Dispensational Faith

The foundation is the boundaries of the faith.

A boundary is a limit; a stopping point.

The boundaries of the faith the faith are: Oneness, Purpose, Suffering and Faith. Our salvation is based on the life of Christ, which the boundaries of the faith hinge upon.

God’s intent is His purpose. It is His purpose to conform us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. However, when we hear a message or a teaching that says we cannot be as Jesus Christ, immediately we know that is outside the boundaries of the faith, because we know the scripture teaches that we can be like Him, and in fact are like Him, after being born again (Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. I John 4:17). To say we cannot be like Jesus is to also say we cannot be perfect. There are some schools of thought that teach ‘no one is perfect’, which infers that the work Jesus did on the cross failed. On the contrary, we were created with the ability to be able to choose to obey God in all things at all times; this defines perfection. Anything taught otherwise is outside the boundaries of the faith. The scriptures command us to: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48).

The same is true of the doctrine of suffering. When we hear a message that says God does not want His saints to suffer, once again we know that message is outside the boundaries of the faith, because there are scriptures that declare the saints are appointed to suffer; and if we do not suffer with Him, we will not reign with Him. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake (Philippians 1:29).

Another doctrine that has been taught erroneously is Faith. It has been taught from the perspective of materialism; to gain the material things of the world is to have great Faith. Nevertheless, God did not give us faith to obtain cars, houses and land. The faith of God is for things that are not seen. We will never read in scripture that Jesus Christ pointed the Church to the world; to gain the material things thereof. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul (Mark 8:36)?

What does faith really mean? People usually define faith as trust or belief. In the King James Version of the Old Testament, the word faith is found in only two places. The first reference is:

Deuteronomy 32:20

And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very forward generation, children in whom is no faith.

This was a prophetic word that God spoke through the mouth of Moses to the children of Israel. Looking at this line upon line, when he said, “I will see what their end shall be”, He means that which will happen, will be fulfilled in the end time. This prophecy says that in the last days, Israel would be a nation without faith. There will only be a remnant of the nation which will be saved, because of their lack of faith. The second reference is:

Habakkuk 2:4

Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

Moses and Habakkuk both prophesied about faith; but they were born under the law. In the following verses, Paul is restating what Habakkuk said in his prophecy. These verses confirm that Habakkuk was prophesying.

Romans 1:16-17

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Galatians 3:10-11

10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

Under the Law, if someone broke even one of the laws, they were cursed. However, a man is not justified by the Law. So if Moses and Habakkuk were both under the Law, the people they prophesied to were also under the Law. Habakkuk states that those who are justified shall live by Jesus’ faith. This means those who were under the Law could not be justified. Therefore, what they prophesied about was for another time. In their lifetime, the people were not justified, because they were under the Law.

Galatians 3:12

And the law is not of faith: but, the man that doeth them shall live in them.

The people could not be justified by the law, because the law was not of faith. Their dispensation was the Dispensation of the Law. God dealt with them according to the Law.

Dispensation is a period of time; and the method by which God is dealing with man in that period of time; the changing of a rule.

So far, mankind has lived through six dispensations: during the time of Adam, there was the Dispensation of Innocence; after the fall of Adam, man lived in the Dispensation of

Conscience; then there was the Dispensation of Human Government; the Dispensation of Promise; during Moses’ and Habakkuk’s time was the Dispensation of the Law; and we now live in the Dispensation of Grace and Truth. There will be a seventh dispensation; the Dispensation of the Millennium; the day of rest.

The Dispensation of the Law started with Moses; he received the Law from God. The Law and its ordinances were nailed to the cross with Jesus Christ; ending that dispensation on the Day of Pentecost; the day we entered into the Dispensation of Grace and Truth.

We need to understand where we are and how God is dealing with us under the Dispensation of Grace and Truth; also called the Dispensation of Faith. We need to understand the heart and mind of God relative to the Church.

Galatians 3:17

And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

The law cannot cancel the original covenant concerning Christ. If God confirmed the covenant, man cannot disannul it.

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Galatians 3:12-14

12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

God made a covenant with Abraham; He made him a promise. Jesus Christ came to fulfill the covenant. He allowed Himself to be hung on a tree, thereby becoming a curse. This was done, so the promise God made to Abraham would come to us (Gentiles). We must mention the fact that Abraham was not a Jew; he was a Chaldean. In other words, he was a Gentile. Therefore, the covenant was actually made with Gentiles. However, Jesus died as a Jew; and His death has torn down the wall of petition between the Jews and the Gentiles.

Abraham was promised the Spirit (vs. 14). However, it has been taught that the blessings of Abraham are the material things of the world; referring to the blessings that were promised to the Jews in Deuteronomy 28.

When God brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, He made them a nation and called them a people. He gave them a set of laws and ordinances, told them they would be the nation that would bring forth the Righteous Seed and that He (The Righteous Seed), would be the Savior of the entire world. God told them if they would obey the laws, He had given them, they would be a blessed nation. However, the blessing to the Gentiles, which was promised to Abraham and that came through Jesus Christ was the Spirit.

Hebrews 8:6

But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

When we talk about the promise of Abraham which was to come to us, we have to go beyond the Jews. The blessing we received came from heaven; the Holy Ghost. The spiritual blessings the church received in Ephesians 1:3 are all encompassed in the Holy Ghost. On the contrary, theologians are taking the blessings promised to the Jews and ascribing them to the Church. God promised Abraham (Abram at the time) a Righteous Seed; Jesus Christ; The Holy Ghost. The promise that was to come to the Church was spiritual. It was the Jews who were promised the things of the world. Within their blessings, they did not have to suffer, if they were obedient; but God told the Church we have to suffer; even inside of obedience to Him.

Galatians 3:13-14

13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The promise made to Abraham, was through Jesus Christ, so we (the Gentiles), would receive the Spirit through faith. The scriptures reveal whose faith would be the basis through which we would receive The Spirit:

Galatians 3:22

But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

This scripture makes a distinction between faith and belief. The promise by the faith of Jesus Christ is given to those who believe. In other words, the faith of Jesus Christ has guaranteed that we can receive the Spirit that God promised Abraham, if we simply believe in Jesus Christ. It is His faith that is being used to fulfill the promise.

Because of Abraham’s belief in the promise of God (Jesus Christ), it was accounted to him as righteousness; he was considered perfect before the Lord. Although Abraham died not receiving the promise, his good report made him eligible to receive it. So, before Jesus Christ left hell, he preached to those who were in prison and freed them. They came out with Him (1 Peter 3:19; Matthew 27:52-53).

Jesus Christ’s faith had to be tried. He was tempted in all points like we are; yet He was without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He had to be counted worthy to be the channel by which God would bless us with the promise. The only way Jesus could pass the promise on to us was by His faith; He had to obey God. He had to walk in the Spirit that He had been given for 33 1⁄2 years without choosing to sin.

He passed the test. He was crucified; went to hell and paid for the sins of the entire world. Now that He is back on the earth (by way of The Holy Ghost), He is eligible to pass His faith on to mankind; reconciling them back to the Father. All we have to do is believe in what He has done on the cross; and He will give us His faith. Our faith, which is our belief, might change with circumstances, situations and relationships in the world. Our salvation does not hinge on our ability to believe; instead, He gives us His faith, the faith that has already been tried and tested. Once we receive His faith, all we have to do is walk in it; obey it.

Romans 4:16

Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.

God told Abraham to go outside in the middle of the night and look at the stars. The infinite number of stars was an analogy of how God was going to multiply Abraham’s descendants. He was referring to all the offspring of Christ. This does not include the Church only; but all those who died in the faith; from the Garden of Eden to the end of the Church (refer to Hebrews 11).