One of the
points the Lord was making on the road to Emmaus as recorded in the book of
Hebrews is that salvation through faith was nothing new, for salvation was
through faith before the law was given: By faith Noah, being warned of God
of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of
his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the
righteousness which is by faith.Heb. 11:7 However, under
the law salvation was through faith and doing the law, as Paul later wrote: For
I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the
whole law. Gal. 5:3 Just as Noah and others before the law
was given were under a different dispensation than the circumcision, so are
believers in Christ under a different dispensation.
There are
three dispensations in scripture as man is redeemed from the fall of Adam. When
Adam fell, he was no longer a servant of the Lord’s house. He had become a
servant of Satan’s house, the house of which all the descendents of Adam are
born: he that believes not is condemned already.John 3:18 This is the
condition resulting from Adam’s original sin. As servants of another, men were
not called by the Lord. However, the heavens declare the glory of God; and
the firmament shows his handywork,Ps. 19:1 and the Lord
did find the runaway servants who sought Him: then began men to call upon
the name of the Lord. Gen. 4:26 Salvation was by faith, as we
are shown in Hebrews, but not free from the condemnation of sin, Nevertheless
death reigned from Adam to Moses (even over them that had not sinned after the
similitude of Adam's transgression) who is the figure of him that was to come, Rom 5:14 and under this
first dispensation condemnation was immediate with death, the condemned under
the first dispensation are the people of old time in this verse: When I
shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of
old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate
of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I
shall set glory in the land of the living. Ezek. 26:20 Satan made his
claim for the body of MosesJude 1:9 because Moses
had killed the EgyptianEx. 2:11-12 under the first dispensation. Since
some of Satan’s servants were slipping into salvation, a new agreement was
sought to stop the gap. The Lord’s part in the agreement was deferment of
condemnation until the judgment, negating Satan’s claim for the body of Moses,
who died under this dispensation, and bringing Jacob and his descendents to
whom the law was given into the Lord’s house. The other guy’s part in the
agreement was the adding of the curse of the law to salvation: For as many
as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed
is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of
the law to do them:Gal. 3:10, 1Tim 4:1-3 When you come
to appear before me, who has required this at your hand, to tread my courts?Is 1:12,1Tim.
4:1-4 Salvation now came not merely through faith but also
through doing the law. Wayfaring Jews were people of His house and could be
sought out and called by Him: Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into
any city of the Samaritans enter not. But go rather to the lost sheep of the
house of Israel.Matt 10:5-6 When the price for all sin was paid
on the cross, the Lord was free to seek out all: Go into all the world, and
preach the gospel to every creature,Mark 16:15 and salvation
of all in Him was through faith, free from condemnation: There is therefore
now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit.Rom 8:1 All, not in
Christ, remain under the condemnation of the law, for Till heaven and earth
pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be
fulfilled. Matt 5:18
The Jews and
those who have come into Christ are servants in the Lord’s house; so, there are
two groups of elect, the gospel electCol. 3:12 and the
enemy-of-the-gospel elect.Rom 11:28 Only the gospel-elect are free from
the condemnation of the law. One is not appointed to wrath,1Thess 5:9 spending the
millennium in the place prepared for them,John 14:2-3 but the other
is appointed to wrath,Ps 95:11 spending the millennium on
earth removing the condemnation of the law by obeying it in His reign with a
rod of iron.Rev. 2:27
