Everyone has a hermeneutic, a system of interpreting the Bible.
Everyone has a system of theology.
Their systems may be good or bad or developed or undeveloped, but everyone has them.
I firmly believe, for Biblical, historical, and logical reasons, in the Dispensational Hermeneutic.
One charge often leveled at dispensationalists is that we believe in different ways of salvation. But, apart from some on the fringe, that comes mostly from the opponents of dispensationalism.
Darby, who did much to systematize and popularize dispensationalism, stated,
“The principle on which God saves is ever the same; it is grace through faith. The work of Christ is the ground of it for all dispensations.” – Collected Writings of J. N. Darby, Vol. 29, p. 196
He also wrote,
“There is but one basis of salvation—Christ’s death; one means of salvation—faith; and one source of salvation—God’s grace; though the objects and character of divine dealings vary in the different dispensations.” – (Darby, Collected Writings, Vol. 27, p. 152)
Charlies Ryrie said,
“If anyone teaches that people were saved by works in one dispensation and by grace in another, that person is not a dispensationalist.” – Dispensationalism Today, p. 123
A more recent writer leading in dispensationalism though, Michal Vlach, wrote,
“Yet even with differences among the dispensations salvation has always been by grace alone, through faith alone, based on the atonement of Jesus. Dispensations may change but the way a person is saved always remains the same (Gen. 15:16; Rom. 4).”
At the heart of dispensationalism is the glory of God. At the heart of His redemptive plan is Jesus Christ. Our access to that salvation is by grace through faith. Always.
Dispensationalism teaches that in the various outworking of His dealings with humanity, salvation has always been by grace through faith.
We believe that salvation is always by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, most importantly and primarily, because that is what the Bible teaches. More than any other system we believe what the Bible says and we let the Bible mean exactly what it says and so we believe this foundational truth about salvation.
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