Identify Your View

[Lou Martuneac]

It appears that many contributors at BB reject the Dispensational approach to the Scriptures. Let's get ourselves identified with our approach to Scripture.

1) Do you consider yourself a *Dispensationalist?

1) Do you hold to **Covenant Theology?

2) Do you consider yourselves ***Preterists?


LM

*Dispensationalism, on the other hand, is a system of theology with two primary distinctives: (1) a consistently literal interpretation of Scripture, especially Bible prophecy, and (2) a distinction between Israel and the Church in God's program.

**Covenant theology is based on the theory that God has only one covenant with men (the covenant of grace) and only one people, represented by the Old and New Testament saints—one people, one church and one plan for all. These beliefs require the adherents of Covenant Theology to interpret prophecy in a nonliteral way.

***Preterism is the belief that all Bible prophecies, including those concerned with the Second Coming of Jesus, the Resurrection of the Dead, the Rapture, the Judgment and the arrival of the Kingdom of God, came to fulfillment in a.d. 70 at the destruction of Herod’s temple in Jerusalem as predicted by Jesus in Luke 21:6, 22, 28, 31.

 

[EdSutton]

Considering I happened to be the first BB'er to stumble upon this poll, I would offer that I am a 100% Biblical dispensationalist ('stewardist', overseer or economist) - a 'house management system' (overseership) [because that is what Jesus (in Matthew and Luke), and Paul, and Peter all were (Mt.20:8, Lk. 12:42; 16:1-4,8; I Cor. 4:1,2; 9:17; Eph. 1:10, 3:2,9; Col. 1:25; I Pet. 4:10) - all these verses use the Greek words (oikonomeO, oikonomea, and oikonomos) rendered variously by the WYC, KJV, YLT, RV, DARBY, ASV, and NKJV as 'dispensation', stewardship, administrator, 'to administer', or what have you, in that vein], and I agree with most 'modern' dispensational views to the tune of about 90%, I would guess, and 'covenanter' the remaining 10% of the time with 0% preterism, in my own views.

There are certainly dispensational schemata that I have strong differences with, including any that posit more than one way of salvation for OT and NT saints. Salvation is, always was, and always will be by faith in God, nothing added, nothing taken away, and based on the finished work of Christ on the cross!

While one doesn't have to especially agree with any particular individual or any particular 'dispenational system' (especially as they have been 'developed' by any wannabe, self-styled theologians),
one cannot believe the Bible and not be a dispensationalist, IMO, simply because the Bible teaches dispensations exist, in the afore cited verses.

Interestingly enough, John Nelson Darby, who is wrongly considered by many to be the father of 'modern-day dispensationalism,' only rendered this word in this way in 2 instances, in the DARBY version.

May I say here that Darby no more 'invented' dispensations than Sir Isaac Newton 'invented' gravity or Ben Franklin and Thomas Edsion 'invented' electricity, for an analogy.

Church time 5 minutes ago. Gotta' run.

Ed

 

[John of Japan]

I'm a dispensationalist. Grammatical-historical interpretation literally brings me to that position. :thumbs:

 

[Dr. Bob]

I am a progressive dispensationalist where the Bible shows that, and covenantal in areas where the Bible shows that. I find each system has some flaws and seem to try to exclude the other totally.

There is room for both.

 

[Bob Alkire]

I'm a dispensationalist.

 

[Deacon]

Is there a glitch in the calculation of scores?

Dispensationalism 7 - 100.00%
Covenant Theology 2 - 28.57%
Preterism 0 - 0%

Thank God we are all under the covenent of grace!

Rob

 

[MB]

I am a progressive dispensationalist where the Bible shows that, and covenantal in areas where the Bible shows that. I find each system has some flaws and seem to try to exclude the other totally.

There is room for both.

I too do the same as you though we may not be in agreement of every single issue.
As far as dispensationalism I agree with "1" but not "2"

In Covenant theology I believe this first part; "God has only one covenant with men (the covenant of grace) and only one people, represented by the Old and New Testament saints—one people, one church and one plan for all." The idea that there is a separate plan for Jews only is not scriptural. Christ said;
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Sounds like the same plan to me.

MB

 

[Grasshopper]

There are different degrees of preterism. Therefore you could have some preterist views and also be a #1 or #2. In fact most who hold to #2 probably hold to some preterist view of eschatology. So I vote for 2&3.

 

[EdSutton]

Is there a glitch in the calculation of scores?

Dispensationalism 7 - 100.00%
Covenant Theology 2 - 28.57%
Preterism 0 - 0%

Thank God we are all under the covenent of grace!

Rob

No glitch, for one can vote for more than one choice, as I did, for the reasons I stated.

Ed

 

[tinytim]

I voted for all three also...
While I am traditionally a dispy... I see some truth in covenant.. and I also believe that a lot of prophecies were fulfilled by 70 AD...

OK< I'll admit I am confusing... I know that....

I have just realized within the last 10 yrs that I don't know everything...
Shhhh... my wife still thinks I do...

And because of this life shattering revelation on my part... I have to think that we cannot know everything about prophecy.....

It will all pan out the way God has determined...
With that I can put my trust...

 

[ReformedBaptist]

Covenant Theology here. One people of God.

 

[JerryL]

Deu 29:29 "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.

Does progessive revalation fall into dispensationalist theology?

 

[rbell]

I have just realized within the last 10 yrs that I don't know everything...
Shhhh... my wife still thinks I do...

Of course you don't know everything. One thing you don't know: is that your wife knows you don't know everything.

You know?


Anyway, back to the poll that I didn't participate in (I don't think we all fit nicely into the box the OP tried to build for us).

 

[TCGreek]

I am a progressive dispensationalist where the Bible shows that, and covenantal in areas where the Bible shows that. I find each system has some flaws and seem to try to exclude the other totally.

There is room for both.

Throw me in too.

 

[Gold Dragon]

I don't identify with any of those labels and descriptions of those labels but the poll does not allow leaving them all blank.

 

[Marcia]

I lean strongly toward Dispensationalism.

I am wondering why the options did not include
Partial Preterist
and
Full Preterist

Doesn't a Partial Preterist believe that Jesus is coming back and a Full Preterist does not? I thought the latter view was unscriptural and outside the pale of orthodoxy.

 

[skypair]

Does progessive revalation fall into dispensationalist theology?

I believe it does, Jer. And here's why. Christ "tells" us all that He knows through the Spirit. But IMO Christ is "temporal"/timebound whereas the Father is supra-temporal -- exists in eternity and in the present, "above" time.

Look at the way revelation has come. Look at Rev 2-3. The Spirit and Christ standing among the "candlesticks" of the churches and yet notice how different they were! One day worried about "Nicolaitans," the next about a "Jezebel!" Today we anticipate being "kept from the hour of temptation" and look around for a church that is "wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked" to validate our hope!

Yes, indeed! If dispensations mean anything it's that there is TIMLINESS to God's revelation of Himself to Christ and to us.

skypair

 

[canadyjd]

I lean strongly toward Dispensationalism.

Marcia, I am not well schooled in either theology. I have always respected your posts as being thoughtful and biblical. I hope I'm not putting you on the spot.

I want to ask an honest question to you. I have asked others, but have yet to get a straight answer (except from skypair....and I am still shaking my head trying to understand what he was trying to say:tonofbricks: )

What little I know about Dispensationalism is that it is usually marked by these two features. The bible is to be taken literally, especially concerning eschatology. And that Israel and the church have separate "futures" in God's new heaven and new earth.

What I have tried to understand is how those positions are reconciled with scripture's teachings concerning the impartiality of God. Especially concerning Eph. 2, where Christ is said to have abolished the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile (the Law of Commandments) by His death on the cross, and that both groups have been made into one new group (the body of Christ, the bride of Christ...i.e the church).

How can there be a separate future for Jews and Gentiles, if the distinctions have been abolished by Jesus' death on the cross?

peace to youraying:

 

[Marcia]

Marcia, I am not well schooled in either theology. I have always respected your posts as being thoughtful and biblical. I hope I'm not putting you on the spot.

Well, thanks for saying so jd canady, or canadyjd.

What little I know about Dispensationalism is that it is usually marked by these two features. The bible is to be taken literally, especially concerning eschatology. And that Israel and the church have separate "futures" in God's new heaven and new earth.

What I have tried to understand is how those positions are reconciled with scripture's teachings concerning the impartiality of God. Especially concerning Eph. 2, where Christ is said to have abolished the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile (the Law of Commandments) by His death on the cross, and that both groups have been made into one new group (the body of Christ, the bride of Christ...i.e the church).

How can there be a separate future for Jews and Gentiles, if the distinctions have been abolished by Jesus' death on the cross?

I saw this question on the other thread. First a disclaimer --I have not taken eschatology yet, and I feel it is my weakest area.

So, with that in mind, this is my answer more or less off the top of my head:

I don't think dispensationalists believe in a separate future for saved Jews and Gentiles, they just don't think God has finished dealing with Israel yet. The Eph 2 passage is to show that saved Jews and Gentiles are both in the body of Christ, which I don't think any disp. would disagree with. I think it was primarily to keep the Jews and Gentiles in unity and not see each other differently as believers.

So Eph. 2 is about the equal salvation of Jews and Gentiles, but disp. have a different view of Israel and the Church than do the Reformed people.

I think Rom 9 has something to do with this Israel thing but I do not feel I know enough to say much more.

 

[Marcia]

I am wondering why the options did not include
Partial Preterist
and
Full Preterist

Doesn't a Partial Preterist believe that Jesus is coming back and a Full Preterist does not? I thought the latter view was unscriptural and outside the pale of orthodoxy.

Is no one going to address this???