Chapter 3
The Four Dispensations of Purpose
"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven."
— Ecclesiastes 3:1
A Framework for Understanding
One of the most important concepts I want to teach you is that purpose operates within dispensations, specific periods or phases in God's timeline, each with its own characteristics, provisions, and expectations.
If you do not understand which dispensation you are in, you will have wrong expectations. You will be confused when things do not work the way you think they should. You will be frustrated when your efforts do not produce the results you expect.
But when you understand dispensations, everything makes sense. You understand why certain things are available and others are not. You understand what is required of you in this season. You understand what to expect and what not to expect.
The Four Dispensations
There are four dispensations of purpose that we must understand:
Let me give you an overview of each dispensation. In the following chapters, we will explore each one in detail.
1. The Original Purpose
This is found in Genesis 1-2, what I call the Adamic Dispensation.
In this dispensation, God created man in His own image and likeness. He gave man dominion over the earth. Man was placed in a perfect environment, the Garden of Eden, with everything he needed to fulfill his assignment.
Key characteristics of the Original Purpose:
| Direct fellowship with God, God walked with man in the cool of the day | Access to the Tree of Life, No sickness, no aging, no death |
| Perfect environment, No thorns, no thistles, no struggle | Destiny helper, Eve, a companion for the journey |
| Complete provision, Every need met without labor | Financial resources, Access to gold, precious stones, minerals |
| Authority over creation, All nature submitted to man |
In this dispensation, Adam did not need to fast and pray for results. He did not need to fight for breakthrough. He simply was what he was created to be. Everything functioned as designed.
2. The Failed Purpose
This is found in Genesis 3, the fall of man.
When Adam disobeyed God and ate from the forbidden tree, everything changed. The original purpose was corrupted. Man lost his position, his provision, and his authority.
Key characteristics of the Failed Purpose:
| Broken fellowship with God, Man hid from God's presence | Cut off from Tree of Life, Sickness, aging, and death entered |
| Hostile environment, Thorns and thistles, sweat and labor | Relational conflict, Husband and wife, children and parents |
| Struggle for provision, Work became toil | Economic hardship, Poverty and lack became possible |
| Lost authority, Creation no longer submitted |
This dispensation lasted approximately 4,000 years, from Adam's fall until Christ came. During this time, humanity suffered the full consequences of the fall without the complete remedy that Christ would bring.
3. The Intermediate Purpose
This is where we are today, the age between Christ's first coming and His second coming.
Through Christ's death and resurrection, something changed. We are no longer purely in the "failed purpose" with no hope. But we are also not yet in the "restored purpose" with complete transformation.
We are in between. We are intermediate.
Key characteristics of the Intermediate Purpose:
| Dual reality, We operate in both Adam and Christ simultaneously | Active warfare, We must fight for what Adam had automatically |
| Partial restoration, Some things restored, others pending | Required decisions, Nothing is automatic; we must choose |
| Spiritual access, We have the Holy Spirit and God's Word | Progressive revelation, We see in part; we know in part |
| Physical limitation, We still have mortal, Adamic bodies |
This is the dispensation that most confuses believers. They expect Original Purpose results while living in Intermediate Purpose reality. They expect everything to work automatically, but in this dispensation, nothing is automatic.
4. The Restored Purpose
This is the future dispensation, when Christ returns and makes all things new.
At the resurrection, believers will receive new bodies. The earth will be made new. The curse will be completely removed. We will enter the fullness of what God originally intended.
Key characteristics of the Restored Purpose:
| Perfect fellowship, God dwelling with His people forever | Complete authority, Reigning with Christ forever |
| Perfect environment, New heaven and new earth | Full knowledge, Knowing as we are known |
| No more death, Mortality swallowed up by immortality | Glorified bodies, Transformed, spiritual, eternal |
| No more pain, Every tear wiped away |
This is what we are waiting for. This is our hope. But it is not yet. We must understand this.
Why This Matters
Understanding these four dispensations is absolutely critical for several reasons:
1. It Explains Why Things Are the Way They Are
When you understand dispensations, you understand why godly people can still get sick. Why believers can still struggle financially. Why marriages can still fail even among Christians.
It is not because God has abandoned us. It is because we are in the Intermediate Purpose, where we have access to Christ's victory but have not yet received our full inheritance.
2. It Corrects Wrong Expectations
Many believers have been taught that once you are saved, everything should work perfectly. That if you just have enough faith, you will never be sick, never be poor, never face problems.
But this expectation belongs to the Original Purpose or the Restored Purpose, not the Intermediate Purpose. In this dispensation, we have to fight. We have to persevere. We have to overcome.
3. It Reveals What Is Available Now
While we do not have everything, we are not without resources. God has provided specific things for the Intermediate Purpose:
- The Word of God
- The Holy Spirit
- The body of Christ (people)
These provisions replace what we lost in the fall and sustain us until the restoration comes.
4. It Gives Us Hope for the Future
When the challenges of this present age become overwhelming, we can look forward. What we experience now is temporary. The Restored Purpose is coming. And when it comes, everything will be made right.
Summary Comparison
| Aspect | Original | Failed | Intermediate | Restored | |--------|----------|--------|--------------|----------| | Fellowship with God | Direct, daily | Broken | Through Spirit & Word | Perfect, eternal | | Environment | Perfect garden | Cursed earth | Mixed reality | New earth | | Provision | Automatic | Through toil | Through faith & work | Abundant, effortless | | Body | Immortal (potential) | Mortal | Mortal | Glorified | | Authority | Complete | Lost | Partial, contested | Complete | | Death | Not necessary | Inevitable | Overcome spiritually | Abolished | | Warfare | None needed | Defenseless | Active engagement | Victory complete |
Where Are You?
As we continue through this book, I want you to keep asking yourself: What dispensation am I living in, and what does that mean for my expectations?
Most of your frustration comes from expecting Original Purpose or Restored Purpose results while living in Intermediate Purpose reality.
Once you understand where you are, you can adjust your approach. You can stop being frustrated by what is not available and start maximizing what is.
In the chapters that follow, we will examine each dispensation in detail. We will see what God provided in the Original Purpose, what was lost in the Failed Purpose, what is available in the Intermediate Purpose, and what awaits us in the Restored Purpose.
Reflection Questions
- Before reading this chapter, which dispensation did your expectations reflect?
- How does understanding dispensations change your perspective on the challenges you face?
- What frustrations have you experienced because you expected Original Purpose results in the Intermediate Purpose?
- How does knowing about the Restored Purpose encourage you in present difficulties?
Prayer
Father, thank You for revealing Your timeline to me. I understand now that I am living in the Intermediate Purpose, between the fall and the full restoration. Help me to have right expectations for this season. Help me to use the provisions You have given me, Your Word, Your Spirit, and Your people. And give me hope for the Restored Purpose that is coming, when all things will be made new. In Jesus' name, Amen.