https://www.learnthebible.org/dispensational-distinctions.html
Dispensational Distinctions- David F. Reagan
How strong of a dispensationalist are you? For example, Do you believe that salvation is different during different times? Do you believe that there is no connection between the new covenant and the new birth?
I am very dispensational, though probably more in the classical sense (Chafer, Scofield, etc.). However, the "strong" dispensationalism that is now coming out of certain King James Bible camps is stronger than I can accept for myself. I do accept that the route to salvation from the human side changes from dispensation to dispensation. However, I have come to the conclusion that there are three foundations of salvation that are fundamental and universal to every dispensation. They are:
Now, because of my approach, I have come to reject two of the tenets of the strong dispensationalists (I reserve "hyper" for those who reject water baptism). As such, I reject:
As you can see in my post, Regeneration in the Old Testament, I am not ready to declare regeneration as an absolute doctrine for earlier dispensations. However, I do recognize some form of salvation experience. Else, how could they come to know the Lord (as in 1 Samuel 3:7) or come to be "in faith" (as in Hebrews 11:13)?
You mention that the New Covenant and the new birth could have nothing in common because the New Covenant was not for the Gentiles. I agree that the New Covenant is a Jewish Covenant. However, when Jesus introduced the new birth to Nicodemus in John three, could He not have been dealing with the coming of the New Covenant to Israel? Israel had not yet rejected Jesus as their Messiah. If they had accepted Him, He would have quickly (seeing that a few years is much quicker than 2000) moved toward establishing the kingdom and the New Covenant. I still believe that Christ may have expected Nicodemus to have known about the new birth by way of New Covenant teaching.
You mention a possible connection between the New Testament and the New Covenant. The second is based on the first. I agree and teach this as well. I conclude that through the New Testament those of us in the age of grace have been able to enjoy some of the blessings of the New Covenant even though it is not our covenant and it has not yet fulfilled the purpose for which it was originally promised. The New Covenant is embodied in the coming of Christ and we have the blessings of Christ, even though the New Covenant does not technically apply to us.
We know also that the new birth was not an exclusive benefit of the Jews under the New Covenant. Too many grace age passages refer to the new birth in various phrases. We are "born after the Spirit" (Galatians 4:29), "begotten...through the gospel" (1Corinthians 4:15), and regenerated (Titus 3:5).