DISPENSATION

The Greek word oikonomia is rendered "dispensation" several times in the N.T. (see 1 Cor. 9:17; Eph. 1:10; 3:2, 9; Col. 1:25). Sometimes the word suggests the idea of managing a household and is rendered as "stewardship" (Lk. 16:2, 3, 4; 1 Cor. 9:17). On other occasions, the word implies a "plan" that has been "arranged" (Eph. 1:10; 3:9). The term may suggest appropriate "training" in divine instruction (1 Tim. 1:4). "Dispensation" is popularly used of a period of time. In Bible parlance, it is commonly used to reference the major eras in which God has operated in implementing the plan of redemption. (a) The Patriarchal dispensation extended from the creation of the human family to the commencement of the Mosaic period, at which point God selected the Hebrews as a special people through whom to send Christ (Gen. 12:1ff). In this age, God spoke to man through select prophets. Worship was administered by the father in each family (cf. Job 1). (b) The Mosaic dispensation began at Sinai, when Jehovah gave the law of Moses to the Israelite people, thus separating them from the nations of the world as a redemptive tool preliminary to the sending of his Son (Gal. 3:24-25; 4:4). Only the nation of Israel was under this code; the balance of humanity remained under the patriarchal system. The Mosaic religion was terminated at the cross (Col. 2:14ff); it ended in a political sense with the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. (c) The Christian dispensation began on the day of Pentecost and will be terminated at the return of Christ (Isa. 2:2-4; Dan. 2:44; Joel 2:28-30; 1 Cor. 15:24-26), giving way to the eternal order of things.