| BibleFacts |
Dispensationalism
|
On the early
church |
For a long time the church has been divided on the issue of Dispensationalism. The
Covenant churches teach their are two equal covenants, one for the church and
one for Israel. The Dispensationalist churches teach one covenant of grace for
the church and Israel, but different Dispensations or ages. We are now in the
church age and not in the Dispensation of the Mosaic Law.
Lets look at what the early church taught on
this subject.
- Mathetes 130 AD
- Epistle to Diognetus 3,4 - Christians do not offer sacrifices, nor abstain from meets,
nor observe the Sabbath or new moon festivals, nor become circumcised like
the Jews do.
- Epistle to Diognetus 5 - Christians follow the customs of their native lands in regard
to marriage, food, clothing, and conduct. They marry and have children but
they never have abortions. They obey all the laws of their country.
- Epistle to Diognetus 11 - He (Mathetes) was taught directly by the apostles. Jesus is
uncreated (from everlasting)
- Justin Martyr 165 AD
- Dialogue 11 - Christ did away with the entire law of Moses, and circumcision.
- Dialogue 19 to 23 - Circumcision, food laws, and Sabbaths were for a
teaching. Circumcision began with Abraham and the Sabbath and the rest
began with Moses.
- Dialogue 43 - Circumcision began with Abraham. The Sabbath,
sacrifices, offerings, and feasts began with Moses.
- First Apology 67 - Christians meet together on Sunday.
- Dialogue 10 - Christians live like all other gentiles, not observing the
festivals, Sabbaths, new moon, or the rite of circumcision.
- Dialogue 51,52 - Jewish Prophets ceased after John.
- Ignatius - 30 to 107 AD
- Trallians 9 - Christians do not observe
the Sabbath but the Lord's day
- Irenaeus 177 AD
-
Against Heresies 1.10 - What the church believes: One God, the
Father Almighty, Maker of all things; and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who became
incarnate for our salvation; and in the Holy Spirit, who proclaimed through
the prophets the dispensations
of God, and the advents, and the birth from a virgin, and the passion, and
the resurrection from the dead, and the ascension into heaven in the flesh
of the beloved Christ Jesus, our Lord, and His future manifestation from
heaven. The raising up anew all flesh of the whole human race. The angels
who
transgressed and became apostates, together with the ungodly, and
unrighteous, and wicked, and profane among men, will be cast into everlasting fire. Those
who have kept His commandments, and have persevered in His love, some from
the beginning of their Christian course, and others from the date of
their repentance, with everlasting glory.
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Against Heresies 3.11 - Montanists set at nought the gift of the Spirit, which in
the latter times has been, by the good pleasure of the Father, poured out
upon the human race, do not admit that aspect of the evangelical
dispensation presented by John's Gospel, in which the Lord promised that He
would send the Paraclete (John 16); but set aside at once both the Gospel and the
prophetic Spirit. Wretched men indeed! who wish to be pseudo-prophets,
forsooth, but who set aside the gift of prophecy from the Church; acting
like the Encratitae who, on account of such as come in hypocrisy,
hold themselves aloof from the communion of the brethren. We must conclude,
moreover, that the Montanists can not admit the Apostle Paul
either. For, in his Epistle to the Corinthians, he speaks expressly of
prophetical gifts, and recognizes men and women prophesying in the Church.
Sinning, therefore, in all these particulars, against the Spirit of God.
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Against Heresies 3.15 - Jesus and the Father are the only true God.
Jesus gave Moses the dispensation of the Law.
-
Note: He talks a lot about dispensations (of the Law, of
Christ, of the church, of the day of the Lord ...)
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Against Heresies 4.4 - The Law started with Moses and ended with John.
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Against Heresies 4.16 - Men were never released from the Decalogue. We
however do not observe the Sabbath, or circumcision.
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Against Heresies 4.34 - Jesus fulfilled the Law and prophets, then
did away with it, and gave a new covenant.
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Against Heresies 5.8 - In the dispensation of Law the clean animals
represented spiritual man and the unclean animals represented the carnal
man.
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Against Heresies 5.17 - "He has destroyed the handwriting" of
our debt, and "fastened it to the cross;"
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Against Heresies 5.32 - Some of the orthodox are ignorant of God's
dispensations.
- Tertullian 210 AD
- Marcion 4.12 - Jesus annulled the Sabbath.
- Marcion 5.2 - Galatians proves the Mosaic Law is fully abolished.
- Marcion 5.11 - 1 Corinthians, the veil of Moses refers to the
complete doing away with the old dispensation. Christ being messiah and
abrogation of Moses Law.
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Jews 1.3 - Circumcision was temporary.
-
Jews 1.4 - Sabbath was temporary.
-
Jews 1.5 - Sacrifices were temporary.
- Marcion 1.20 - Paul in Galatians means the Law given by god then
fulfilled and done away with in Christ. Not that it was given by another god.
- Origen 230 AD
- OFP 1:2:1 - Teaches there are many dispensations