INTRODUCTION:
Today I want to get the reader thinking about a topic that I have touched on before. It is a topic discussed by a variety of different people groups. And, it is vilified on nearly all sides. When it is not made a boogie man, it is downplayed by others who should be its top proponents. I speak of the subject of dominion, or dominion theology as it is sometimes referred to; among other things.
The term is easily defined. Which is why it seems to trouble people on all sides. To have dominion means to have power and authority to rule. Therein lies the rub. Those in power fear it because it stands in opposition to the form of dominion they propose and currently exercise. (By the way, this is why the election of Donald Trump was so troublesome to many of the elites in Washington, at the universities, in media–both social and corporate, and in the celebrity guild.) Many Christians, who are by the way, misinformed and therefore ignorant (not a pejorative) fear the concept. They argue that “according to the gospel” we ought not exercise dominion over anyone. And are therefore naturally skeptical of anyone who claims the contrary.
Like other self-declared taboo areas of life, they see such power and authority to rule as corruptible. Let’s be honest, it is. But so is being married, raising children, working a job, going to school, using the internet, having a drink, eating food, moments of leisure, etc. Anyone of those things that we may view as good and acceptable–a verifiable gift of God–can be corrupted. The fact is we are by nature sinners, and even in the state of redemption we still struggle internally between what God has said and what we desire.
I am convinced that people, who just like to live their lives and be unbothered, which is, the primary concern of most professing Christians, care little in hearing and learning about topics such as this. If a way is provided to ignore, or dismiss, or even put down such truths, many will take it. In some ways it is no different that doing eight hours of hard labor, most people will spend more effort in distancing themselves from it than doing it. And, if they do it one day or maybe a few days, it won’t be long before they are seeking some way out of it.
The thing is, though, the concept of dominion is an inescapable concept. Dominion in life will be exercised by someone, in whatever area of life they are placed in. For the Christian man or woman we are taught this truth at the very beginning of God’s revelatory Word. It is to you who profess the same Lord that I now specifically turn my attention…
Answer the following questions:
Is the individual to exercise godly dominion in their personal lives?
Are we to do as the apostle Paul professed, to beat our bodies into submission, to discipline them to follow after the precepts of God? Are we not to be conformed into Christ’s image, which is in accordance with the Word of God, that which renews the mind and steadies the heart to do that which is acceptable, good and holy? Are we not commanded to have self-control in all things, to abstain from evil and pursue that which is judged good?
Is the individual to exercise godly dominion in their marriage relationship?
Is the individual to exercise godly dominion in the rearing of their children?
We could tie the last two questions together into one: Is the family to be under the sway of godly dominion? Are husbands commanded to love their wives as Christ loves the Church? Are wives called to submit to their husbands as Christians are called to submit to Christ? Are parents instructed to teach their children the way of the Lord and to discipline them in accordance with this knowledge?
Let’s continue, now with more of a corporate focus…
Is the Church of Jesus Christ–the corporate community of Christians–to exercise godly dominion in their worship and service unto the Lord?
Is the employer under the leadership of Christ to exercise godly dominion in his or her company?
What of the employee, are they not likewise required to exercise godly dominion in their labors?
Is the school system (its administrators and teachers) established to educate the youth to exercise godly dominion within the bounds of its institutional establishment?
What of the student, are they not likewise required to exercise godly dominion in their studies?
Is the varying bodies of civil society not also required to exercise godly dominion within their particular spheres of influence? Is this not required of the executors of law, the legislators of law, and the judges of law?
Finally…
Is there any area of creation–whether it be good or evil–that does not fall under the authority of the Creator God? And, is there any area of creation that will escape His holy judgment in light of how they exercised dominion in His domain?
The decree comes to us in Genesis 1:26-28 to exercise dominion on the earth.
In the beginning God created… mankind, male and female He created them, and He gave them dominion over the birds, the fish, the animals and everything that creeps on the ground, He even told them to subdue the earth. That is to rule it. To work it and bring it under the will of mankind, an image bearer of God. The earth is to be a reflection of God’s glory, insofar as mankind is a reflection of the mind of God. And it is reiterated in this New Covenant era by Christ our Lord in Matthew 28:18-20.
This is perfectly imaged in the incarnate Son of God/Son of Man.
If you want to know what that looks like, you need not look any further than Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. He was the perfect image of the Father in thought, word, and deed. He demonstrated His love for the Father–His commitment–by obeying all that was commanded of Him, even offering His life sacrificially upon a Roman cross. But this laying down of His life did not have defeat in mind–the enemy thought that, but not Christ–but rather, victory. Using a weapon of the enemy, death, Christ conquered it. And He did it through the exercise of dominion by submitting to the Law of God at all points–i.e., love in action.
Although dominion is exercised in a personal fashion first, us being individuals, the natural consequence is that it is experienced/exercised corporately (in community) in the world at large, wherever mankind is joined to another in terms of family, worship, labor, and civil service. Living in a fallen world the purpose and duty of mankind is to reclaim what God has created for His glory. Again, this is verified by the commission given to the followers of Christ in Matthew 28:18-20.1
Helpful Insight…
R. J. Rushdoony in his book entitled, Institutes of Biblical Law, explains that this type of restorative dominion is the task of redeemed man, he writes,
“Since man lives in a fallen world, he has a task of restoration. To him is delegated by God, in every area of authority, to kill and make alive in order to re-establish the intended dominion God ordained of man at the creation of all things. Man can never establish dominion without enforcing both aspects of this duty under God according to His law… Only by faithfully observing God’s mandate to kill and to make alive according to His law-word can man establish dominion over the earth and accomplish the required task of restoration.”2
True dominion–Godly dominion–is sacrificial in nature. It starts with the personal government of the individual in question. They must be willing to “kill” their own will in order to be made “alive” according to the will of God; a will revealed in His law-word. Thus the command of Christ for His disciples to be willing to carry their crosses. They are literally carrying with them death (symbolized by the cross) in order that they might live. For the person who hates their life for the sake of God, gains their life as a result of service to Him (cf. John 12:25). Had Adam had that mindset in the beginning he would have slayed the serpent that defied God’s Law. For the penalty of rebelling against God is death, and Adam was God’s representative on earth. A representative that was given dominion over all things on the earth. He had delegated authority to strike out in justice against the deceiver and murder seeking villain.
Dominion is man’s irrevocable calling/vocation. As Rushdoony further explains,
“Man can be understood only in terms of God and His sovereign purpose in man’s creation… Man is thus primarily and essentially a religious creature who is truly understood only by reference to his Creator and his ordained destiny under God. Man’s destiny, to bring all things under the dominion of God’s law-order, confronted man from the beginning of his creation.”3
There are those within the Christian camp that would argue against the idea that mankind was created to exercise dominion. One problem or fear that people have regarding dominion is that those in power will exercise dominion over them. This is one of the warnings I keep hearing regarding Christian Nationalism. I remember hearing in seminary that God did not give mankind dominion over other humans, instead it was the animal kingdom. There seems to be an air of truth to that claim, however, when weighed properly with the testimony of Scripture this “truth” holds little weight.
Change of Disposition…
What has changed since the beginning? In the beginning, all things were good according to their Creator (cf. Gen. 1:31). Has anything changed since then? Not long after the creation week–some would argue that this took place on the day of judgment; i.e., the Sabbath day–mankind rebelled. They did what God had forbidden, and the consequence of that act was the entrance of sin into God’s creation. Man became a sinner. Creation fell under the curse of man’s sin. The one’s who were created to exercise dominion had fallen. They were no longer free, but had become slaves who served and loved another master. Apart from God’s redemptive grace mankind is hopelessly lost. His ways and his thoughts are perverted by the presence of sin in the heart. A competing presence to the holy will of God, his/her Creator.
Battle of the Two Seeds…
Since that time, mankind has not stopped seeking to exercise dominion (cf. Gen. 3:15). However, the manner by which personal and corporate dominion is sought in the various spheres of life is dependent upon the object of faith that they hold to. For the Christian man or woman that object is Christ–the irrevocable hope within us (cf. 1Pet. 3:15); but, for the unbeliever that object is, in an ultimate sense, the desires of their own heart. Dominion is the exercise of power and authority based upon the knowledge of the executioner. Dominion seeks to subdue all parts of the earth–that is, all parts of life–in light of what they deem to be good and evil.
Being more consistent…
Do you prefer the rule of the godly or the ungodly? You will be ruled by one or the other. And, if you are silent and withdrawn the answer will be given whether you will it or not. As Christians we need to learn to be more consistent with our faith, and the exercise of godly dominion in all spheres of life. Regardless of how strongly we might deny it, the charge is ours.
Lessons from our Past that have a bearing on our Future…
If I have learned anything from my study of ancient Israel in Scripture it is this. When they refused to deter to the right or the left of God’s Word, as they strove to keep His commandments, they were bold and courageous, and God blessed them both personally and corporately. Their enemies fell and fled from their presence. Others from far off sought their wisdom and knowledge. When they failed to embrace their charge of godly dominion, they were enslaved to the surrounding nations that they had acquiesced to in their hearts. The gods of those peoples and the laws of those peoples bound them in chains. Neutrality is a false hope, based upon a shoddy foundation. This is true not just in the evangelical promotion of the gospel, or the apologetical pursuit of defending the faith, but also in the exercise of dominion in all of life; including the social-political spheres of civil life. What we pursue in our personal lives, in our family lives, in our church’s, ought to be what we pursue everywhere.
I asked a question in the beginning of this article with the headline: Dominion over Man? Are we authorized to exercise authority over another? If so, by what? As I noted in this post “dominion is inescapable” it is not a question of whether it will happen, but by who? Godly men are called to exercise godly dominion in all spheres of life, including the social-political sphere (civil) of life. If godly men refuse this mandate by God, then another will step in. Either those who rule will do so in accordance with God’s righteousness as revealed in His Law-Word; or, there will arise those who will rule in terms of their own self-described righteousness. Avoidance of the subject by Christians merely guarantees that unrighteousness will be the guiding principle of the masses.
ENDNOTES:
- I keep stressing this passage in the last few paragraphs because of the weightiness of the charge that is given. Many do not see, or they refuse to see, the parallel that this commission of Christ reveals and that which was given to us in the beginning at our infant, holy state (Gen. 1:26-28). Both instances stress to the one’s set apart by God for His purpose to live their lives, and structure the world around them, in a manner that reflects His holy dominion on earth as it is in heaven (cf. Matt. 6:10).
- R. J. Rushdoony,Institutes of Biblical Law, Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing & Craig Press, 1973, 253.
- Rushdoony,Institutes of Biblical Law, 341, 342.
Kristafal's Musings 