Early Dispensationalists and Mid-Acts

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Early Dispensationalists and Mid-Acts​

https://graceambassadors.com/midacts/early-dispensationalists-and-mid-acts

This originally appeared as an email delivered on
Saturday, November 25th, 2023.​

It is commonly reported that J.N. Darby was the father of dispensationalism. True or not, what is clear is that he was much closer in some points to being Mid-Acts Pauline than the modern variety of dispensationalist.

In a letter dated May 1st, 1848, Darby wrote:

“I distinguish entirely between the church and prophecy.”
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He further explained that the church was not to be found in prophecy because it was “hid in God from the foundation of the world” according to Ephesians 3.

“Hence the church cannot be the subject of prophecy.”
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“Hence it has no place in prophecy.”
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He did not believe the church to be the subject of prophecy and rightly placed it as the subject of the revelations given to Paul. Read how Darby describes where the doctrine of the church is found in the book of Acts:

“We [the church] are properly nowhere, save in the extraordinary suspension of prophetic testimony, or period, which comes in between the sixty-ninth and seventieth week of Daniel, or at the end of that age which was running on when Christ was here, the close of which was suspended by His crucifixion; His return to establish it then, according to Acts 3, being precluded by the rejection of the testimony of the Holy Ghost, which followed – finally declared at Stephen’s death.”
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Darby says that the church is nowhere in the prophetic kingdom age of Jesus’ earthly ministry, which final establishment was prevented by the rejection of the Holy Ghost’s testimony in early Acts, declared final at Stephen’s death in Acts 7! For a mid-Acts dispensationalist, this sounds familiar. Let’s pick it up in Darby’s letter after Acts 7:

“Whereupon the doctrine of the church in union with a heavenly Head, without distinction of Jew or Gentile, was fully revealed, and entrusted to Paul, who had joined in that rejection, in a ministry, beginning not at Jerusalem but Antioch.”
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According to Darby, the doctrine of the church was revealed to the apostle Paul sometime between Acts 9 and 13 (where he was sent from Antioch).

If Darby fathered dispensationalism, then dispensationalism was born with the knowledge that mystery and prophecy were to be separate and that the doctrine of the church was revealed mid-Acts to the apostle Paul.

Mid-Acts dispensationalism is just picking up where Darby and other dispensationalists began 175 years ago.

For truth,

Justin “historic dispensationalist” Johnson
 
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In regard to the idea that Paul and his ministry and message was distinct from that of the other apostles, the teaching goes WAY WAY WAY further back that Darby!

From Chat GPT....

The earliest known teaching that sees Paul as distinct from the other apostles and his ministry as separate from Israel can be traced to Marcion of Sinope (c. 85–160 AD). While his views were later deemed heretical, he was the first to explicitly promote a radical separation between Paul’s gospel and the teachings of the other apostles. While Marcion wasn’t alive during Paul’s ministry, he claimed to be restoring Paul’s true gospel, arguing that the early church had corrupted it by mixing it with Jewish influences.

"The separation of Law and Gospel is the primary and principal exploit of Marcion. He assures us that the Apostle Paul alone had insight into the truth, that he alone knew it, and that he was the only one to reveal it." - Tertullian, Against Marcion 5.1:​



Marcion and the Separation of Paul from the Other Apostles​


  • Paul as the Sole Apostle of Grace: Marcion taught that Paul alone received the true revelation of the Gospel of grace, while Peter, James, and John were still tied to Judaism and the Law.
  • Rejection of the Old Testament God: He viewed the God of the Old Testament as a separate, inferior deity (the Demiurge) from the Father revealed by Jesus.
  • Two Different Churches:
    • The Jewish Church (led by Peter and the Twelve) still followed the Law.
    • The Pauline Church (founded by Paul) followed a different message of grace.
  • Marcion’s Canon: He created his own version of the New Testament, including only Paul’s epistles and a heavily edited Gospel of Luke, rejecting all things Jewish.

While Marcion’s theology is extreme, his recognition of Paul’s distinct apostleship and message predated dispensational thought by centuries.



Traces of Pauline Distinctiveness in Other Early Writings​


  1. Tertullian (c. 155–220 AD)
    • In Against Marcion, Tertullian refuted Marcion’s sharp division but still acknowledged that Paul had a unique role in preaching to the Gentiles.
  2. Irenaeus (c. 130–202 AD)
    • While opposing Marcion, he recognized that Paul’s calling was distinct, especially in carrying the Gospel beyond Israel.
  3. Augustine (354–430 AD)
    • Though not dispensationalist, he acknowledged tensions between the teachings of Paul and those of Jewish Christians.


Pre-Dispensational Protestant and Reformation-Era Developments​


  • Martin Luther (1483–1546)
    • Strongly emphasized Paul’s doctrine of justification by faith, sometimes contrasting it with James.
  • John Locke (1632–1704)
    • In The Reasonableness of Christianity, he highlighted Paul’s unique mission to the Gentiles.
  • John Nelson Darby (1800–1882)
    • Darby took the Paul vs. the Twelve distinction further, teaching that Paul's revelation was a mystery previously unknown and that the Church is a distinct body separate from Israel.


Earliest References to Paul as Having a Distinct Ministry from the Twelve​


EraFigureBelief About Paul’s Distinct Role
2nd CenturyMarcion (c. 140 AD)Paul alone had the true gospel; Peter and the others were Judaizers.
3rd CenturyTertullian (c. 200 AD)Paul had a unique calling but was in harmony with the other apostles.
16th CenturyMartin Luther (c. 1520s)Paul emphasized grace apart from works of the Law.
19th CenturyDarby (1830s–40s)Paul’s revelation was a mystery, distinct from Israel’s promises.
 
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