THE 7 DISPENSATIONS OF CREATION – THE AGE OF CONSCIENCE

We started a series on the 7 dispensations of the scriptures. I explained to us that the Bible’s notion of dispensations is essential to comprehending how God’s purpose for mankind has been gradually revealed. These dispensations, or eras of time, show the many ways that God engages with people, each with its specific peculiarities and obligations. The seven dispensations that Scripture describes will be examined in this article as we follow God’s redemptive plan from creation to eternity

We learned about the Dispensation of Innocence which is the divine plan’s first stage and paints a picture of humanity’s pure beginnings and terrible fall from grace

In this article, we are going to explore the second level of dispensation which is the Dispensation of Conscience. The Dispensation of Conscience is considered the second dispensation in the traditional dispensationalist scheme, following the Dispensation of Innocence (or the Age of Innocence) and preceding the Dispensation of Government (or the Age of Human Government).

It is said that the fall of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden marked the start of the Dispensation of Conscience. Dispensationalist theology holds that Adam and Eve had a stronger moral consciousness or conscience as a result of their disobedience and subsequent understanding of good and evil. Humanity was required to live by its conscience and moral sense throughout this period.

One of the things that happened in the dispensation of conscience was the Fall of Man.

⁸ Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
¹⁰ He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
¹¹ And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
¹² The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done? ”The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
¹⁴ So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,
“Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
¹⁵ And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring^[a] and hers;
he will crush^[b] your head, and you will strike his heel.
¹⁶ To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor, you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
¹⁷ To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil, you will eat food from it all the days of your life.
¹⁸ It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
Adam^[c] named his wife Eve,^[d] because she would become the mother of all the living
²¹ The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. ²² And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” ²³ So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. ²⁴ After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side^[e] of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the Tree of life.

Genesis 3:8-24.

The Dispensation of Conscience finds its roots in the aftermath of the Fall described in Genesis 3. Adam and Eve’s disobedience ruptured their intimate communion with God, introducing sin and its consequences into the world. Consequently, humanity became aware of good and evil, and a moral conscience emerged, guiding human behaviour.

Also Read: THE 7 DISPENSATIONS OF CREATION: THE AGE OF INNOCENCE

The story of Cain and Abel is a significant event of note highlighting the mortality of mankind as a prime indication of the Fall of Man, as narrated in Genesis:

Adam^[a] made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain.^[b] She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth^[c] a man.” ² Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. ³ In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. ⁴ And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, ⁵ but on Cain and his offering, he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
⁶ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? ⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
⁸ Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”^[d] While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
⁹ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
¹⁰ The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. ¹¹ Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
¹³ Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. ¹⁴ Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Not so^[e]; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. ¹⁶ So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod,^[f] east of Eden.

Genesis 4:1-16.

The exemplum of Cain and Abel illustrates how conscience operates in this age. Abel’s gift, which was made with genuine regard, was accepted by God, while Cain’s offering, lacking sincerity and trust, was rejected. Later on, Cain’s murder of Abel serves as an example of the moral decay that results from unchecked sin when conscience is ignored.

Another watershed occurrence, emphasising the disruption of the ordered ecosystem in the Garden of Eden from the Age of Innocence is the Corruption and The Flood in the antediluvian world of Noah.

⁵ The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. ⁶ The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. ⁷ So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Genesis 6:5-8.

As humanity continued to move away from the path that God had intended for them, sin began to spread like wildfire, causing corruption and violence to become widespread. The story of Noah and the Global Flood in Genesis 6 illustrates God’s reaction to humanity’s sinful ways. Noah, who was a righteous man, found favour in God’s eyes and as a result, he and his family were spared from the devastation brought on by the flood.

The last event that took place in the Dispensation of Conscience is the story of NOAH in Genesis 6:9-22; 7;1-24. Noah’s faithfulness in the face of a corrupt generation is powerfully demonstrated by his devotion to God’s instructions to build the ark. Noah demonstrated the value of living by one’s conscience by obeying God’s instructions, despite opposition and moral degradation in society. People of all ages are inspired by his steadfast dedication to righteousness – inspired always to try to do what is right, regardless of what the world around them may be doing.

It’s interesting how the Dispensation of Conscience emphasizes the importance of human accountability and duty before God. This highlights the fact that morality is an inherent part of human nature, and encourages individuals to follow their conscience and act in a way that aligns with God’s moral standards. While the Dispensation of Conscience belongs to the past, its lessons remain pertinent in contemporary faith and ethical discourse. It reminds us of the importance of nurturing a sensitive conscience informed by God’s Word and guided by the Holy Spirit.

in 1 Timothy 1:5, “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”, Apostle Paul exhorts Timothy to pursue love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. This injunction highlights the intrinsic connection between faith, conscience, and ethical conduct in the Christian life.

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Hebrews 10:22.

The verse urges us to draw near to God with a sincere heart and full assurance of faith, having their hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience. This verse underscores the significance of maintaining a clear conscience in cultivating intimacy with God.

The Dispensation of Conscience serves as a foundational period in biblical history, highlighting humanity’s moral responsibility and accountability before God. Through the narratives of Adam, Cain, Abel, and Noah, it illuminates the operation of conscience amidst a fallen world. Its relevance extends to contemporary faith, emphasizing the necessity of aligning one’s actions with God’s standards and nurturing a sensitive conscience guided by Scripture and the Holy Spirit.