One of the things you may have heard talked about in the Brephos podcast I have been engaging with was “the cultural mandate.” This was used as a primary reason for why we should be in the business of social justice and specifically campaigning against abortion using the strategy and tactics of CBR UK and similar groups.
What is meant by the Cultural Mandate? Well, it’s a reference to Genesis 1:27-30.
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.”
God blesses humanity by giving the earth into their care. They are to ill and subdue the earth, sometimes described as “exercising dominion”, the terminology used in the Brephos video. You might say that this was God’s first Great Commission. This has become referred to as “The Cultural Mandate.” Humanity is to cultivate the world, our dominion, rule or stewardship therefore is what culture is all about and it means that the responsibility here is seen as more than just having lots of descendants but about wider concern for everything from ethics and politics through to music, literature and art. All of these things are ways in which we shape or cultivate the world.
Afam and Eve of course preferred to try sand rival God rather than be his image bearers, instead of obeying him to him and ruling creation, they inverted the order, listening to the creature and seeking to usurp God. The result was curse, the penalty of death for them, banishment from God’s presence and blighting of creation. This did not mean that the mandate was rescinded but rather that it became a struggle and that sinful humanity ended up following a distorted version of it. They filled the earth and subdued it but with and to evil. They cultivated but the resulting culture was idolatrous.
The narrative of Scripture is about God’s redemptive work. He calls Abraham and blesses him, promising descendants and giving him land. Israel, both in terms of land and people may be seen as foreshadowing a renewed creation with God’s people enjoying God’s protection and provision in God’s presence and place.
All of this is fulfilled in Christ through his death and resurrection. Now from this, we might argue that the Gospel is not just about individual salvation and rescue from hell. Rather, God in Christ is putting all things right, redeeming, renewing and restoring creation. As Paul says in Romans 8:18-21.
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that[h] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commissions his disciples
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.””
The fault line reflected in the Brephos podcast is between those who argue that this commission, to make disciples is the mission of the Church. It is this that we are called to do, and those who argue that because God’s purpose is the renewing of creation and because the cultural mandate still stands, our responsibility must include both. We are o preach the Gospel but also engage in social action. Indeed, some would argue that the requirement to teach disciples to obey Jesus means that the cultural mandate is re-included within the Great Commission.
I think that this latter view is problematic. I believe that it misunderstands eschatology and how God will put all things right. Key to this are three things. First, on a very simple level, if the original blessing means that God’s people are in his place or presence, under his rule, experiencing his provision and protection and if that is necessary before they can do the work called to them the first priority must be to call people into that place where they are God’s people in his presence and under his protection. So, the Great Commission becomes the thing of primary purpose because there no point attempting to build anything outside of that place. In fact we are expecting people to build a godly culture outside of God’s presence, without his provision and protection and on the wrong foundation.
Secondly, Psalm 8 becomes a crucial part of our thinking and understanding. The Psalmists says:
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings[b]
and crowned him with glory and honor.
The Psalm describes the way in which humanity is created lower than, possibly the heavenly beings or angels but also possibly the text should read “than God.” I suspect the latter is intended initially. However, though in one sense loely, they are /Crowned, they are given dominion.
However, notice the language of “son of man”, The new Testament picks up this Psalm and says it is all about Jesus. He is the one who became lower, not just than God but teven the angels. However, he is the one now crwned with glory, exercising dominion through his eternal reign. It is crucial that we see that it is Jesus as the second Adam who has dominion, it is he who fills and subdues the earth. In fact, this helps us get a firmer grasp of exactly he, having all authority sends us out to make disciples and teach them to obey him because that is exactly how he fills and subdues. His creation, exercising lordship over all.
Thirdly, let’s go back to Romans 8. There se do see that the Gospel offers hope of redemption and renewal for all creation. However, we also see that at the moement, creation lnogs and groans “waiting for the revelation of the sons of glory.” Even with the formation of the early church, Paul is looking forward to some future event. This is one of the major problems for postmillennialism. It doesn’t allow enough for the now and not yet element to the overlap of the ages. The day when all will be put right and when that full dominion will be exercised, when we reign with Christ is yet to come.
So, we wait that day and in the meantme, we make disciples.
Faithroots 