What is the 'age of law' / 'age of grace' difference in dispensationalism?

Answer Request:

Can someone expound on the age of grace/age of law differential in dispensationalism?

If I expound on this question I will write a book, LOL! There is so much detail I can get into here, but let’s avoid all that right now and just give the absolute bottom line.

What you have identified in your question is the great division in scripture between God’s two programs that form part of the whole redemption plan of God for humanity.

What is the LAW program?

• It begins with Moses and belongs exclusively to the Jews.
• The Law is conditional; If you do this you are blessed, but if you disobey you are judged and punished. We see this trend throughout Israel’s history.
• This program is accompanied by signs and miracles. God works in the physical realm and shows His mighty hand in and through Israel.
• Salvation in the LAW program is by faith in the Messiah and by works of obedience (being baptized, receiving the Holy Spirit, obeying the Law, enduring to the end)
• During the Acts period the Law program its temporarily halted (Rom. chapters 9–11) and is replaced with the Grace program introduced to Paul by the risen and glorified Christ.

What is the Grace program?

• It begins with Paul and the grace doctrine belongs to ALL men. (ie: there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile in this program)
• Grace is unconditional; The law is fulfilled in Christ. It is His works, death, resurrection, and righteousness that is freely imputed to our account when we are saved.
• This program is typically not accompanied by signs and miracles. Although God, by His choosing, can still work miracles today if it serves His purpose, the standard today is FAITH alone. We walk by faith and not by sight (signs), and God’s grace is sufficient enough through our trials.
• Salvation in the Grace program is by faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ ALONE. There are no works necessary as Christ has done all the works necessary on our behalf. We are saved by God’s grace in Christ and not by our own works or efforts (Eph.2:8–9). (There are no ordinances like baptism, confessions, communions, Sabbath days, etc to follow)
• This Grace program will end at the rapture of the Body of Christ, which is imminent. The Law program will be reactivated and will extend from the 7-year tribulation and into the 1000-year Millennial reign of Christ.

It is important to understand that these two programs are distinct and separate from each other. LAW and GRACE cannot mix! God has a purpose for the Jews under law and He has a separate purpose for us under grace. When you merge or mix content from these two programs, you end us with a mess! You end up with confusion and contradictions and a thousand disjointed denominations all competing and disagreeing around doctrine and ordinances and who’s right and wrong.

I encourage you to delve deeper into rightly dividing the Word of truth (2 Tim.2:15). It is an instruction from the apostle Paul to enable the correct way of studying the Word.