It’s hard to know where to start with a study into dispensationalism, given the vastness of this topic. So, I’ll try to begin with scripture. The word ‘dispensation’ does appear in scripture, depending on the translation you are reading. The Greek word, oikonomian, occurs nine times in scripture, listed below. Twice this is translated as ‘dispensation’ in the New King James Version [2], five times as ‘stewardship’, once as fellowship and once as edification. Note that the Textus Receptus, the base Greek text for the King James Version, does not have oikonomian in Ephesians 3:9 or 1 Timothy 1:4.
Ephesians 1:10 (NKJV) – that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.
Ephesians 3:2 (NKJV) – if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you,
Ephesians 3:9 (NKJV) – to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;
1 Corinthians 9:17 (NKJV) – For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship.
Colossians 1:25 (NKJV) – of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,
Luke 16:1-4 (NKJV) – He also said to His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’ “Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.’
1 Timothy 1:4 (NKJV) – nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.
The word ‘oikonomian’ means “responsibility of management, management of a household”, though it can also mean “arrangement, order, plan”, or “training” [1].
A related word is oikonomos, which means “manager of a household or estate”. It may also mean “public treasurer” [1]. This word occurs ten times, in Luke 12:42, 16:1, 3, 8; Romans 16:23; 1 Corinthians 4:1, 2; Galatians 4:2; Titus 1:7; and 1 Peter 4:10.
In Luke 16 the Lord Jesus makes use of oikonomian to describe the relationship between a homeowner and his steward (oikonomos) which well describes the use of this word in the first century. The homeowner delegates duties, which the steward is responsible for carrying out. The steward is accountable to the homeowner, and can lose his job if he doesn’t carry out the duties properly.
The use of oikonomos in Galatians 4:2 indicates that a stewardship can have a designated ending. 1 Corinthians 4:1 explains that believers currently are stewards of the mysteries of God. Titus 1:7 details that elders (bishops in the NKJV) are stewards of God. 1 Peter 4:10 states that those who have received a gift are stewards of the manifold grace of God.
So far, this has only shown that believers today are stewards, and they hold a stewardship from God, on an individual level. Can this be extended to something more encompassing? That will be the topic of a future blog post.
[1] F. W. Danker, 2000, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
[2] New King James Version, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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