Dispensation

Dispensation (Greek oikonomia, literally household management or stewardship) denotes in the New Testament both a specific responsibility entrusted to an agent and the divine arrangement by which that responsibility is ordered. In 1 Corinthians 9:17, Paul speaks of a "stewardship" (dispensation) committed to him for preaching the gospel. Ephesians 1:10 describes God's purpose as a "dispensation of the fullness of times"—a divinely ordered plan to unite all things in Christ. Ephesians 3:2 speaks of the "dispensation of the grace of God" given to Paul in connection with the mystery of Gentile inclusion; Colossians 1:25 similarly describes his commission to make God's word fully known.

The term became foundational in later Reformed and evangelical theology, particularly in the "dispensationalist" framework that divides redemptive history into distinct administrative epochs or dispensations, each characterized by a particular form of God's covenant relationship with humanity. This theological use goes well beyond the specific New Testament occurrences, which focus on present stewardship rather than historical periodization.