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Problems With Dispensationalism

Excerpted from "Dispensationalism and the Everlasting Gospel" 

© September 12, 2001 By Bernie L. Gillespie All Rights Reserved.

I wish to state that I respect dispensationalism's attempt to preserve historic Christian concepts in the face of the onslaught of higher criticism and liberalism. Its teachers are to be commended for this motivation. In most cases, dispensationalists hold firmly to nearly all of the tenets of orthodox Christianity. For this they must be highly regarded. The problems I find in dispensationalism have nothing to do with the good things they believe, but with the ways their system causes a distortion of the Gospel. The influence of dispensationalism has led many Christians to believe that redemptive history was divided up into a number of time periods or dispensations (usually seven). Within these time periods a person was saved conditional to their obedience of the "revealed will of God" for that period:

A dispensation is a period of time during which man is tested in respect of obedience to some specific revelation of the will of God. [C. I. Scofield, Scofield Reference Bible, 1909, 1917 (notes on John 1:17 sec. 2), p. 1115.]

One of the first problems of dispensationalism is that it divides salvation - it teaches more than one plan of salvation. Its fatal flaw is the dividing of God's plan, separating His plan for Israel from His plan for the Church (see further information below). The ages of dispensationalism are taught as temporary stages of salvation. Each dispensation offers a distinct plan or way of salvation. The nature of salvation in each varies according to that particular dispensation. Each dispensation concludes, and the following one is necessitated, by the failure of Mankind to follow its terms, arrangements, or conditions.

In each of these chronological compartments: a distinct revelation is given; men are tested by this revelation; judgment follows upon the failure of men with reference to this stewardship. [Mark Sarver, "Dispensationalism: Part I - Millennial Views Prior to the Rise of Dispensationalism," Online, Accessed: Sep 14, 2001, Available at: http://www.graceonlinelibrary.org/full.asp?ID=653]

This scheme of dispensationalism presents salvation as coming about in a progression. It is as though in each age God makes an improvement on the previous one. It teaches that God is working to get it right or find something that works while Humanity keeps defeating His attempts. God is seen as developing a plan until He finally succeeds (partially) through Jesus Christ. The notion inherent in dispensationalism is that God has neither one sole eternal plan, nor the ultimate control and power by which He can provide and faithfully administer our salvation throughout human history. Instead, He has a variety of plans which, all but one, has failed. Thus, substitute plans or subsequent measures are required.

In sharp contrast, the "age schemes" of the earliest Church divided the dispensations or ages by Christ. They believed that the basic dispensation division was between the Old and the New Covenant. The division rested upon the Person and Work of Christ. Alone with the view, the Church was considered the "organic succession" of Israel. That is why the Church claimed the Hebrew or Older Testament as her own. Even more importantly, the Bible presents God's plan of salvation as single, eternal and settled from the foundation of the world:

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. (Ephesians 1:4-8 NIV)

All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast-- all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. (Revelation 13:8 NIV my italics)

It has always been the same plan - salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. Prior to Christ's coming, those who trusted in the promise of Christ were saved by faith:

Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6 NIV)

Through faith in God alone, who promised them redemption in Christ, the Old Testament believers were assured of their salvation:

Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. (Psalm 32:1,2 NIV)

They looked forward to the promise of Christ and embraced it by faith. After Christ's coming and redemptive work, all believers look back to the finished work of Christ and embrace the promise of salvation. Whether looking forward or looking back all believers must look to Christ alone for salvation. There are no other ways or plans of salvation:

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12 NIV)

There is only one Lord, and thus only one faith (Ephesians 4:5). This plan did not fail (John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.), because it is perfect (Hebrews 7:28). The Bible teaches that God's power is effective to accomplish His one, eternal plan of redemption.

The second problem, as already mentioned, is that it impugns the sovereignty of God. It teaches that most all of God's plan(s) to save Mankind failed because it was thwarted by human inability. That's why dispensationalism teaches that the Church age was a surprise to the prophets. They did not anticipate that when Israel failed to receive Christ that God would turn to the Gentiles. The truth is, the Old Testament does teach that salvation would come to the Gentiles. And the failure of Israel was not a surprise to God, but on the contrary, totally expected. He anticipated all Humanity to fall short of His glory. That is why He determined to the save the world, both Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female, in and through Jesus Christ.

Because of dispensationalism's aversion to God's sovereignty, and also being predicated on a rigid form of Arminianism (salvation necessary through free will rather than by God's grace), God is viewed as less than almighty or capable of saving the world by himself. This is both a biblical, as well as a supreme theological, error. Scripture clearly teaches that God is sovereign in effecting his plan of salvation:

It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. For this was how the promise was stated: "At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son." Not only that, but Rebekah's children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad-- in order that God's purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls-- she was told, "The older will serve the younger." Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. (Romans 9:6-16 NIV)

God succeeds and does what He wills. The twists and turns in the river of salvation history are not created by the banks of human failure, but only to show that "God's purpose in election might stand." We must always understand that salvation is predicated, not on human ability, but on God's integrity, sovereignty and omnipotence. The Psalmist gave praise to the one true God by saying, "to him who alone does great wonders." (Psalm 136:4 NIV)

The third problem is that it leads one to believe that some are actually saved because of their obedience. This understanding of salvation is akin to Pelagianism, the Roman Catholic view of merit (Semi-Pelagianism), and to the teachings of those like revivalist Charles Finney. This was not Scofield's intent when he published his reference Bible. He believed that salvation was of Christ alone: "It is this manifestation of Jesus Christ, his Person as "God manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16), his sacrificial death, and his resurrection, which constitutes the Gospel." However, the way dispensationalism was commonly taught undermined Scofield's Gospel belief and encouraged salvation to be viewed as something obtained through obedience.

If Salvation comes through obedience to the currently revealed plan, then it becomes something earned by the "obey-er." In dispensationalism, salvation is given to those who meet the conditions:

If, indeed, man is tested in respect to obedience to the will of God in each of these "dispensations", what is the reward - or punishment? If the reward is salvation, as obviously Scofield taught concerning the dispensation of Law, that salvation is not of grace but of works! The dispensationalist, misunderstanding the concept of Law and Gospel, offers salvation to those who meet the condition of the "dispensation" in which they are tested, thus even in the dispensation of Grace, faith becomes a work which entitles us to Christ. If one can only muster from the depths of one's heart enough "faith", one can meet the condition of this dispensation and be rewarded with salvation. [Dispensationalism: A Return to Biblical Theology or Pseudo Christian Cult? Online, Accessed 7 June 2001, Available at: http://www.frii.com/~gosplow/disp2.html#c5]

A fourth problem with dispensationalism is that the Scofield tradition believes grace is only available in the Church dispensation. People are saved by obedience in all other dispensations. This may appear to be innocuous, but the idea that obedience is necessary in other dispensations while only grace is offered in the Church dispensation leads to serious theological distortions. The dispensational view of Law of Grace creates an improper distinction between Law and Gospel (see my article on this very important subject "The Struggle to Balance Law & Grace"). When Law and Gospel are not properly related, it creates a false assumption among dispensationalistic groups that the Law does not have a place in the present Christian life. Thus, the door is open among many groups and churches to look to their personal house rules for laws or principles by which to govern the lives of sinners and saints. The truth is that the Law is still as much of a force as it every was. It is in force during the age of the Church to reveal sin and bring sinners to an awareness of their sinful. God uses the Law to drive sinners to the Cross. When the sinner realizes that he or she is unable to meet the demands of the Law, which represents God's perfect holiness, then, they are broken and prepared for the healing of the Gospel. In the Church age, it is not grace alone. It is Law for the unrepentant sinner, then grace for the repentant sinner who turns to and trust wholly in Jesus Christ. If this balance is confused then human rules and perfection take the place of God's Law.

As to grace only in the Church dispensation: modern Scofield followers have modified this position and others have not. [The purpose of each dispensation, then, is to place man under a specific rule of conduct, but such stewardship is not a condition of salvation. In every past dispensation unregenerate man has failed, and he has failed in this present dispensation and will in the future. But salvation has been and will continue to be available to him by God's grace through faith. [C. I. Scofield, Scofield Reference Bible, 1909, 1917 (notes on John 1:17 sec. 2), p. 3.] There are three components which identify every dispensation: 1) It begins with a new divine revelation; 2) A certain span of time which it covers; 3) Specific requirements of salvation for those in that time period. Various sects and cults took this scheme and applied it to the Church Age. They said that within Church history God makes salvation available through progressive revelation and human response to the given revelation. Notice how this scheme describes the initial pattern followed by every Christian sect. Since God deals with humanity differently in every dispensation there must be a new revelation discovered and proclaimed so that people know how to be saved in that dispensation. The system sets up unwary Christians to look past the already revealed Gospel (as understood through justification), to something ever newly revealed.

A fifth, and most serious problem, can be seen in the teaching of Lewis Sperry Chafer:

Chafer, in keeping with the standard definition of a dispensation, sees the Atonement as making grace possible throughout the various ages, which allows salvation to be viewed as gracious regardless of the added requirements of that specific dispensation. [Dispensationalism: A Return to Biblical Theology or Pseudo Christian Cult? Online, Accessed 7 June 2001, Available at: http://www.frii.com/~gosplow/disp2.html#c5]

This issue is subtle but very significant. Notice the language in this quote: "making grace possible." To me this is one of the more insidious problems with dispensationalism. While it speaks of salvation by grace, it actually redefines grace. Grace in the biblical and orthodox sense is unmerited favor. But in the Dispensational sense it is favor that is merited. God offers the "gift" of salvation differently in various dispensations. One's reception of this "gift" is determined by whether the "requirements of that specific dispensation" are met. This means that one pays for the gift through obedience. The pernicious dimension of this is that dispensationalism uses all the orthodox language of salvation by grace through faith, but in many cases, does not mean the same thing. It is really grace obtained through obedience. Too many groups today have inherited or adopted this definition of grace.

The distinction between Israel and the Church, is a sixth major problem with dispensationalism.

Dispensationalism sees Israel as an earthly people with earthly promises, and the church as a heavenly people with heavenly promises. Membership in Israel is by natural birth. One enters the church by supernatural birth. Dispensationalists view Israel and the church as having distinct eternal destinies. Israel will receive an eternal earthly Kingdom, and the church an eternal heavenly Kingdom. [Dispensationalism: A Return to Biblical Theology or Pseudo Christian Cult? Online, Accessed 7 June 2001, Available at: http://www.frii.com/~gosplow/disp2.html#c5]

There is a serious problem with this idea. The Bible teaches that God's plan for Israel is fulfilled in the Church. Charles Ryrie, a chief Dispensationalist, recognizes this to be a crucial issue:

If the church is fulfilling Israel's promises as contained in the new covenant of anywhere in the Scripture, then [dispensational] premillennialism is condemned. [Charles Ryrie, The Relationship of the New Covenant to Premillennialism (unpublished Master's thesis, Dallas Theological Seminary 1947), p. 31.]

This is, in fact, the case. It can be easily demonstrated that the promises and prophecies spoken to Israel were indeed fulfilled in the Church. The Promises To Israel Are Fulfilled in the Church This is a fundamental mistake of dispensational teaching. They deny that these promises are fulfilled in the Church, but rather must be fulfilled in Israel, even if it necessitates rearranging the entire sequence of end time events. This is exactly what dispensational teachers do.

The biblical teaching is that the promise to Israel of the Kingdom comes through Jesus and is fulfilled through the Church. God is not running two different plans of salvation. The covenant of works was kept by only one, that was Jesus. The remnant of the true Israel came down to one. That one was Jesus the Messiah. At the end of Old Testament there was just one faithful member of the covenant. Jesus was the true Israel. The only way to be part of the faithful, obedient remnant of Israel is to be in Christ. We are in Christ by placing all faith in him alone. All of Israel is saved only by trusting in him. The surprising truth that the Jewish Christians had to wrestle with was that God also accepted and saved the Gentiles through their Messiah as well. All nations inherit the promise of the kingdom in and through Jesus Christ. However, dispensationalism does not see this. By teaching two separate agendas in God's plan, it encouraged later dispensational groups to adopt even more radical ideas, which effaced the simple Gospel of Christ.

Another very important problem with much of teaching accompanying dispensationalism is that it is overweening in its speculations. Too many tenuous or unsubstantiated conclusions are made about the end-times. Very little or no textual support, mixed with enthusiastic imaginations, bred by dispensationalistic impulses, have led to a number of unbiblical teachings. We must take great care how we treat certain isolated texts of Scripture as they relate to the end-times:

Much harm has been done by well-meaning but incautious zealots who have allowed their enthusiasm to run riot in wild and dogmatic assertions upon points where dogmatism is impossible. Still more harm has been done by those who have seized upon certain isolated texts and woven around them doctrines which are inconsistent with the rest of Scripture. Any theory of the hereafter which modifies or weakens any doctrine plainly stated elsewhere in Scripture is to be held suspect. [T. C. Hammond, In Understanding Be Men, A Handbook on Christian Doctrine for Non-theological Students, (Chicago: Inter-Varsity Press, 1958), p. 188.]

Lastly, I am very concerned that the teaching of dispensationalism is not essentially comforting. It is not good news that God's plan has been thwarted in the past. It is not good news that God had to come up with an alternative plan since Israel rejected Christ. It makes the Gospel sound like plan B. There is another aspect of this that might be quite sensitive to readers of this paper. It's the way that too many dispensationalists teach the Second Coming of Christ. Their presentation is oriented toward fear for the Christian rather than faith. Granted, the truth that Jesus will return and judge the earth in righteousness ought to inspire fear and awe in sinners. It should drive them to their only hope -- Jesus Christ. But, in many circles this fear is urged as much upon believers as it is sinners. Instead of inspiring the believer to faith that Christ will return and complete his salvation, one is provoked to fear whether they might be ready when the Lord returns. I have heard many people, who were raised under this teaching, say that as a small child, they returned home (from school, etc.), found it unexpectedly empty, and then were struck with anxiety attacks, out of fear of being left behind. Is this the comfort the Gospel gives? No! It is a message of apprehension and insecurity. I believe dispensational teaching contributes to this message.

This is well illustrated in the book and movie "Left Behind." The purpose, as given by Tim LaHaye, is to present a fictional representation of what might happen after the Rapture occurs. As with other such attempts, as The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey, A Thief in the Night by Russ Doughten, or Michael Tolkin's The Rapture, an element of fear is created over what might happen to those who miss the Rapture. I do not criticize any of these presentations which contain a true, biblical accounting of God's coming judgment on sinners. Nor do I wish to diminish anything which announces Christ's return. These are biblical teachings. Having said this, the message of the Church is not merely God's judgment to come. It is even more about God's salvation from judgment through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus came to save us from God's judgment.

The Gospel is corrupted if there is an imbalanced teaching on judgment. It is also a distortion of the Gospel to preach fear rather than comfort to believers over the Lord's Coming. It is not good news that one might be left behind when a secret "rapture" takes place. This gives the appearance of using a truth, which is meant to be comforting to God's saints, in order to elicit a desired response from a crowd or assembly of Christians. I would admonish those who claim to represent Christ and yet preach fear in the place of hope through Jesus Christ. You have lost the main focus of the Gospel.

When Paul concluded his description of the Lord's return to the churches of Thessalonica, he left them these words, "Therefore, comfort one another with these words." He did not say, "Now use this information to scare the socks off people." He did not imply that his account would be good subject matter for getting a large number to respond at an altar call. He said, "comfort one another with these words." This is what is comforting: that God has one never failing plan, and that plan is Jesus Christ, who will soon return a second time for all who trust in Him. That plan has no need of modification and it will never need improvement. If you trust in Jesus Christ as your only hope of salvation, be comforted – He is coming for you!