Lesson #08

Course in Biblical Doctrine
Lesson #08

• Ages, Dispensations, and Covenants — continued
• #3 THE AGE OF SELF-GOVERNMENT, A DISPENSATION OF LAW (GEN 8:26-GEN 11:9)

• Man is now given the responsibility for social government to curb the extension of sin and evil.
• This covenant is unconditional and fulfilled by one side.
• In other words, only one of the agreeing parties needs to fulfill the covenant without regard to the conduct of the other party.
• God will fulfill His part even if man fails to do his part.

THE COVENANT WITH NOAH

• Read Gen 8:21-22 Gen 9:1-17

• The sign of the covenant is the rainbow
• The Life span in this dispensation is 200-600 years.
• The covenant duration: This covenant is in force until the age of Messiah (the millennial kingdom).
• Explanation of the details of the covenant:
• Animals with blood in them shall not be eaten–why?
• There is something sacred and very special about blood!
• The Bible says that life is in the blood. (Lev 17:14)
• The spiritual principle is that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness for sin. (Heb 9:22)
• In the Old Testament they offered the shed blood of animal sacrifice to cover over their sin. In the New Testament we have faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross to take away our sin.
• The shedding of blood of animals was to point to the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross.
• Blood carries disease (Lev 17:10,14)
• Draining meat of its blood before eating became part of the Law of Moses. God gave this order for spiritual reasons, but he also gave it for hygienic health reasons.
• Because blood can be a carrier of disease, God chose it to be the element to bear judgment. Sin is a spiritual disease.
• The principle of capital punishment as a deterrent to evil:
• God indicates many times over in the Old Testament his plan to deter evil by capital punishment. The responsibility is given to human government.
• Later God expands capital punishment to offenses other than murder in the Covenant with Moses. (for just a few examples see: Exo 19:13 Exo 21:12,28-29 Num 15:32-36 Lev 20:2 Lev 20:27 Lev 24:11-17 Deu 21:18-23)
• God tells Joshua to annihilate all the evil inhabitants of the land when they enter the Promised Land. (Deu 9:3-5 Jos 1:18)
• Capital punishment remains in the hands of human government in the New Testament:
• Rom 13:1-4 (government does not use the “sword” in vain but to deter evil)
• 1Tim 2:1-3 1Pet 2:13-17 Rev 13:10
• According to this covenant, man does not only have the right to preserve life through capital punishment but man has the responsibility to do so.
• Why is this authority given to human government?
• God reserved this right for himself up to the covenant with Noah.
• Now God is impressing upon man to regard human life as a means by which man will acknowledge God.
• Life is created in the image of God.
• To take life is to display contempt for God. You don’t deface the king’s image!
• The degree to which society acknowledges God is directly related to its level of capital punishment (swiftly and justly administered) and its resultant level of rampant crime.
• The sign of the rainbow is a type or an illustration of Christ (Gen 9:13 Rev 4:3 Rev 10:1 Eze 1:28)
• The rainbow is a symbol of God’s mercy. (Gen 9:11-12)
• Christ on the cross is God’s mercy. (Joh 3:16)
• The creation of a rainbow depicts the relationship between God the Father, and Christ the Son, and the cross:
• The sun gives off white light = God dwells in unapproachable light (1Joh 1:5)
• White light rays hit the clouds where water droplets act as a prism dividing light into component parts enabling us to see rainbow colors clearly = Jesus Christ came from God, the Father, through clouds of judgment where sin was judged on the cross so that we might see God in all his aspects more clearly. (1Pet 4:10)
• 1Joh 2:8-11 tell us about the blending of light and love in Jesus Christ (Joh 6:37-40 Joh 14:7-11 Joh 9:5)
• There are 3 primary colors of light: red, green, and blue. When these 3 are mixed together, they make white light.
• There is one God in 3 persons: God, the Father; God, the Son (Jesus); God, the Holy Spirit.
• Red in the Bible symbolizes the shed blood of Christ.
• Green in the Bible symbolizes new beginning, the hope of eternal life.
• Blue in the Bible symbolizes heavenly things.
• The rainbow is made up of 7 colors. Number 7 is God’s number of perfection or completeness.
• The rainbow joins heaven to earth.
• Jesus Christ joins God in heaven to man on earth. (Phil 2:5-11)

• #4 THE AGE OF PROMISE, A DISPENSATION OF GRACE

(GEN 12:1-EXO 14:31)

• This covenant is unconditional and unilateral.
• God will fulfill his part regardless of man’s success or failure to do his part.

THE COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM

• Read Gen 12:2-3, 7 Gen 13:15-17 Gen 15:1, 5-6 Gen 17:1-11 Gen 22:17-18

GOD’S PROMISES	MAN’S RESPONSIBILITIES
MATERIAL BLESSINGS: -A GREAT NATION -A LAND -PHYSICAL DESCENDANTS -A KING (JESUS)	FAITH (HEB 11:1 ROM 10:7 JAM 1:6-7 HEB 12:2)
SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS: -A REWARD -A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH A PERSONAL GOD -A MISSION AND A MINISTRY (JESUS) -THROUGH ABRAHAM, ALL FAMILIES OF THE EARTH WILL BE BLESSED WITH SPIRITUAL DESCENDANTS HE WILL POSSESS THE GATE OF HIS ENEMIES (AUTHORITY OVER SATAN)	WALK BEFORE GOD
PHYSICAL BLESSINGS: GOD WILL BE SHIELD OF PROTECTION -BLESSINGS AND CURSES: -BLESSING TO ABRAHAM -BLESSING TO THOSE WHO BLESS HIM -CURSE TO THOSE WHO CURSE HIM -HEALING	BE PERFECT (MATURE, WITHOUT BLEMISH)
GOD WILL SET ABRAHAM APART -A FAMOUS NAME -A NEW NAME	CIRCUMCISION (COL 2:11)
	OBEDIENCE

• The sign of the covenant: the blood of circumcision
• The life span during this dispensation: 100-200 years.
• Covenant duration: throughout all time and all of eternity
• Explanation of Covenant Details
• Notice in Gen 12:7, God says “unto thy seed”. Remember that the first promise to human “seed” was to Adam and Eve in Gen 3:15. Now the “seed” of the woman in Gen 3:15 is carried in the “seed” of Abraham.
• The relationship between the covenant with Abraham and the New Testament believer:
• Read Rom 4:1-5, 9-13, 23-25
• Main points:
• Abraham was saved by faith in God, not by keeping any law.
• Abraham was saved before he was circumcised.
• Circumcision was a seal of the covenant not a means of salvation.
• Abraham, therefore, is the father of all who are believers even if they are not circumcised.
• This covenant spoken to Abraham was to be fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
• Read Gal 3:6-9,16,26-29
• Main points:
• Abraham was saved by faith in God.
• Those who have faith are children of Abraham.
• Those who have faith are blessed by the promises given to Abraham.
• The promises were made to Abraham and to Abraham’s seed.
• The seed of Abraham is Christ, so the promises were made to Jesus Christ.

If we belong to Jesus Christ, then we are heirs of the promises given to Abraham.