What is the Age of Grace?

Response

The Age of Grace, also known as the Dispensation of Grace or the Church Age, is the sixth divinely allocated dispensation in world history, as per dispensationalism. Dispensationalism is a theological system used by scholars to categorize historical events in the Bible. While most agree on the existence of seven dispensations, some argue for nine or three. The Age of Grace is the current dispensation in history. It commenced on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and is made possible by Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross, His resurrection, and His ascension: “The grace of God has appeared, offering salvation to all people” “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,” (Titus 2:11).

Salvation has always been through God’s grace, received by faith “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness,” (Genesis 15:6). In the Dispensation of Law, God required His people to adhere to the Law of Moses and offer sacrifices for their sins—sacrifices that foreshadowed the gracious provision of the Lamb of God “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'” (John 1:29). “The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ,” (John 1:17). Now, in the Age of Grace, “we are not under the law but under grace” “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!”, (Romans 6:15). The Law has been fulfilled « Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. », (Matthew 5:17), and God’s grace in Christ is evident for all to witness. All that is needed for salvation is to have faith in Jesus Christ «And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. », (Acts 16:31). He has accomplished all that is essential for salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The term “Age of Grace” might be misunderstood by some—it is not intended to suggest that the individuals in the Old Testament, prior to Jesus’ death and resurrection, were deprived of God’s grace. They still had to put their trust in the Lord—a trust they demonstrated by offering sacrifices. The worshipers in the Old Testament, through animal sacrifices, were expressing, “I believe God will save me despite my sinfulness.” Today, Christians follow a similar spiritual approach, but with a different practice. Instead of offering repeated sacrifices for sins, we rely on Christ’s one-time sacrifice (Hebrews 10:1-10).

The grace of God has been accessible throughout all the dispensations «Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yea, our God is merciful. », (Psalm 116:5). In this current era, this Age of Grace, our Lord has instructed that the gospel be spread to every corner of the world, because He “desires all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4;cf: 2 Peter

3:9). His grace is extended to everyone.