Part 2 of a Study of the Seven Dispensations
The Dispensation of Conscience encompasses Genesis 3:7-9:1. During this time, “conscience became active, and man was given the opportunity to show that conscience is sufficient to bring him back to God.”
I. The Transition From Innocence to Conscience (3:1-7)
The events leading to this dispensation begin in Genesis 3:1. The serpent approaches Eve and is used by Satan to lure her into disobedience. She is told that godlikeness, not death, will be gained by simply eating of the forbidden tree (v. 5). The fruit is treated as if it had the characteristics of a talisman.
This method of temptation is a striking parallel to Isaiah 14:12-15, which describes Lucifer as a glorious being who served God until pride entered his heart and he sought to “be like the Most High” (Is. 14:14). “The sin of the Angel is found to be fundamentally a love of self above all else.” Also, “his sin reveals to us the frightening and, as it were, infinite power proper to free will. That will can choose evil in full light, by a purely voluntary act, and without the intellect’s being victim of any previous error.” The same weakness that destroyed Lucifer is used effectively in Genesis 3:5 to bring down man. “The desire for knowledge resulted in our first parents from their inordinate desire for excellence.” The appeal to extraordinary knowledge is attractive, for it makes man godlike.
The appeal to extraordinary knowledge is attractive, for it makes man godlike.
God equips Adam and Eve with the ability to exercise their responsibilities efficiently. Unfortunately, they are convinced their present state is not good enough. “Our first parents fell into open disobedience because already they were secretly corrupted; for the evil act had never been done had not an evil will preceded it. And what is the origin of our evil will but pride? And what is pride but the craving for undue exaltation? And this is undue exaltation, when the soul abandons Him to whom it ought to cleave as its end, and becomes a kind of end to itself.”
The climax to the serpent’s persistent manner with Eve pays dividends. Adam and Eve eat from the forbidden tree and immediately acquire the very thing they sought: knowledge (v. 7). “The snake’s prediction is literally fulfilled, but their vision is somewhat of a letdown.” Adam and Eve were “vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” (Rom. 1:22). In his disobedience, man acquired both a characteristic of God and a fallen nature.
God is not unjust for allowing the temptation and fall of man as some would argue. “Just as God knew that man, through being tempted, would fall into sin, so too He knew that man was able, by his free will, to resist the tempter. Now the condition attaching
to man’s nature required that he should be left to his own will … “God left man in the hand of his own counsel.”
The problem of evil has been the subject of much discussion for centuries. Yet, “the fundamental certitude, the rock to which we must cling in the question of moral evil, is the absolute innocence of God.”
II. Results of the Fall (3:7-21)
“Forth reaching to the fruit, she plucked, she ate. Earth felt the wound, and Nature from her seat sighing through all her works gave signs of woe that all was lost.” This account of the Fall aptly describes the event that brought about the loss of innocence and ushered in Conscience. Much has been written regarding the nature of internal motivating factors in man. C.S. Lewis cataloged many legal codes found in various cultures to show that, by nature, men know right from wrong.
In Romans 2:14-15, Paul states that Gentiles without the written law still have law in their hearts which serves as an effective judge of conduct. The conscience uses natural law to convict men of error (v. 15). “The function of conscience in the Gentile is parallel to the function of the law for the Jew.”
Conscience is defined as “knowledge within oneself; the internal acknowledgment or recognition of the moral quality of one’s motives and actions; the sense; the faculty or principle which pronounces upon the moral quality of one’s actions or motives, approving the right and condoning the wrong.”
Adam and Eve become aware that God is in their midst, and they hide to avoid exposing their shame before His eye (v. 8). Their actions reveal a sense of guilt activated by their knowledge of good and evil.
Verses 9-13 describe the interaction between God and the disobedient couple. Eve was initially the sole violator, but Adam was created first and given responsibility over creation, including Eve. He was bribed with the offer of special knowledge!
It didn’t take long for Adam to show another flaw in character. When asked about his disobedience, he immediately points to the woman “whom thou gavest to be with me” and states that she provided him with the forbidden fruit. Adam seeks to lessen his own responsibility by shifting the blame to the woman and, finally, God.
Ultimately, Adam and Eve are solely responsible for their actions. They were made stewards over creation, which was a grave responsibility. “Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Lk. 12:48). The failure of Adam and Eve to properly manage Eden resulted in punishment (vs.14- 24). “And that servant, which knew his Lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes” (Luke 12:47).
III. Post-Edenic Life (4:1-5:32)
Adam and Eve are blessed with two sons who set the stage for a prime example of depravity. Both bring offerings (not sacrifices) to God, representing their respective agricultural pursuits, and Abel’s is accepted, but Cain’s is rejected. It is possible that Cain was not a man of faith or pure motives (Heb. 11:4 & 1Jn. 3:12). It is also noteworthy that the text indicates Abel brought the firstlings of his flock, whereas Cain merely brought the fruit of the ground (3-4).
The nature of their offerings is indicative of each man’s spiritual state. Cain’s relationship to God is incidental, whereas Abel focused on God and reflected a desire to please God and give Him pre-eminence in thought and deed.
Cain’s relationship to God is incidental, whereas Abel focused on God and reflected a desire to please God and give Him pre-eminence in thought and deed.
God approached Cain (v. 7) and gave him a chance to correct his error. Sin was eager to take control, but he alone had to master it. He had to willfully forsake evil and get control of himself. “The act of sin is a movement of the free will.” Cain fails to heed God’s warning and kills Abel (v. 8).
God confronts Cain regarding Abel’s murder and pronounces a curse upon him. No longer would Cain successfully reap from the soil. His punishment comes solely from God, for human law is not in existence. He must face the tribunal of God, which proves to be more merciful. The punishment is severe, and Cain exclaims that it is difficult to bear. With this, he departs and settles in the land of Nod.
Lamech (vs. 18-24) is a man consumed with himself at the expense of others. In v. 23 he boasts of killing a young man for a seemingly trivial infraction. This is another example of man’s depravity run amok without the necessary constraints of a legal code.
The birth of Seth represents God’s continued involvement in the affairs of men. He reflects a break in bad seed and proves to be a suitable replacement for Abel. Seth fathers Enosh (v. 26), and with this, men begin to call upon the name of the Lord. “We may readily conclude that Seth was an upright and faithful servant of God. And after he begat a son, like himself, and had a rightly constituted family, … worship of God was set up which might continue to posterity.”
IV. Prologue to the Destruction of Mankind (6:1-22)
Chapter 6 presents two major issues within the dispensation of Conscience: first, God is totally displeased with man whom He describes as being continuously evil (v. 5). Second, this chapter signifies the beginning of the end of the Dispensation of Conscience.
Verse 3 indicates that God is not pleased with man and declares that His spirit will not strive with mankind forever. The only righteous person available is Noah, to whom God goes and commissions to build an ark for the deliverance of himself, his family, and two of every living creature (vs. 8, 13-21).
The chapter concludes with a simple statement regarding Noah: “… all that God commanded him, so did he.” For Adam, failure to do all that God commanded brought misery and death. Cain refused to take God’s advice and ended up a murderer and vagabond.
V. The Flood (7-8)
God tells Noah the time has come to seek refuge in the ark. Of particular import is the statement in v. 1, which says of Noah, “For thee have I seen righteous before men in this generation.” His conduct with respect to God is his salvation.
Safely tucked away in the ark, Noah is protected from the waters that begin to prevail upon the earth, destroying all living creatures (7:18-23). The tragedy of this event is not so much in the actual destruction but in the fact that the flood could have been averted had mankind sought to live righteously. How much better things would have been had Genesis 6:5 read, “And God saw that the righteousness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only good continually.”
The tragedy of this event is not so much in the actual destruction but in the fact that the flood could have been averted had mankind sought to live righteously.
Chapter 8 begins with the beautiful statement, “And God remembered Noah.” God is always mindful of His faithful servants and rewards them according to their deeds. As Wenham succinctly states, “When God remembers, he acts … “The Lord is not slack when it comes to fulfilling His promises. Those who commit their trust in the Lord will not be disappointed. “When the Old Testament says that God remembered, it combines the ideas of faithful love and timely intervention.”
VI. The Noahic Covenant (8:20-9:1)
Noah expresses his deep gratitude to God by presenting a burnt offering. This act of worship is met with a positive response, and God promises He will never again destroy the earth’s inhabitants with water. “The Lord’s resolve not to renew the judgment is based on the accepted sacrifice (cf. I Samuel 26:19; Colossians 1:20).”
The Dispensation of Conscience is a period of time that contains two of mankind’s greatest tragedies (Fall and Flood), as well as spiritual triumphs (Seth and Noah).
Noah plays an important role in mediating between the human race and God. His act of worship via sacrifice pleases God, who in turn blesses Noah and admonishes him to “be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth” (9:1).
Conclusion
The Dispensation of Conscience is a period of time that contains two of mankind’s greatest tragedies (Fall and Flood), as well as spiritual triumphs (Seth and Noah). The overall idea found in this economy is that man must contend with his internal awareness of right and wrong. Conscience and natural law do provide, imperfectly, the means by which people can live together. “The most exacting comparative anthropologist would be hard put to cite a society that has no moral awareness whatever, no imperatives, no guilt, and no evidence of any pangs of conscience. … God does exist because we are awakened to the persistence of evil through conscience in a way that points beyond the law to the lawgiver and leads to repentance, redemption, and reconciliation.”
Steven Rost is a graduate of Baptist Bible College (B.A., 1978) and has earned the M.Div. degree at Talbot Theological Seminary and the M.A.B.S. from Dallas Theological Seminary, where he actually attended for four years, accumulating 150 semester hours of credit. He has served on church staffs and has had experience in theological library work and educational book sales. At the time of this writing, he was working on a Th.D.
Originally published in the Baptist Bible Tribune, December 1991
Click here to read the Introduction to the Series.
Click here to read The Dispensation of Innocence.
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