The Theological Danger of Dispensationalism

Dispensationalism falters not merely as a system, but at the level of biblical interpretation. Its insistence on a rigid, often selective literalism in the Old Testament elevates earlier shadows while effectively muting the authoritative voice of the New Testament in declaring fulfillment. The result is a fractured canon - one part speaking decisively, the other treated as parenthetical or provisional.

The New Testament, however, does not treat Old Testament promises as unfinished business awaiting a parallel fulfillment. Jesus and the apostles consistently read the Scriptures as converging on Christ. Paul states it plainly: “All the promises of God find their Yes in him” (2 Cor. 1:20). Fulfillment is not postponed; it is revealed. The Old Testament is not discarded, but interpreted - re-read through the person and work of Jesus.

Hebrews presses this point with pastoral and theological force. The author shows that the law, the priesthood, the sacrifices, and the sanctuary were “shadows of the good things to come” (Heb. 10:1), now surpassed by the once-for-all reality of Christ’s priesthood and sacrifice (Heb. 8–10). To continue to expect parallel earthly fulfillments is to misunderstand the purpose of shadows once the substance has arrived. The danger, Hebrews warns, is not merely confusion but drift—returning to what is inferior when God has provided what is final.

Why does this matter?

How we read the Bible shapes what we expect from God and where we locate our hope. If fulfillment is always deferred - back to land, temple, or nation - then Christ’s work is subtly minimized. But if Christ is truly sufficient, then nothing remains unfinished that requires another redemptive structure to complete it.

What to do with this:

1. Read the Old Testament through Christ, not alongside Him. Let the New Testament govern how promises are understood and fulfilled.

2. Teach and disciple with confidence in the finality of Christ’s work - especially in areas of worship, identity, and hope.

3. Examine where expectations may be anchored to earthly systems rather than to Christ’s finished and heavenly reign.

4. Encourage the church (and His people) to rest, not speculate - to live faithfully in the “already” of fulfillment, not anxiously in a perpetually postponed “not yet.”

A Christ-centered hermeneutic is not a theoretical preference; it is essential for guarding the sufficiency of Christ and the unity of Scripture.