What is the dispensation of Grace?

The word dispensation occurs twice in our authorized version of the epistle to the Ephesians, — viz., Eph. 1:10 and Eph. 3:2. In both cases the Greek word so translated is one which means the law or arrangement of a house. Being closely allied with the word for steward it is sometimes translated stewardship. Speaking in general terms we may say that a dispensation is that regime or ordering of affairs which God is pleased to institute at any given time.

"The dispensation of the grace of God" (v.2) is God's special way of dealing with mankind at the present time. It is in contrast to the administration of law in the Old Testament. It began with the Lord Jesus manifested among men, He whose blessed death and resurrection gives the purest, fullest character to the abounding grace of God. This dispensation has lasted almost 2000 years, and will continue until the coming of the Lord Jesus for His Church at the Rapture. No other dispensation has lasted this long, and even the Millennium will be only 1000 years. The truth of this dispensation was given to the Apostle Paul particularly for Gentiles (Eph.3:1-11), though Jews are not excluded for Paul himself was a Jew.

In the time of grace, God no longer only shows grace to certain individuals (as He did with Noah, Abraham, Ruth, etc.) with man still being under probation, but — the ruin of man having been established — God makes grace His modus operandi of dealing with man in general. It is not a time of further testing of fallen man (see above), but the time of acting in grace. Now, God’s message to man is ‘the gospel of the grace of God’ (Acts 20:24), grace has ‘overabounded’ (Rom. 5:15, 20; 6:1; cf. 1 Tim. 1:14), grace has ‘appeared’ (Titus 2:11), it ‘has been made manifest now by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ’ (2 Tim. 1:10), grace and truth is come (John 1:17), we are ‘under grace’ (Rom. 6:14), we know ‘the God of all grace’ (1 Pet. 5:10), and we stand in ‘the true grace of God’ (1 Pet. 5:12).

But why is the millennium needed? Will it be another test of man? Not really. While it will become evident at the end of the millennium that the heart of man has not changed even after 1,000 years of righteous and peaceful reign (see Rev. 20:7–9), this is hardly the point of bringing in this dispensation. The reason the millennium is needed is to: 1) ensure the fulfilment of God’s plan for the first creation, and 2) give a display of the glory of God’s grace. This will begin at the appearing of Christ, the inauguration of the millennium, ‘when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe’ (2 Thess. 1:10) — that is, when we will be made the vessels to display the greatness of His grace, as it says in Ephesians 1: ‘that we should be to the praise of his glory’ (v. 12). And when will this be? The answer is in the text: ‘that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ’ (v. 10) — i.e. in the millennium. Then, ‘in the ages to come’ He will ‘shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus’ (Eph. 2:7).

The sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ introduced the dispensation of pure grace, which means undeserved favor, or God giving righteousness, instead of God requiring righteousness, as under law. Salvation, perfect and eternal, is now freely offered to Jew and Gentile upon the acknowledgment of sin, or repentance, with faith in Christ. "Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent" (John 6:29). "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life" (John 6:47). "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24). "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish" (John 10:27-28). "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). The predicted result of this testing of man under grace is judgment upon an unbelieving world and an apostate church. (See Luke 17:26-30; Luke 18:8; 2 Thess. 2:7-12; Rev. 3:15-16.) The first event in the closing of this dispensation will be the descent of the Lord from heaven, when sleeping saints will be raised and, together with believers then living, caught up "to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thess. 4:16-17). Then follows the brief period called "the great tribulation." (See Jer. 30:5-7; Dan. 12:1; Zeph. 1:15-18; Matt. 24:21-22.) After this the personal return of the Lord to the earth in power and great glory occurs, and the judgments which introduce the seventh, and last dispensation. (See Matt. 25:31-46 and Matt. 24:29- 30.)

The apostle Paul speaks in our chapter, verse 2, of "the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward." This word, "dispensation," is elsewhere translated "stewardship" (see Luke 16:2-4). This distinctive stewardship, entrusted to Paul, was the making known to the Gentiles (especially) the truth of the mystery which he had received along with the other apostles by revelation. The Lord was pleased to reveal (to uncover or unveil) by the Holy Spirit the great secret of God which had been hidden during the past ages. Yet to Paul alone was the ministry or stewardship of it committed. Hence, we find the teaching of it in the epistles of the Apostle Paul only. References to the mystery are to be found in Romans, 1st Corinthians, Colossians and Ephesians. The latter epistle gives a clear and concise statement of what the mystery is. In verse 6 of this third chapter we read that there are three constituents of the mystery:

That dispensation is future, but in Eph. 3:2, we have a present dispensation, and one far more limited in its scope though far more intimate as to its character. The apostle speaks of it as "given to me to you-ward" — that is, he was the steward of it as far as the Gentiles, such as the Ephesians, were concerned. This being so, and bearing in mind how utterly lost and hopeless the Gentiles had been, as stated in Eph. 2:12, it is easy to see that it is indeed a dispensation of the grace of God; the coming age will be rather the dispensation of His glory.

Comparing Ephesians 3:1 with Ephesians 4:1, it will be clearly seen that Ephesians 3 is parenthetical. Ephesians 2 presents the doctrine and Ephesians 4 the practice consistent with the doctrine. Between the doctrine and the practice we have this important digression in which the Holy Spirit presents the special administration, or service, committed to the Apostle. In the second verse this service is referred to as “the dispensation of the grace of God”, and in verse 9 as “the fellowship of the mystery”. In both verses the word is the same in the original language. The best translation is “administration”, an administration being a particular service. This service was to proclaim the Gospel and make known the truth among the saints. In the course of this parenthesis we have the presentation of further great truths in connection with the church.

The Dispensation of Grace and Truth commenced, after the preaching of John, by the advent of Christ. During this economy the gospel is preached to every creature under heaven, and the calling out of the Church takes place, extending as a parenthesis, from the day of Pentecost to the rapture of the saints. Acts 2:1-4; 1 Thess. 4:13-18. Paul had a special 'dispensation' committed to him by God, both as to the gospel and to fulfil the word of God by the doctrine of the church as the body of Christ. 1 Cor. 9:17; Eph. 3:2-3; Col. 1:25-26.

At a certain period in the world's history He took up a special family, Israel, which He developed into a nation, and, so, far as they at least were concerned, introduced a change in His world-rule, placing them under a dispensation of law. That dispensation closed at the cross; and subsequently a thorough and universal change was introduced, constituting the dispensation under which we now are, called in this passage "the dispensation of the mystery," and in verse 2 declared to be a "dispensation of the grace of God."

The field was bought for the purpose of exhibiting this grace. A period of mere dispensational mercy would not have met the purpose — may we not even say, the desire? — of God. There would have been a seeming failure in the effect of the cross, if there were no church; and so, on the other band, the call of the church necessitated a dispensation of grace. And grace, when works are impossible as a ground of acceptance, implies faith. No such call could have been under law. That dispensation was necessary that man might be known. The dispensation of grace was equally necessary that God might be known. The church, as the highest display of His sovereign grace, is now formed "that in the ages to come He [God] might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness towards us through Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:7).