Hyperdispensationalism
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Hyper-dispensationalism (or sometimes ultra-dispensationalism), as opposed to traditional (or mainstream) Dispensationalism, views the start of the Christian church as beginning with the ministry of the Apostle Paul after the early part of the book of Acts. Hyperdispensationalists regard the failure of the post-Apostolic church to preserve the Pauline Distinctive as a cause of the Great Apostasy and as a mistake of the 19th Century Restoration Movement. Hyperdispensationalists regard what they understand to be the recovery of true Pauline Christianity as the crowning achievement of events that began with the Protestant Reformation.
Although variations exist in specifics, all hyper-dispensationalists view the four Gospels and many of New Testament Epistles, such as the Petrine and Johannine theology, as applying to the pre-Pauline Jewish Christian church or to the anticipated Davidic Kingdom; not directly applicable to the predominantly Gentile Church of today.
Two varieties of hyper-dispensationalists are distinguished, sometimes referred to as Acts 28 Dispensationalists and Mid-Acts Dispensationalists.
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[edit] Acts 28 Dispensationalists
Acts 28 Dispensationalists believe the Church began with Paul's statement made to the Jewish leaders at Rome near the end of the Book of Acts. The most notable proponent of this doctrine was E. W. Bullinger (1837-1913). Other writers holding this position include Charles H. Welch, and Otis Q. Sellers.
Acts 28 Dispensationalists distinguish themselves with their belief that today's Church, that is, the church in which Gentiles are considered joint heirs with Jews, is exclusively revealed in Paul's later writings, in the so-called Prison Epistles. The Prison Epistles contain Paul's presentation of "the mystery ... Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets" (Eph. 3:3-6). This mystery is identified as the Church, a mystery then unrevealed when he wrote his Acts-period epistles.
By contrast, Acts and Paul's early epistles are deemed to cover the Jewish Church that concluded Israel’s prophesied history (Bullinger, 1972, p.195). One rationale for this view is that Paul's epistles written during the period of Acts only proclaim those things which the prophets and Moses said would come, as Paul himself stated in Acts 26:22. The Acts-period epistles are 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, and Romans.
There is also division of the "grace" movement, who might be called "Post-Acts Dispensationalists," that neither believe that the church began after the Acts nor identify the body of Christ as "the mystery" of Ephesians 3 and Colossians 2.[citation needed]
"Post-Acts Dispensationalists," do not differ with the Mid-Acts position, in that they believe the church began with the Apostle Paul (Saul) in Acts 9. This is based on Paul's statement in 1 Timothy 1:16 where he claims, "that in me first, Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting."(KJV), and at least eight references to the body in Romans and 1 Corinthians. Where the split occurs is in differing positions as to when the dispensation of grace begins. The Mid-Acts position begins it in either Acts 13, where Saul becomes Paul, or Acts 15 where James charges Paul to go to the Gentiles. Another difference is in the identification of what "the mystery" is, and what it effected. this position holds that the mystery of Ephesians and Colossians is the grace dispensation, which effectively dispensed with "the law of commandments...the ordinances that was against us"(Eph. 2:15; Col. 2:14), in order to bring those saved into the body during Acts, with those like the Ephesians and Colossians, into one fellowship, "the one new man...the fellowship of the mystery."(Eph.2:16;3:9) In this new unified body, all the practices ordained for the Acts church, which was decidedly Jewish/covenantal, were abolished with the "revelation of the mystery"(Romans 16:25) of Ephesians and Colossians.
[edit] Mid-Acts Dispensationalists
Mid-Acts Dispensationalists believe the Church began with Paul during his earlier evangelism, between Acts 9 and Acts 13. There are several reasons for this belief, notably that Paul was the only apostle who was ever referred to as "THE" apostle of the Gentiles (Rom 11:11-13; Rom 15:16; Eph 3:1-2; etc., compare Gal 2:7-9). In addition, Paul states that "the dispensation of...grace" was given to him (Eph 3:2; c.f., 1Cor 9:17; Col 1:25). Spokesmen for this viewpoint include J. C. O'Hair, C. R. Stam (Things That Differ), Major R. B. Withers ( "The Greek Scriptures"), Charles F. Baker (A Dispensational Theology), and Bob Enyart (The Plot).
While adherents to the Mid-Acts Position agree that all Scripture is profitable (2Tim 3:16), in general, Mid-Acts Dispensationalists do not believe that all the doctrine in the General Epistles (James through Jude) applies to the church today. Instead, they believe these epistles (along with the four Gospels) will mostly apply to future Israel, after she repents and returns to the Lord during the Tribulation. Note that the term hyper or ultra-dispensationalist is not one that most Mid-Acts Dispensationalists would apply to themselves (although admittedly "more dispensational" than mainstream dispensationalists), yet they do tend to apply it to their Acts 28 brethren, who are viewed as taking dispensational concepts still further.
[edit] Shared views
In addition to their distinctive views on the applicability of many of the New Testament books, most hyper-dispensationalists hold unusual views on some of the key sacraments (which they term "ordinances"). Neither holds to the ordinance of water baptism, as they assert this has been supplanted by "one baptism", the "baptism by the Holy Spirit" [1 Cor 12:13; Eph 4:4-6]. While most practice the ordinance of the Lord's Supper; a few may not, in part from Paul's post-Acts epistles, in which he states that the church today is no longer under any ordinances (Eph. 2:15; Col. 2:14; Col. 2:20). (See also Antinomianism).
In contrast traditional Christians and more conventional dispensationalists might point out that, among other things, two different Greek words in the above references are translated "ordinances" and that neither of these words is used anywhere in Scripture to refer to either baptism or the Lord's Supper.
[edit] Grace Movement
The Grace Movement began in the 1930s. It embraces the Mid-Acts Dispensational System of Bible Interpretation and does not consider itself to be "hyper" or "ultra." It believes that there is confusion in the Christian Church today, via denominationalism, because of a process of the loss and recovery of "four basic truths." The loss process is believed to have started near the end of the Apostle Paul's ministry and continued for fifteen hundred years until the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century. The recovery process has lasted for over three hundred fifty years as the truths were gradually recovered in reverse order. The four truths are (in order of loss):
- The Distinctive Message and Ministry of the Apostle Paul;
- The Pre-Tribulational Rapture of the Church, the Body of Christ;
- The Difference between Israel and the Church, the Body of Christ;
- Justification by Faith Alone, in Christ Alone.
The Lord's Supper is widely observed in Grace churches. However, baptism as a water ritual is deemed unimportant, if not counterproductive. Rather, there is "one spiritual Baptism" according to I Corinthians 12:13 and Ephesians 4:4-6. This spiritual Baptism occurs at the moment of belief (Acts 11:15-16) and "identifies" (the Greek root word for "baptism" carries the idea of "identification") the believer with the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Finally, Grace believers hold that true believers are eternally secure, in Christ, for their assurance of eternal life.
[edit] See also
- Dispensationalism
- E. W. Bullinger -- describes some of the basic theology, especially the Acts 28 doctrine
[edit] References
- Stam, Cornelius R., Things That Differ, 1951, Berean Bible Society, Germantown, WI
- Bullinger, E.W.,The Foundations of Dispensational Truth, Reprinted 1972, Samuel Bagster & Sons LTD 72 Marylebone Lane, London. W.I.
- Baker, Charles F., A Dispensational Theology, 1971, Grace Bible College Publications, Grand Rapids, MI
[edit] External links
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The external links in this article may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links. Please remove this tag when this is done. (talk) |
- GraceImpact.org by Richard Jordan
- Ultra-dispensationalism from Elwell Evangelical Dictionary
- 85 Pages in the Bible Comprehensive survey of the divisions of Scripture from the Post-Acts dispensational perspective
- Mid-Acts Bible Commentary A Mid-Acts perspective on each Bible verse
- Berean Bible Society History of the Grace Movement
- God's Invitation to the World A clear presentation of the Dispensational Approach to Scripture.
- Grace Gospel Fellowship[[Category:Christian eschatology]
