Relation of Dispensationalism to Theology (7/12)

Part One
INTRODUCTION: 2 RELATION OF DISPENSATIONALISM TO THEOLOGY
A DISPENSATIONAL THEOLOGY
By Charles F Baker

It is no doubt true that Scripture recognizes a potential way of salvation by works, but it is equally true that no one has ever been able to attain to it by that means. Paul in Romans 2 argues for the righteous judgment of God. He says: “Who will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life.” But in the next chapter he proves that neither Jew nor Gentile by nature is seeking after God: “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” This, then, is only a potential way of salvation: man’s utter depravity makes it impossible of attainment. Dispensationalists do not teach that God had different ways of saving people in different dispensations, and they surely do not teach that God has been experimenting in the various dispensations to see whether man might be able to save himself by one means or another. They do teach, however, that man in the various dispensations has been called upon to manifest his faith in different ways. God did not tell Abel, or Noah, or Abram, or Moses, or David to believe the same message that Paul told the Philippian jailer: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” But all of these men believed the message that God gave them and they were all saved on the basis of faith.

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