4:1, 2; Galatians 4:2; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter 4:10.

The word dispensation as used by the Bible and Dispensationalists, corresponds to the modern word economy. In fact, economy is derived from the Greek oikonomía by way of the Latin oeconomia and the French economie (which first appeared ca. AD 1530).

An economy, in the sense the Bible uses the word dispensation, corresponds to the more archaic use of the word, i.e., the management of household affairs. This is why Dispensationalists view the world as a household managed by God. In more modern terms an economy is the management of resources, or the orderly interplay between parts of a system. All these definitions fit the Dispensationalist’s view of the world as the household of God, wherein he manages its resources—human beings—and the interplay of his plans and processes between all the parts, to bring him glory.

The phrase plans and processes may be unfamiliar. God had a purpose in creating the universe, which purpose is being