No — the age of grace did not begin during Christ's earthly ministry; the Gospels are under law, and grace in experience comes later with Paul.
Les Feldick says the four Gospels do not contain church doctrine or grace doctrine as we understand grace because God was still dealing with Israel under the covenant promises and under the law. Even after the cross, grace existed as an attribute of God, but the gospel of grace did not appear in the early chapters of Acts; it comes into experience when Paul is converted and sent to the Gentiles.
Romans 6:14 — This verse draws the law/grace distinction that Les uses to show the church is not under law but under grace.
Galatians 4:4 — This verse shows Christ was made under the law, making it clear His earthly ministry was part of the law era.
Ephesians 3:2 — This verse connects the dispensation of grace with Paul's ministry, not with the Gospels.
The Bible never uses the exact phrase "age of grace," but it does distinguish between life under law and life under grace. Romans 6:14 says, "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." Galatians 4:4 says, "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law," showing that Christ Himself lived under the law. Paul also speaks of "the dispensation of the grace of God" as something given to him for the Gentiles (Ephesians 3:2). Together these verses show that the grace era is connected to Paul's apostleship rather than to Christ's earthly ministry.
Les Feldick teaches that the age of grace did not begin during Christ's earthly ministry. In the four Gospels, God is still dealing with the nation of Israel under the covenant promises and under the law. Les places the three years of Christ's earthly ministry squarely in that law period. He is careful to say that grace has always been an attribute of God — it was evident in the Garden after Adam's sin and when Israel sinned with the golden calf — but the age of grace as a distinct experience begins later. Even after the cross, the early chapters of Acts do not contain the gospel of grace; that message is revealed when Paul is converted on the road to Damascus and commissioned to go to the Gentiles. Les also connects the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem to the coming of the age of grace, because the age of law had faded away.
Les says you do not get church doctrine or grace doctrine from the four Gospels because God was still dealing with the nation of Israel under the covenant promises and under the law. He places the three years of Christ's earthly ministry within that same severe law period.
Yes. Les says grace is always an attribute of God. It was evident in the Garden when God went to reconcile Adam and Eve after their sin. It was also evident when Israel made the golden calf and God's mercy kept Him from destroying them. But the age of grace as a dispensation is a distinct later period.
Les does not say the age of grace began during Christ's earthly ministry. He says that even after the cross, the early chapters of Acts do not yet contain the gospel of grace. The message of grace is revealed when Paul is converted on the road to Damascus and commissioned to go to the Gentiles. Les also connects the temple's destruction to the age of grace, since the law age with its sacrifices and priesthood had faded.
Galatians 4:4 says, "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law." This places Christ's birth and earthly life under the law, which is consistent with Les's teaching that the Gospels are not the beginning of the age of grace.
Law Required the Prescribed Sacrifice
Les illustrates that under the law a person who broke a commandment such as "thou shalt not steal" could not simply confess to God; the law required the prescribed sacrifice at the altar, showing how demanding the law era was.
No Grace Doctrine in the Gospels
Les says the four Gospels contain no church doctrine or grace doctrine as we understand grace because God was still dealing with Israel under the covenant promises and under the law.
Paul and the Gospel of Grace
Les places Christ's three years of earthly ministry inside the law era and says even after the cross the early chapters of Acts do not yet contain the gospel of grace; that message appears with Paul's conversion and his commission to the Gentiles.
1900+ Years of Grace
Les says for about 1,900 years God has been dealing with the whole human race on the basis of His grace, showing that the age of grace is a distinct later period.
Israel Under Law for 1500 Years
Les notes that Israel was under the law for 1,500 years and that the law was severe and demanding, providing the context for why Christ's ministry was not the beginning of grace.
Temple Destruction and the Age of Grace
Les connects the coming of the age of grace with the destruction of the temple, because the age of law with its priesthood and sacrifices had faded and grace had come in.
The Age of Grace Kept Secret
Les says this age of grace was a period of time that had been kept secret, pointing to Ephesians 3 when he distinguishes law from grace.
Grace as an Eternal Attribute
Les clarifies that calling our era the age of grace does not mean grace was unknown before Paul; it was already evident in the Garden and after Israel's sin.
Romans 6:14: For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Paul states the law/grace distinction that frames Les's teaching about the age of grace.
Galatians 4:4: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Shows that Christ himself lived under the law, which is why the Gospels remain a law-era record.
Ephesians 3:2: If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
Identifies the dispensation of grace as the message committed to Paul, not to Jesus' earthly ministry.
Exodus 20:15: Thou shalt not steal.
Quoted in the clip to show that under the law, a broken commandment required the prescribed sacrifice.
No. Les teaches that the Gospels are under law. God was still dealing with Israel under the covenant promises, and the three years of Christ's earthly ministry were part of that law era.
No, grace is an attribute of God. Les says it was already evident in the Garden after Adam's sin and when Israel sinned with the golden calf. But the age of grace as a dispensation is a later period.
Les points to Paul's conversion and his commissioning to the Gentiles. He says the early chapters of Acts still do not contain the gospel of grace; that message comes with Paul.
Les connects the destruction of the temple to the end of the age of law. When the age of grace came on the scene, the temple was destroyed because the law's sacrificial system had faded.
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