Bible Study: Study of Ages — Christian Theology on God’s Creation Part 2

The Ages of Innocence

The elements of the dispensation of innocence are:
* Managers: Adam and Eve
* TimePeriod: Creation of man to man’s temptation and fall
* Responsibility: Obey God (Genesis 1:26–28; 2:15–17)
* Failure: Disobedience (Genesis 3:1–6)
* Judgment: Curse and death (Genesis 3:7–19)
* Grace: Another chance and the promise of a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15)

Adam and Eve did possess free will in the Garden of Eden, the ability to procreate, and an eternal soul. They were tasked with working in the garden (Genesis 2:15) and also had a face-to-face relationship with God, who walked in the garden(Genesis 3:8).

When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, they introduced sin and death into the world (Romans 5:12), which has since been inherited by all people. Their innocence was lost (Genesis 3:7–8). God then announced the consequences of their choice (Genesis 3:14–19).

Hebrews 9:22(b) says, “And without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.”

The hope for the future: Genesis 3:15 prophecies Jesus coming as the ultimate Redeemer. Jesus, completely innocent, would die to redeem mankind for those who believed in Him (1 Peter 3:18). Jesus is described as the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45) the only atonement that is necessary.

The Age of Conscience

The elements of the dispensation of conscience are:
* Managers: Cain, Seth, and their families
* TimePeriod: Expulsion from the Garden of Eden until the Flood, about 1,656 years
* Human Responsibility: Do good and offer blood sacrifices (Genesis 3:7, 22; 4:4)
* Failure: Wickedness (Genesis 6:5–6, 11, 12)
* Judgment: Worldwide Flood (Genesis 6:7, 13; 7:11–14)
* Grace: Noah and his family are saved (Genesis 6:8–9; 7:1; 8:1)

God then instituted conscience as a way humans could delineate between good and evil, choose good, and have a relationship with God through blood sacrifice(Genesis 4:4). Almost immediately, people chose evil. Cain killed Abel (Abel was the first person ever to die) because God accepted Abel’s animal (blood) sacrifice but did not accept Cain’s grain sacrifice. Mankind did not fare well, violating his conscience and failing to do what was right. Evidently, God wanted to demonstrate to mankind that conscience cannot be our only guide.

Three people who were declared righteous during the period recorded in the Bible are — Abel, Enoch, and Noah(Hebrews 11:2–7; Genesis 5:22–24; 6:8–9).

“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that
every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”(Genesis 6:5).

The Age of Human Government- This age began after the Great Flood.

The elements of the dispensation of human government are:
* Managers: Noah and his descendants
* TimePeriod: The Flood to the confusion of languages at Babel
* Responsibility: Scatter and multiply (Genesis 9)
* Failure: Unwillingness to scatter and the building of the tower of Babel
(Genesis 11:1–4)
* Judgment: Confusion of languages (Genesis 11:5–9)
* Grace: Abraham is chosen — the start of the Jewish race, through whom Messiah would come (Genesis 12:1–3)

God covenanted with Noah to never again destroy all people by water.
Then, He instituted human government as a way for humans to battle evil
(Genesis 8:20–11:9).

God gave to Noah a set of expectations to enforce — beginning with Genesis 9:6: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image;” This command established the sanctity of human life and the authority of man to govern man. This authority continues (Romans 13).

However, sin (“lawlessness” in 1 John 3:4) continued in Noah’s time and with his descendants, and instead of following God’s provision, people created their own idols and fell into moral degradation. People relied on their own selves and elevated their reasoning above God, culminating in the Tower of Babel. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4). This was disobedience to God and He enacted the consequence of their inability to communicate with one another. This confusion of language caused the people to disperse and fill the earth as God had previously commanded them to do (Genesis 1:28; 9:1).

The Age of Promise

The elements of the dispensation of Promise are:
* Managers: The patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
*TimePeriod: The call of Abraham until Israel’s arrival at Mt. Sinai,
* Human Responsibility: To dwell in Canaan (Genesis 12:1–7)
* Failure: Dwelt in Egypt (Genesis 12:10; 46:6)
* Judgment: Egyptian bondage (Exodus 1:8–14)
* Grace: Moses is sent to deliver them (Exodus 3:6–10)

God promised Abraham he would be the father of a great nation, that his descendants would be blessed, and that the earth would be blessed through him (Genesis 12:1–3). These promises were part of a covenant between God and Abraham. Abraham would live in the “land of promise” (Hebrews 6:13–15; 11:8–12).

However, Abraham failed when he slept with Sarah's handmaiden, Hagar, to father Ishmael (Genesis 16). God had promised him a son by Sarah, but Abraham and Sarah attempted to garner an heir by human methods. Abraham also moved to Egypt (Genesis 12:10) and lied to people there about Sarah (Genesis 12:10–20; 20:1–18). Even still, the promises God made to Abraham were valid, as were His promises to Isaac and Jacob (Genesis 12:1–3; 15:4–21; 17:1–8; 22:15–19). God did not rescind His promise due to Abraham’s disobedience as His covenant with Abraham was unconditional.

The Age of Law

This Age was closely associated with His relationship with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

The elements of the dispensation of Law are:
* Managers: Moses and Israel as a nation
* TimePeriod: Mount Sinai until the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, when He
fulfilled the Law. (Around 1500 years)
* Human Responsibility: Keep the whole Law (Exodus 19:3–8) — Moral law, Civil law and Ceremonial Law.
* Failure: Broke the Law (2 Kings 17:7–20)
* Judgment: Worldwide dispersion (Deuteronomy 28:63–66; Luke 21:20–24)
* Grace: The promised Savior is sent (Isaiah 9:6–7; Galatians 4:4–5)

God gave the Law to help His people understand righteousness and sin, and to point to the Messiah (Romans 3:20), but the Law didn’t save people, nor was it ever meant to. Of course, people are not able, on their own, to reach the level of righteousness that God demands, as evidenced almost immediately after the Law was given when Aaron and the people created a false god in the form of a golden calf (Exodus 32).

The Law was for Israel only (Exodus 19:3–8; Deuteronomy 4:8; 5:1–3), and not Gentiles, as Jesus explained (Mark 12:29–30). Paul also explained that the Law was for Israel, not Gentiles, and not the Church (Romans 2:14; 9:4–5; Ephesians 2:11–12).

It lasted thousands of years but ended when the new covenant was established (Jeremiah 31:31–40; Hebrews 8:13; 10:1–18).

The dispensation of Law served the purpose for which it was instituted. The Law was fulfilled in Jesus. As He said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew5:17). Jesus’s fulfilment means that we, by putting our faith in Him, may also be justified by Him, and not through the Law (Galatians 2:16).

The Age of Grace

This Age is also called the Church Age. God bestowed grace to humans through the death of His Son and the coming of the Holy Spirit into believers’ lives (John 19:30 through Revelation 3:22).

The elements of the dispensation of grace are:
*Managers: The Church / all believers in Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:9–10)
*TimePeriod: Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) until the rapture (1 Thessalonians
4:13–18), nearly 2,000 years and counting
*Human Responsibility: Be perfected by God’s work of sanctification; love
one another; exhibit ever-increasing godliness (1 Thessalonians 4:3; 2 John
1:5)
*Failure: Lack of maturity; worldliness; many falling into apostasy (Galatians 5:4; 2 Timothy 3:1–5)
*Judgment: The blindness of apostasy and false doctrine (2 Thessalonians 2:3; 2 Timothy 4:3)
*Grace: Forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3–7; John 14:20)

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who
are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

The offer of salvation is extended to all people, both Jew and Gentiles (Galatians 3:23–29). The Bible tells us that God uses grace in many ways, including supporting us (Romans 5:2), teaching us (Titus 2:11–12), and disciplining us (1 Corinthians 11:28–32; Hebrews 12:5-11).

The Church, that is, the body of believers, will return to earth with Jesus at
His second coming (Revelation 19), after which will come to the dispensation of the millennial kingdom of Christ.

ref. for Age of Eternal Past(Pre-Adamic Age) and the beginning of the Adamic Age