Short Answer
The main difference between covenant theology and dispensational theology is how they understand the relationship between the Old and New Testaments—especially Israel and the church. Covenant theology emphasizes continuity, while dispensational theology emphasizes distinction, with some “middle-ground” views combining both.
The Overview
At the heart of this discussion is a key question: How continuous is God’s plan across the Bible? Covenant theology tends to see strong continuity between the Old Testament and New Testament, often viewing the church as the continuation or fulfillment of Israel. Dispensational theology, on the other hand, emphasizes distinction—seeing Israel and the church as having different roles in God’s plan.
In classic covenant theology, many of the promises given to Israel are understood as being fulfilled spiritually in the church. This sometimes leads to what is called “replacement theology,” where the church is seen as taking the place of Israel in God’s plan.
Dispensational theology takes a different approach, highlighting different “dispensations” or periods in God’s plan. It maintains that Israel still has a distinct future role, especially in prophecy and end-times events. This view often includes beliefs like a future literal kingdom and specific unfulfilled promises to Israel.
Between these two positions, there are middle-ground views. For example, progressive dispensationalism sees more continuity than traditional dispensationalism, recognizing that believers today participate in aspects of the New Covenant, though not in its complete fulfillment. Similarly, progressive covenantalism acknowledges some distinctions while still emphasizing unity.
Ultimately, both frameworks aim to understand how God’s promises unfold across Scripture. The difference lies in how much continuity or distinction they see between Israel, the church, and God’s overall plan.
Key Takeaways
- Core Issue: Continuity vs Distinction
How the Old and New Testaments connect. - Covenant Theology = More Unity
Sees the church as fulfilling Israel’s role. - Dispensational Theology = More Distinction
Maintains separate roles for Israel and the church. - Middle Ground Exists
Views like progressive dispensationalism combine both. - End-Times Views Differ
Especially regarding Israel’s future role. - Both Seek to Explain God’s Plan
They differ in interpretation, not in commitment to Scripture.
Read Full Raw Transcript
[00:00:01 – 00:01:13] All right, Kirk Bailey, what’s the difference uh between um covenant theology and dispensational theologies and any middle ground? Yeah, there’s middle ground. Um it’s a little tricky, but uh there is a little bit of ground here. Let’s put it this way, if I can do it simply for a a radio program. uh covenantal theology and dispensational theology are are distinct in looking at continuity between let’s just be as simple as we can Old Testament and New Testament uh between Israel and the church and uh how much
[00:00:37 – 00:01:42] continuity do we see and how much discontinuity do we see and the ultimate classic dispensational say there’s complete discontinuity matter of fact some go so far as ultra dispensational say there’s such discontinuity that everything you read in Gospels in the first half of Acts is is is all for Israel. And not until Paul comes along and takes the center stage in Acts do we have, you know, information and data and New Testament documents for the church. Uh I’m not that for sure. And um so
[00:01:10 – 00:02:12] let’s just talk about the middle. The middle is you’ll see a lot of covenantal guys uh seeing distinction maybe as classic um let’s just call them uh historic premillennial people. They’ll say well we do believe right that there are promises to Israel that that supersede and go into uh the future into our esquetology. uh but we don’t have the kind of distinction that that even what we would call progressive dispensationalists and though I don’t think it’s coined yet but there are
[00:01:41 – 00:02:36] progressive covenantalists who are trying to find the middle like a lot of guys at Southern Seminary for instance a premier seminary in our country of of Southern Baptists lot of progressive covenantalists moving toward some of the distinctions that dispensationalists have been saying for a long time regarding the role of Israel and uh you’ve seen a lot of dispensationalists says, “I got influenced early on in my Christian training uh to see the the unity of all of the promises of the New
[00:02:09 – 00:02:53] Covenant.” Let’s just put it this way. I’m in a church and of course I’m on the radio. When I say things about New Testament believers being New Covenant believers, I’ll get people that throw flags and say, “Oh, wait.” Because a lot of the radio stations I’m on, they’re they’re dispensational. And they say, “Well, there’s a program for Israel and there’s a program for the church, and those are completely distinct.” And I’m saying as a progressive
[00:02:30 – 00:03:31] dispensationalist, I see more continuity than the classic dispensationalists of old. And I’m seeing that there is I can call myself a participant in the New Covenant age, though I would say it’s not fully realized. And when I was being trained and and looking at the issues and trying to understand Old Testament prophecy, I saw that a lot of that prophecy is yet to be fulfilled in the future for Israel, which I think New Testament passages like Romans chapters 9, 10, and 11 certainly help cement that
[00:03:01 – 00:04:05] in my mind. And the way I read the Old Testament is I can’t see those things fulfilled, right, in anything in history, right? The only way to look at passages like in Ezekiel regarding the coming temple with all the very specific measurements of it all, it certainly wasn’t Zerubbable’s temple in the post- exilic period of the Old Testament and it’s not Herod’s temple in the age of Christ. Uh there must be a temple that’s yet to be built if I’m even to read that normally. So I believe as a u
[00:03:33 – 00:04:26] progressive dispensationalist that I that there are distinctions that have not been fulfilled for Israel and that’s why I believe in a literal millennial kingdom that there will be a millennial kingdom. I’m so far as still in the dispensational camp to say I believe there is a time of Jacob’s trouble a 70th week of Daniel that there is a time that is coming that is not for the church and that’s why I’m a pre-tribulational rapture. So that I can say that and agree with classic
[00:04:00 – 00:05:02] dispensationalist and still be a progressive dispensationalist. I know this is getting in in the weeds, but just think of it this way. Covenantal all finding unity and and and ultimately leads you to if you’re just in the classic camp of covenantalism saying that we now are Israel. We are the spiritual Israel. All the promises to Israel have been spiritually fulfilled and this one thing that God is doing is all done. And we are, you might have heard this phrase replacement theology. We have replaced in the fulfillment of
[00:04:30 – 00:05:24] God’s plan all of the the covenantal promises of God as opposed to a dispensationalist which comes from the word dispensation or different economies of God. No, there is a distinctive economy and that prophecy still continues on. That’s why I say Israel is still important to God’s esqueological plan. There is a distinctive plan. Not so distinctive that there’s not bleed over because there is. I’m a new covenant believer even though we’re not in the full force of the new covenant.
[00:04:57 – 00:05:54] That’s why this phrase, if you study this, Kirk, you’ll hear the already not yet reality of guys like me in in the in the dispensational progressive dispensational camp. There is a already reality installments of the new covenant age that we are experiencing. I’m going to read Jeremiah 31. I’m going to read, you know, um Ezekiel 34. I’m going to say there the the reality of these things is is partially taking place and yet it hasn’t happened yet. When Christ says the kingdom of God here is is in
[00:05:26 – 00:06:16] your presence. Yeah, the kingdom realities are here but not the kingdom of the millennial kingdom. And that’s where uh I do think there’s more unity than the classic dispensationalists. And I think there’s more distinction than even the progressive covenantalists. But uh I don’t know, Kirk, I hope that helps. What is a progressive and hyper? Yeah, I I tried to explain that classic dispensationalist, hyperdispensationalist, and progressive dispensationalist. So, I’m closer to a
[00:05:50 – 00:06:44] progressive covenantalist than say the classic dispensation. Then the hyper dispensationalist is going to say, “Yeah, all that stuff in the first part of Acts, all that stuff on the sermon on the mount, that’s not for now, right? That that was for back in the day.” All right. Yeah, Kirk, you said thanks, but I hope that’s enough for you there. But thanks for watching on YouTube. If you want to watch on YouTube, um, it’s there. Every time I’m live, I will be on YouTube and
[00:06:18 – 00:07:13] it’s a great place to ask your questions. If you don’t want us to hear your voice because you’re in the witness protection program or something, we’re happy to to answer your questions that way. All right. If you want to know when I’m on live, just text the word live, lie to 90398, and we’ll make sure to give you just a quick notification. That’s all we’ll notify you for is letting you know when we’re live. And it’s not just this program I do. I do other programs and uh when I sub in for
[00:06:46 – 00:07:43] those uh we’ll let you know that I’m live on the air. Mike Fabarz, thanks for listening today. Thanks for all your great great questions today. We’ll talk to you next week, Lord willing. Bye-bye. You’re listening to Ask Pastor Mike Live with Pastor and Bible teacher Mike Fabarz. For more straightforward Bible teaching from Pastor Mike, listen to our focal point broadcast on this station. And you can look up our full broadcast schedule on pastormike.com
