by Agabu Ndhlovu

Created on: January 12, 2009

One great thing about Dr. Charles Ryrie's book on Dispensationalism is that it does a good job presenting the dispensational position. He clarifies where this system of theology stands on certain crucial points thus lucidly setting it apart from other systems of theology in the broader Christian community. This I think actually makes it easy for the reader to think through the system's premises and weigh it for what its worth.

So does Dr. Ryrie succeed in demonstrating dispensationalism's biblical veracity? Quite frankly, I think not! The problems for me lie in what he calls the sine qua non (i.e. the absolutely indispensable part) of dispensationalism [see page 38-41 of his book]. He gives a threefold outline with regard to the sine qua non of dispensational theology. These three aspects are what the dispensational system as he articulates it revolves around. According to Ryrie;

A dispensationalist keeps Israel and the Church distinct. This idea is said to be the most basic theological test of whether or not a person is a dispensationalist. It is here that I find problems that seriously undermine biblical teaching. The Bible teaches that Gentiles have the same inheritance as Jews. They belong to the SAME BODY (i.e. the Church) and share the SAME PROMISE that God made in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:6). The alleged distinction between Israel and the Church that Ryrie forcefully claims is biblical is more the fruit of the dispensational system read into the New Testament than of biblical exegesis. The fact is keeping Israel and the Church distinct is not a requirement of biblical exegesis but dispensationalism. New Testament Scripture clearly calls the Church the ONE NEW HUMANITY in which Jews (Israel) and Gentiles are reconciled (Ephesians 2:15). The fact that Scripture calls the Church One New Humanity means that there was such a thing as an Old Humanity (the old humanity of Israel under the Old Covenant) that in this present age of the New Testament has been rendered obsolete. The teaching that there is only one body is an essential truth of the Christian Faith that the dispensational Israel/Church distinction seriously betrays. To speak of a purpose for Israel apart or distinct from the Church is to espouse a view that contradicts the classic Christian confession that insists that there is only one body (Ephesians 4:4). The Israel/ Church distinction in the Bible is not a distinction on the basis of "two purposes God expressed in the formation of two peoples

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