| | CHAPTER 3
MAN'S TASK
We shall now continue in our study to answer some of the
questions raised and left unanswered in the previous chapter. As
we discover solutions to these questions we shall also get closer
to the end of our search for the Biblical answer to the question
of man's task in the world today.
God's Victory Timetable
The first question we shall try to answer is: If Christ had
destroyed Satan and his works by His perfect obedience, why does
Satan still continue to bind the hearts of men throughout the New
Testament period? Why is death and decay still as prevalent as
ever? Where is the evidence of the victory on the cross?
The fact is, of course, that while Christ's work as Redeemer,
as the last Adam, has been completed, the time for the full impact
of the victory upon this sinful world and upon Satan has not as
yet arrived. That God has a timetable in dealing with Satan is
suggested in the Old Testament. In Genesis 3:14 we read:
The Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done
this, cursed are you above all cattle, and above all wild
animals! Upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life."
But while the physical snake moves around on its belly, Satan,
the real object of this curse, took over this world as its prince.
He actually appeared to lose almost none of the prerogatives he
had had before the fall. The book of Job gives startling evidence
of his continued freedom to be in heaven. Thus, while the curse
was certain and sure, the final effects of it were not to appear
until some future date.
Similarly, while Christ was completely victorious over Satan,
the final evidence of this victory is for the future. This is
intimated in I Corinthians 15:24-27:
Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the
Father after destroying every rule and every authority and
power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies
under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
"For God has put all things in subjection under his feet."
But when he says, "All things are put in subjection under
him," it is plain that he is excepted who put all things under
him.
It is even more clearly stated in Hebrews 10:12,13:
But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice
for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, then to wait
until his enemies should be made a stool for his feet.
And in Hebrews 2:5-9 we see that the subjection is not be be
complete in this world:
For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come,
of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere,
"What is man that thou are mindful of him? or the son of man,
that thou carest for him? Thou didst make him for a little
while lower than the angels, thou hast crowned him with glory
and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet."
Now in putting everything in subjection to man, he left
nothing outside his control. As it is, we do not yet see
everything in subjection to him. But we see Jesus, who for a
little while was made lower than the angels, crowned with
glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by
the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
These verses are quoted from Psalm 8:4-8. While the Hebrew
word radah is never used outside of Genesis 1 to describe man's
rule over the creatures, in Psalm 8:4-8 the Bible does use the
Hebrew word mashal to describe such a rule. There God declares,
"Thou madest him to have dominion (mashal) over the works of Thy
hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet, all sheep and
oxen," etc.
While this appears to be a statment relating to the condition
of man today, a commentary found in the Bible on these verses
indicates otherwise. That commentary is Hebrews 2:5-9, where
these verses are qouted to show that it is in the world to come
that this condition will apply. The whole world is brought into
subjection to Christ (Ephesians 1:22) because of Christ's work on
the cross. But "we see not yet all things under Him" (Hebrews
2:8). This will be in the world to come.
Moreover, the man that is in view in Psalm 8 is not mankind.
It is not the believers either. Hebrews 2 clearly shows that the
man God is speaking of in Psalm 8 is Jesus Himself, who was made a
little lower than the angels. By this magnificent victory on the
cross He brought everything into subjection . This subjection
includes Christ's victory over Satan.
It is in the world to come, the new heaven and new earth, that
the full destruction of Satan will be realized. At judgment day
Satan and all who are his followers, both demons and men, will be
cast into the lake of fire. Then, too, death itself together with
the place of the dead, Hades, will also be cast into the lake of
fire (Rev. 20:14). In other words, at judgment day the full
consequence of Christ,s victory on the cross will be realized. At
that time the full impact of the curse of Genesis 3:14 will be
seen.
Note the language of Isaiah 65 which indicates the conditions
that will exist in the new heaven and new earth (Isaiah 65:17).
In verse 25 we read:
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat
straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent's food. They
shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, says the
Lord.
Note that the statement speaks of conditions similar to those
that existed in the garden of Eden. There is peace. The animals
are again herbivorous. Note the serpent. The curse of Genesis
3:14 has been brought to full fruition. His humiliation is
complete. In Hell he is the lowest of the creatures. One is
reminded of the language of Isaiah 14 which speaks of the end of
the king of Babylon. I believe there is adequate Biblical
evidence to show that the king of Babylon is presented here as a
type of Satan. Note:
But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the Pit.
Those who see you will stare at you, and ponder over you; is
this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,
who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who
did not let his prisoners go home? All the kings of the
nations lie in glory, each in his own tomb, but you are cast
out, away from your sepulchre, like a loathed untimely birth,
clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword, who go
down to the stones of the Pit, like a dead body trodden under
foot. You will not be joined with them in burial, because you
have destroyed your land, you have slain your people. May the
descendants of evildoers nevermore be named. (Isaiah
14:15-20)
The passages quoted in Isaiah 65 and Isaiah 14 are obviously
word pictures of conditions that will exist beyond judgment day.
How much we can understand them literally is not the burden of
this discussion. The picture of the final punishment of Satan is
easily seen.
Why Does God Delay?
Why, we might ask, did God delay carrying out his curse on
Satan? Why has He delayed for almost 2000 years throwing Satan
into the lake of fire? Some light is shed on this question in
Ephesians 3:8-11:
To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this
grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable
riches of Christ, and to make all men see what is the plan of
the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things;
that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now
be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly
places. This was according to the eternal purpose which he
has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The delay of God, in bringing into effect the final
destruction of Satan and his works, is necessary to permit the
development of the church. God has in view a vast throng of
people who were chosen from eternity to be his sons. Until all of
them have been born of Christ, the church will not have come to
full fruition.
It is through this church that Christ's wisdom is being made
known to angels and demons, to all of the inhabitants of heavenly
places.
The Cross and Satan
However, while Satan's destruction is destined for judgment
day, the impact of Christ's victory on the cross was experienced
by Satan at the time of the cross.
Because Christ was entirely victorious over Satan by his death
and resurrection He was enabled to do with Satan as He willed.
His mastery over Satan is emphasized by the statement that He has
the keys of Death and Hades. In other words, Christ is the
complete master of Satan as evidenced by His mastery over the
works (Death and Hades) of Satan.
I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the
keys of Death and Hades (Rev. 1:18).
He has become the supreme master of the earth, even though
Satan is permitted to continue for the time being as prince of the
earth.
And from Jesus Christ the faithful witness the first-born of
the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth (Rev. 1:5).
Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this
world be cast out; and I, when I am lifted up from the earth,
will draw all men to myself (John 12:31,32).
He has removed the authority and power of Satan over this
creation, which Satan had obtained by virtue of his victory over
Adam. During the Old Testament this authority and power of Satan
was not total. It was limited by God because God has never
relinquished His care, love and concern for this universe he
created. God continued to reign as Creator. Moreover, it was
limited because the Lordship as Jesus Christ as Redeemer King was
anticipated. Thus, while Satan is called by God the prince of
this world, and the ravages of Satan's ruling are seen on every
hand, we read in Psalm 24:1:
The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world
and those who dwell therein.
And,
For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a
thousand hills. I know all the birds of the air, and all that
moves in the field is mine (Ps. 50:10,11).
This same theme is emphasized in the New Testament where we
read in I Corinthians 10:26:
For the earth is the Lord's, and everything in it.
At the cross, however, the limitations placed upon Satan
became more pronounced. We read in Colossians 2:14,15:
Having canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal
demands; this he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He
disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public
example of them, triumphing over them in him.
The victory over Satan which was anticipated in the Old
Testament became a reality at the cross. Because of this reality
Satan began to experience increasing difficulty in maintaining his
dominion over man.
He was cast out of heaven so that he can no longer accuse
believers before God as he had done with Job.
Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting
against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but
they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them
in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient
serpent who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the
whole world--he was thrown down to the earth and his angels
were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in
heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power of the
kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come,
for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who
accuses them day and night before our God. And they have
conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of
their testimony for they loved not their lives even unto death
(Rev. 12:7-11).
And he said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightening from
heaven" (Luke 10:18).
Christ bound Satan so that he can no longer deceive the
nations. By this binding the Holy Spirit is enabled to plunder
the house of Satan. In other words, men from every nation who are
under bondage to Satan now can be made free from the shackles of
Satan. Matthew 12:18,29 speaks of this binding:
But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then
the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can one enter a
strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first
binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.
Much New Testament language is employed to indicate the
freedom that has come to men because of Christ's victory over
Satan. A few verses will serve to illustrate this:
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were in bondage to
beings that by nature are no gods (Gal. 4:8).
And you he made alive, when you were dead through the
trepasses and sins in which you once walked, following the
course of this world, following the prince of the power of the
air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of
disobedience (Eph. 2:1,2).
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed (Luke 4:18).
The startling evidence that something happened to Satan at the
cross can be seen at Pentecost. For more than three years Jesus,
the master teacher, had been teaching and showing the power of
God. For example, His home environment of Nazareth and Capernaum
is cited for its unbelief. The converts were few and far between.
While crowds followed him, the conversions that are recorded are
in the main those of isolated individuals.
But then came the cross. And 50 days later Petecost. Peter
preaches one sermon and a whole multitude are saved from every
nation. Just think of it, 3000 were saved that one afternoon.
Surely something had happened to Satan's power over man.
And as we look at this dramatic proof of the fact that Satan's
house is being plundered following the victory on the cross, we
might ask the question, "what then is the mandate, the
responsibility of the Christian in this present world?" Isn't he
to subdue this world for the glory of Christ? Isn't he to probe
the scientific mysteries of the world to His glory? Isn't he to
master the animals and all living creatures so that they are again
loyal subjects to him as they were before the fall? Isn't he to
build cities and rule people's to God's praise?
In attempting to answer this question we might review what
happened to man in Eden.
Sinless Man
When we first look at man in the Bible we see that he as well
as the world is completely pleasing to God. After the six days of
creation "God saw everything he had made, and behold, it was very
good." It was without the ravages of sin and the decay and death
that followed when sin entered the world. In every aspect of
creation there was loyalty, obedience and felicity to God.
Man who was created in the image of God was given dominion
over this perfect and wonderful creation as God's vice-gerund. He
was to rule over it, to care for it and maintain it in its
pristine state of goodness. He was to multiply and fill this
earth with his progeny. He was to be the head of a great people
that would serve and glorify their creator in perfect obedience to
Him. They were to live in a perfectly hamonious relationship to
God the Lord of creation. They would walk as a holy race in
personal fellowship to God. The lesser creatures, the animals,
the fish, the birds together with the ground itself were to exist
in a harmonious relationship to their lord and master, man. And
as man ruled over them they too, would glorify God in their
loyalty and service to man. All creation, both animate and
inanimate, praised God as Lord and Creator.
Sinless Man Falls
But one slight condition was imposed upon our first parents
Adam and Eve. They, as the head of mankind, must claim it by
their perfect obedience to God. To give them opportunity to claim
their right to be king of this creation God set up the testing
program. He put a tree in the garden called the tree of good and
evil and told Adam and Eve they were not to eat of it. This tree,
together with this command, provided the arena where Adam would
claim his lordship as comprehended in the command to subdue the
earth.
The angel Lucifer, Satan, was the enemy who also wanted to
assert his lordship over the earth. We saw that Adam failed the
test. Satan became prince of the earth and man became his slave.
The creation was cursed as was Satan.
What was man's new relationship to the world? What was his
new relationship to God after the fall? By virture of his
obedience to Satan he had repudiated his own lordship over
creation. He, in fact, became a slave of Satan. Creation itself
was subjected to the bondage of decay in parallel relationship to
man's enslavement.
Man, The Slave Of Satan
Because man had become a slave of Satan he no longer wanted to
please God. Instead he transferred his affection, his loyalty,
his allegiance to Satan. The evidence of this transfer was in his
lack of desire to please God and his all consuming desire to
please himself. He, himself, was now the only King who must be
served.
He was under God's condemnation because God's perfect justice
required punishment as a penalty for such a rebellion. He lost
his fellowship and his communication with God. His sin-darkened
mind and being provided the avenue through which Satan could
assert his mastery over man.
Because he had repudiated his lordship over creation, that
lordship was actually taken from him. Never again was he told to
have dominion over the creatures as Adam was given dominion before
the fall (Gen. 1:26 and 28). Rather the earth and the creatures
rebelled against man as man had rebelled against God. The earth
instead of obediently serving man would bring forth thorns and
thistles. Earthquakes, tornadoes, the raging seas, forest fires,
drought, famine, floods, epidemics, insect infestations, wild
animals, and poisonous reptiles are surely all manifestations of a
rebellious creation over which man no longer had dominion.
The cosmos would continue to praise God as creator (Ps. 19).
Even the wrath of man would praise God (Ps. 76:10). God was still
Lord of His creation. But man's position as His vice-gerund had
been removed because man had surrendered to Satan. The perfect
order established at creation had been destroyed. Instead of
being King, man had become a slave.
Because man (Adam and Eve) was created in the image of God,
that is, with the ability to know God and serve him with perfect
obedience, he could blame no one else for his sin. He alone was
responsible for his fallen state. And since Adam was the head of
the human race all mankind who were his progeny stand in the same
relationship to God as Adam. His kind, the human race, also are
enslaved to Satan and in that sense are likewise totally depraved.
The evidence of man's depravity can be seen in his lack of
selfless love for his fellow man as well as in his perversions
relating to himself. Perhaps, the depths of his depravity can be
seen in the manner he worships. He was created to worship God as
his Lord and creator. In turn he was to bear the responsibility
as lord over the creation and its creatures as well as the
inanimate part of creation. The sun, the river, the crocodile,
science, material possessions, a fellow man, or the human body are
typical objects of depraved man's worship.
But man's enslavement to Satan and the curse upon creation is
not absolute. If it were, man would destroy himself in the
shortest possible time. Satan is the very essence of death. God
had a plan for his creation which required a prescribed period of
time to carry out. Therefore, certain restraints were placed on
Satan, and on mankind his slaves, so that God's plan could be
carried out.
God's plan for this creation was established by God because
God loved this creation, and at no time did he relinquish this
love even for a moment.
The love of God manifests itself in the warm sunshine, the
cool streams and the beautiful sunset. It also manifested itself
in the fact that God put the fear and dread of man within the
animals and delivered them into his hand. Thus, man would not be
destroyed by the lesser creature, and they would provide food for
man. It also manifested itself in the fact that God did not
remove the knowledge of God (Rom. 1:19), or of guilt of his sin
from man's being. God allowed man to have a conscience (Rom.
2:15). He left the laws of God's kingdom imprinted upon his heart
(Rom. 2:15). This gave him a sense of right and wrong together
with a realization that only by attempting to do right could he
maintain any decent level of existence.(1) The knowledge of an
eventual judgment day that God left within man also served to
restrain him from total rebellion. One evidence of this restraint
upon man is revealed by the measure of kindness and mercy shown by
natural man to his fellow man (Matt. 7:11).
God also restrained Satan in his mastery of man. Satan,
therefore, cannot lead his slaves, man, into anymore extensive
disregard of God's laws than God will permit.
The knowledge of God and his laws which God has left within
man, together with the blessings of nature, of health, of a sense
of well being, etc. that God bestows upon all mankind, further
condemns man and emphasizes his personal responsibility before God
to live in obedience to God. As he continues to refuse to
acknowledge or praise God in the face of this knowledge and these
blessings, he further condemns himself.
As part of God's plan for man to perpetuate himself, God
established government amongst men. Man was given the
responsibility of ruling over his fellow man. This authority
manifested itself as parental authority over child, master over
servant or slave, and government over its peoples. This authority
of man over man is not related in any sense to the Edenic command
to Adam to subdue the earth, or to have dominion over its
creatures. These latter responsibilities and prerogatives ceased
with man's surrender to Satan. Rather this phenomena of
government may be found in every level of God's creation. It can
be seen, for example, in the angelic world, (archangels versus
angels); amongst humans as we have seen; amongst animals (the bull
elk ruling over the herd) (the bull sea lion ruling over the sea
lions) (the bird pushing the fledgling from the nest). This rule
of man over man enabled the working out of the blessing of God
upon man to multiply and fill the earth to be realized.
in line with his rule over his fellow man, he was also given
the mandate to make judgment in areas of good and evil and to
punish the wrongdoer (Gen. 9:6; Prov. 23:13; Rom. 13:4). This
also extends to every level of authority i.e. parent to child,
master to servant, etc.
He is used of God to carry out God's plans in the world. Thus
the Babylonians were used to bring judgment upon the nation of
Judah. Because God is the ultimate Soverign, this use of man is
even paralleled by God's use of Satan and the evil spirits (cf I
Kings 22:13) to carry out God's programs.
He is used by God to care for this world, to cultivate it and
develop it for food. (Gen. 3:23--"the Lord sent him forth...to
till the ground." Again this work of man is unrelated to the
pre-fall command to subdue the earth or have dominion over its
creatures. Rather the creatures were delivered into his hand. He
is to derive his shelter from the earth as intimated by the animal
skins provided by God to Adam and Eve (Ge. 3:21).
Natural man is endowed with the desire to discover. He is
curious about everything. This is probably a function of the
blessing and mandate to fill the earth, as well as the decision of
God that every green food and all flesh were given to him for food
(Gen. 9:3). Because of these privileges and relationships, man
has constantly sought to explore and discover. In this he is
again paralleling the lesser creatures. They, too, have natural
curiosity, and seek to explore their natural habitat especially
discovering that which is edible. (Consider, for example a cat
prowling in a house.) Thus, in this endowment man is not relating
at all to the command to our first parents to subdue the earth or
have dominion over its creatures.
We, therefore, see clearly that natural man, the slave of
Satan, whose chief purpose in life is self service, has been given
blessings and mandates which he is to carry out even though he has
become an enemy of God.
The commands to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth, to
receive every green thing and animal for food and to till the
ground, are foundational within man. These commands and
blessings, which were specifically given to fallen man, are the
basis for man's desire to know more about this world in which he
lives. We shall see later how natural man began to excel in these
endeavors.
But are all men, who have ever been born to live on this
earth, estranged from God? Certainly not as we shall see.
God's Man, The Believer
A small percentage of the human race who are completely unique
must now be considered. While all men are members of the human
race as descendants of Adam, not all remain in bondage to Satan.
Rather in all generations since the very beginning a remnant of
people has been freed from servitude to Satan. Let us look at
these, who we will call God's man, (as distinguished from `natural
man' who continues as a slave of Satan), to determine their
relationship to God and to this creation.
We might note first of all that God's man is genealogical and
anthropoligically a member of the human race, even as is natural
man. As such, all of the blessings mandates and prerogatives
given to natural man are also given to God's man. As a part of
the human race he rules over his fellow man, (he is a parent, a
master, a government official).
He enjoys all of the blessings of God that are common to all
mankind (sunshine, the beauties of nature, health, a sense of well
being, the privilege to procreate). He, too, cultivates and cares
for the world to derive his food and shelter from it. He too, is
curious about this earth with which he is so intimately related
and, therefore, searches it out to discover how it might more
efficiently produce for him and his peers.
How then does he differ from natural man? If he is no longer
a slave of Satan, to whom is he related? The Bible tells us that
he has become a son of God. This has changed his whole
motivation. Natural man performs with his highest motivation to
recognize and glorify self, as revealed by self pride, self
orientation, self serving. Some of his more humane actions may be
consciously or subconsciously a result of his inherent fear of God
and His judgments. Some of his actions may even be a result of
God's restraint upon him so that he does show some capacity for
mercy and love for his fellow man. But natural man's ultimate
drive is one that only recognizes himself as king, because in so
doing he is unwittingly showing that Satan is king.
With God's man has been given a new inner being, a new nature,
a new heart. He is born again. Whereas natural man's inner being
is darkened by his bondage to Satan so that he will not
acknowledge God as Lord of his life, God's man's spiritual eyes
have been opened so that he sees himself as a sinner hopelessly
condemned by God's perfect justice. He accepts in childlike trust
the substitutionary atonement of Christ for his sins (the
condemnation of God for his sin was paid for by Christ as his
substitute). And God has come into his life in the person of the
Holy Spirit and motivates him to live to God's glory. He,
therefore, wants to please God in all that he does. He has become
a part of a new race of people headed up by the last Adam, Jesus
Christ. His citizenship is with Christ as his King. Satan no
longer has any claims on him.
Since God's man has become reintroduced into the family of
God, we would expect that the commands to subdue the earth, to
have dominion over its creatures must somehow again relate to him.
Shouldn't he now bring this earth and its creatures into
submission to God's glory? Shouldn't he now have dominion in the
earth as Adam was commanded?
The answers to these questions are in the negative. Let us
consider why this is the case.
Let us recall that Adam was made king (given dominion) of a
perfect creation. He had to claim his kingship by subduing the
enemy who threatened, Satan. Because he failed to subdue Satan,
he lost his dominion over the creatures. He was reduced to a
slave of Satan.
Christ, the last Adam, was eminently successful in subduing
this earth by conquering Satan. He, therefore, has become Lord of
this creation not only by virtue of being the creator but also
because He is the Redeemer. Christ, therefore, is preeminent in
every sense (Col. 1:18). We saw, however, that the subjugation of
Satan would not be finalized until judgment day when the new
heaven and earth are reality. By the same token Christ's dominion
over this creation will also be finalized at that same time. We
read very significantly that every knee shall bow and every tongue
confess that He is Lord (Phil. 2:10). But this will not occur
until judgment day.
The dominion over the earth by the believer, who has become a
citizen of God's kingdom, cannot occur until Christ's dominion is
seen. Christ said very significantly; "My kingdom in not of this
world." This is the same world (cosmos) that God loved so much
that He gave his only begotten son to die for it (John 3:16). But
this cosmos remains under the curse of sin until judgment day,
even though in principle it has been freed from the effects of
Satan's reign. Jesus declared that when the signs indicate Jesus'
return is imminent, "the kingdom of God is near" (Luke 21:31).(2)
The realm of the kingdom is not this cosmos. It is related only
to the new heaven and new earth where righteousness dwells.
But Jesus repeatedly used the phrase "kingdom of heaven" or
"kingdom of God" as of the kingdom is a present reality. John,
the Baptist, stated it was at hand (Matt. 3:2). It was at hand
because the head of this kingdom, the Lord Jesus Christ, was about
to appear. It was also at hand because Jesus was ready to make
provision for the kingdom. He began to claim His Lordship over
this kingdom by his perfect obedience in the face of Satan's
temptations in the wilderness. He completed his claim of Lordship
over this kingdom by His victory on the cross.
He told the 70 who were sent out to declare, `The kingdom of
God has come near to you', to the people they visited (Luke 10:9).
It was near these people because the 70 missionaries were citizens
of the kingdom. Their presence near the people to whom they
witnessed brought the kingdom near. It was also near in the sense
that they had only to believe to become citizens of the kingdom.
For there is one place in this present world where it can be
seen. It is the same place where the victory of the cross can be
seen. And this is as it should be, for the victory of the cross
was to usher in the kingdom of God. It cannot be seen in the
physical world. The earth and its creatures exclusive of God's
man remained unchanged because of the cross. Objectively
speaking, the rose is no more beautiful, peaches no more tasty or
music is no more harmonious after the cross than before the cross.
Creation continues to groan and travail awaiting the revealing of
the sons of glory, awaiting judgment day when the new heaven and
earth will be ushered in.
The redemption evidence of Christ's victory on the cross can
only be found in one place--in God's man. Only in him does the
first evidence of the kingdom of God appear. Only in him has a
transformation occurred. He in his inner being, in his soul, has
passed from darkness into light, has been made free from Satan's
dominion. That is the reason that wherever a believer is, the
kingdom of God has come near all others who meet him. That is the
reason Jesus said the kingdom is within you. John, the Baptist,
declared the kingdom was at hand because Christ was about to go to
the cross to defeat Satan, and to provide for Christ's Lordship
over the Kingdom.
Christ himself is the head of this kingdom, and his appearance
at the Jordan River was the primary evidence of the kingdom at
that time.
Christ gave other evidences of the immanence of the kingdom.
He healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, raised the dead,
and cast out demons. Do you recall that this is the evidence
which he showed to John the Baptist to prove the genuiness of His
Messiahship (Matt. ll:5). This, also, was the evidence that He
gave to his disciples and the seventy who were sent out. Those
who were offered the Gospel could know it was the true Gospel by
these miraculous acts as the ravages of Satan's dominion
(sickness, death, blindness, demons) were removed from man. These
evidences of the victory of Christ on the cross could be shown
because He had obtained authority over Satan at the cross. We saw
how this further restraint of Satan, this binding of Satan, made
it possible that his house could more effectively be plundered of
the souls of men. The miracles of healing, casting out demons,
etc. were but preliminary evidences of the miracle of salvation
that resulted because of Christ's victory.
Beginning with the temptation in the wilderness, when Jesus
began deliberately to follow the footsteps of the first Adam,
Christ showed himself as the genuine Lord of creation by His
perfect obedience. Throughout His ministry the evidences of His
victory over Satan multiplied. At the cross His work was
completed, and Pentecost revealed in final form on this side of
Judgment day the reality of this victory. Christ's second coming
will reveal in a much greater degree the extent and degree of
Christ's victory over Satan.
In the Old Testament Christ's victory was anticipated. One
leper was healed (Naaman, the Syrian), one lad was raised from the
dead, Hezekiah was give 15 years of added life. And in the area
of salvation a remnant of Israel was saved, a few individuals
became believers, one city repented (Nineveh). The atonement of
Christ was so certain and sure that its redeeming effects reached
backward all the way to Adam.
And then Christ himself came on the scene. The atonement was
now to happen momentarily. The shadow of the cross brought
greater and greater evidence of Christ's coming victory. The King
himself was present. Numerous persons (but mostly Jews) were
being freed from the ravages of sin. Many believed and followed
Jesus.
And then the cross was occupied by Christ. Satan was
conquered. Now in the New Testament dispensation the impact of
this victory reached forth into every nation, every tongue, every
people. And as believers multiplied, the kingdom of heaven was
brought and is being brought into the eyesight and hearing of
every people. At the cross the kingdom of God became a reality.
The believers, the invisible church, are the citizens over whom
Christ reigns. Satan's claim of Lordship over the cosmos has been
shattered, even though he is allowed to continue as prince until
all those who are to believe are saved.
Christ continues to reign over the cosmos as Creator even as
He has throughout all history. But after the cross Christ as Lord
of the heavens and earth is shown to be seated at the right hand
of the Father. He has thoroughly subdued Satan and reigns over
him and over all creation as the Redeemer. But only after He
returns will the cosmos be shown to be in subjection to him.
As king he continues to bring all his enemies into subjection
(I Cor. 15:25). This cannot be a reference to Satan being brought
into subjection for he has already been overcome. But as the
world continues since the cross countless thousands of new slaves
of Satan are created as people multiply. Each is an enemy of
Christ unless he is transferred into the kingdom of God. As an
enemy, a slave of Satan, he, too, is subject to Christ's victory.
He is under God's wrath.
Then comes the end when all that is under the curse of sin is
judged and removed from the earth. This includes Satan and his
demons, unregenerate man, the cosmos itself (it will be burned
with fire, II Peter 3:10-12). Christ will bring in the realm of
the kingdom (the new heaven and earth) and the reign of the king
in its fullest sense. Death itself, the most dramatic evidence of
the work of Satan, will be abolished.
Does The Believer Exercise Judgment?
But the question still persists. If Christ is the head of
this new race of God's men, and if he has been victorious over
Satan, shouldn't the believer begin to exercise dominion over the
creatures in some sense. Doesn't he somehow have some
responsibility to bring this creation under the dominion of
Christ. Again, the answer must be repeated in the negative.
Christ has done all this and the fruition of his efforts must
await His return. This in no sense is the born again believers
task or responsibility.
The truth can be shown in another way. Noah was told that the
animals would be in fear and dread of him (Gen. 9:2). This is a
result of his loss of the prerogative to have dominion over them.
This was an accommodation by God to prevent the animals from
turning on man and destroying him. Now if redeemed man was again
to have dominion over the creatures in any sense, this would be a
good place to show that he has dominion. The fact is, however,
that saved man relates to the animals in identical fashion to that
of the unsaved. The animals have identical fear and dread of both
kinds of men.
Likewise, the Christian farmer cannot grow bigger tomatoes or
finer cattle than the unbeliever. He has just as much trouble
with blight and thistles and harmful insects as the non-Christian
farmer. The carpenter who is a Christian is not necessarily any
finer craftsman than the natural man who is a carpenter.
What then is the man of God's task in this world? Is it to do
all the things the unsaved man does--care for the earth, provide
food, and shelter, show mercy, govern his fellow man--with a
higher motivation than his unsaved friend? Yes, that could be
expected. The Bible says that whether we eat or drink or whatever
we do we are to do it to the Glory of God.
But the Bible also says that the kingdom of God is not meat or
drink but righteousness and peace. In other words, when we do the
things natural man does--seek a living, find food and shelter,
etc.--we are to do these things to God's glory. But this is not
the kingdom. There is something else that is of far greater
consequence. It is citizenship in the kingdom of Christ. This
cosmos is the environment in which the Christian is to show the
evidence of his heavenly citizenship. His efforts therefore, are
to be especially directed in those areas that relate to the
Kingdom of God.
A very interesting phenomena is revealed in the Scriptures.
Let us look at the activities of the two lines in early Biblical
history. Natural man was going forth with all zeal to conquer
this world--for himself. The descendants of Cain--he, who was
especially cursed by God--built the first cities, became the first
musicians, and the first ironworkers. They were the mighty men,
the men of renown. Surely, God's man should have been doing
likewise--only with a motivation to do it to God's glory. But
what does the Bible record? God's man, the descendants of Seth
"walked with God (Enoch)," looked for "relief from our work and
from the toil of our hands (Lamech)," and built an ark to escape
God's judgment on the world. For some reason the development of
arts and crafts, of shelter for mankind, was not very important to
God's man.
Let us pursue this thought a bit further. The next Biblical
report of the two lines of men is that of the sons of Noah.
Significantly, the descendants of Ham, whose son Canaan was
especially cursed, were the great builders. It was Nimrod, the
descendant of Ham, who founded the first great civilization of the
world on the plains of Shinar. It was a descendant of Ham who
founded the second great civilization of antiquity. This was
Egypt. But of the descendants of Shem, the brother who was in the
line of God's men, we read of no accomplishments.
That is, except for a brother of Abraham. God had narrowed
the Messianic line through Terah. Terah was the father of three
sons, Abraham, Nahor, and Haran. Haran died in Ur of the
Chaldees. But Nahor built a city (Gen. 24:10). What do we read
of God's man, Abram? He was promised the world (Rom. 4:13) but he
dwelt in a tent as a stranger and a sojourner. The only land he
owned was the cave of Machpelah (Hebron), which he purchased as a
burial ploy for his wife, Sarah.
Surely, the Biblical record indicates that the believer's task
is not only completely different in motivation from natural man's,
but also different in kind. God's man is human and a resident of
this world and, therefore, is concerned about the same tasks
confronting natural man. But he has a far greater and more
glorious task that takes precedent in his life. He has become a
follower of Christ. Christ is his King, and he wishes to follow
him in perfect obedience. Only in this way can he relate to the
kingdom of God of which he is a citizen.
But if he is a follower of Christ, his king, he must do what
Christ does. Let us see how he can do this. We shall thereby
discover how through the believer the kingdom of God is extended
to all the peoples of the world.
What was the task of Christ? We have seen that Jesus' primary
task was especially twofold. He must defeat Satan by his perfect
obedience and thus claim Lordship over this creation. In this
endeavor He was the last Adam and He became the head of a race of
people who are the believers.
Secondly, he must redeem this world from the ravages of 11,000
years of sin. The most important aspect of this is the redemption
of mankind.
The only way they could be redeemed was to provide a
substitute to bear the penalty for their sins in order that God's
perfect justice could be satisfied. This Jesus provided by going
to the cross and suffering the equivalent of an eternity in Hell,
as God poured out His wrath upon Him for man's sins. Because the
weal or woe of the rest of creation is parallel to that of
mankind, the rest of the cosmos which was redeemed at the cross
will also be made free from the bondage of sin when Christ comes
again to finalize the salvation of mankind. This, of course, is
the time when God's men will receive their resurrected bodies.
They will then live eternally with Christ as their King in a new
heaven and new earth from which all that is sinful has been
banished.
But the believer cannot follow Christ by becoming the last
Adam. He cannot atone for his sins or for the sins of the world.
He cannot destroy Satan for Satan's doom was already made certain
by Christ at the cross. He cannot become the last Adam for Christ
is the last Adam. He and He only is Lord of this creation.
The Believer's Task
But there is an area of Christ's work in which the Christian
can and is, in fact, mandated to follow Jesus. He is our example,
our leader, our King, and His wish is our command. We, therefore,
as citizens of His Kingdom wich to be entirely obedient to him.
And there is a glorious area of Christ's ministry where we can
follow and are indeed mandated to follow.
Christ preached the Gospel. During his ministry He declared
to the multitudes that the Kingdom of God was at hand. And this
is the mandate He gives to God's man, the believer.
Jesus said in Matthew 28:19:
Go therfore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit.
In II Corinthians 5:20 the command is a bit differently
given:
So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal
through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be
reconciled to God.
And in I Peter 2:9 the same truth is enunciated:
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of
him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
The born again Christian, who has been adopted into the
family of God and who has become citizen of the kingdom headed up
by Christ, declares to the world what Christ has done at the
cross.
This is why he is called an ambassador of Christ. The
Christian himself is the evidence of Christ's victory on the
cross. This is the only area of the cosmos where the effect of
Christ's work on the cross can be seen on this side of judgment
day. The redeemed soul of the Christian is the only portion of
the cosmos that is changed because of the cross. The creatures
and the earth must await judgment day before the evidence of
Christ's victory will be seen in them.
But even in God's man the victory of the cross is not
manifested as a total victory. While his soul has been
transformed--it needs no further changing to enter heaven--his
body, his old nature, has not been changed at all as a result of
the cross.
But because man is an integrated personality consisting of
both body and soul, it is in his body that he can first
demonstrate the power of Christ in his life. When he became a
citizen of Christ's kingdom, he was freed from bondage of Satan,
in both body and soul. While his soul was renewed by the Holy
Spirit (he was born-again), his body was unchanged. It still
bears all the desires of the natural man. It still lusts after
the world. But it was freed from Satan's power. This is the
reason the Christian longs for the resurrection of the body. The
resurrected body is the hope of the Christian.
He Must Reign Over His Body
Therefore, this becomes the arena where the victory of the
cross is shown to the unsaved world and to principalities and
powers. A man's soul, his inner essence, cannot be seen, but his
body can. He is, therefore, told by Christ to reign over his
body. He is to crucify the flesh, put to death the old nature.
He is to show in his body, as he exercises control over it, that
Christ's victory on the cross is what the Bible says it is. He,
of course, has infinite God in the person of the Holy Spirit
indwelling him to give him the strength. He has Christ to call
upon for aid. He has the Word of God to guide him. He has the
love of the Father as an ever present source of comfort. His
body, thus, is the testing arena where he gains victories over
Satan. Because he is attempting to bring an unchanged natural
body under control, he never totally succeeds. His successes
strengthen him in Christ and his failures repeatedly bring him to
the cross as he confesses his sins and experiences anew the pardon
of Christ.
Thus, as the Christian shows the fruit of the Spirit in his
life, (love, joy, peace, long suffering, etc., Gal. 5:22,23), and
this can only be shown as he crucifies the flesh and its desires,
he shows to his unsaved peers the power of a transformed life.
He Is A Prophet
The believer's task to witness goes beyond showing to the
world the redeeming work of Christ as he reigns over his body.
Christ, as our King, preached the Gospel. And he expects us also
to preach the Gospel. Christ has provided the salvation. He, as
the head of all believers, set the example for his followers as he
preached to the multitudes. In God's mysterious divine economy He
gave to his believers the task of sharing the news of the victory
on the cross to all men. In the Old Testament this was done in a
limited fashion (Noah to the citizens of his day, the spies to
Rahab, Naomi to Ruth and Orpah, Jonah to Nineveh, Solomon to the
Queen of Sheba, the prophets to the Israelites, and the heathen
nations).
But then came the cross and Pentecost. Satan was bound so
that his house could be plundered of captives from every nation.
The promise was given that the gates of Hell could not prevail.
(The gates of Satan's prison that keep men from entering heaven
could not keep out the powerful Gospel that would free men.) The
church was given the key to these prison gates of Hell. That key
was the Gospel. The Holy Spirit was poured out to give power to
those who would witness and to provide the power that would unlock
the prison gates (the hearts of men). God's man was to be the
salt of the earth, the light of the world. He and he only is the
one that holds within his hands and heart the knowledge that can
set men free.
As parents, he preaches as he witnesses to his children. The
housewife presents the Gospel by her testimony to her neighbors,
the business man to his associates. The concern to preach the
Gospel is manifested in the Christian's support of missionaries
and mission ventures. The believer engages in tract and Bible
distribution programs. The methods and means of bringing the
Gospel are as manifold as and as varied as there are believers.
When one of God's men or one organization lies down on the task,
God raises others up to carry the Gospel in other ways. For the
Gospel will go out.
He Is A Priest
But the Christian must follow Christ in another dynamic way.
Christ prayed for his people. He interceded on their behalf.
This task, too, is given the believer. He is given an open
channel to the throne room of God to bring his petitions and
thanks. Natural man has no possibility of audience with the King
because he is not a citizen. Nor does he want such an audience
for Satan is his master, and he believes that he, himself, is the
King of his life. But God's man realizes every gift is from
above. And he comes to God on behalf of those who are in
spiritual bondage. He prays for the salvation of his friends, of
his fellowman.
He also prays for the needs of this world for in its welfare
he finds his welfare. This is the environment in which he is to
live and work as God's man. He, therfore, prays for those who
govern (I Tim. 2:1-3). He prays for the temporal needs of his
fellow man. He does, indeed, belong to a kingdom of priests and
has great concern for the needs of this world. He knows that God
loves this world and, therefore, the believer's requests are well
received by God.
But there is another dynamic way in which God's man shows his
tremendous concern for this world. In this he is also showing
Christ as his example.
In his priesthood he completes the suffering of Jesus Christ.
In Colossians 1:24 the Bible declares:
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh
I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the
sake of his body, that is, the church.
This suffering is not the suffering of the atonement. No man
can take part in that. But Christ also suffered in bringing the
Gospel. He suffered as men reviled him, as he endured physical
hardship in preaching the Gospel., as he was slandered, beaten,
and cursed. The bringing of the Gospel caused great suffering for
Christ completely apart from the redemption suffering caused by
his perfect obedience to God in bearing the wrath of God for our
sins.
And the church, the society of God's men, is the body of
Christ. It is as it were Christ himself, continuing to present
the Gospel. Christ ascended to heaven but he left his citizens
here to complete his suffering--to be his ambassadors, his
representatives, his body, his presence. The Christian is to
endure hardship, persecution, revilings, and deprivation in order
that he might bring the Gospel as Christ brought it.
The focal point of the Christian's life is obedience to Christ
as his King, as his Savior. His task is not in any sense to bring
the world into subjection, or to have dominion of this world.
This was accomplished by Christ, but will not be revealed until
judgment day. Geehardus Vos (3) as well as others would include
much more within the kindom than we are setting forth in this
discussion. He does say:
The kingdom remains to all intents a supernatural kingdom
(p.44).
and he further declares:
It would not be in harmony with Jesus' view so to conceive of
it, as if by gradual extension of the divine power operating
internally, by the growth of the church by the everwidening
influence of the truth, the kingdom which now is will become
all-comprehensive and universal and so pass over into the
final kingdom. This would eliminate all true eschatology and
obliterate the distinction between the two aspects of Jesus'
teachings on the subject (p. 45).
But he also states;
There is a sphere of science, a sphere of art, a sphere of
the family and of the state, a sphere of commerce and
industry. Whenever one of these spheres comes under the
controlling influence of the principle of the divine
supremacy and glory, and this outwardly reveals itself, there
we can truly say that the kingdom of God has become
manifest...we may safely affirm two things. On the one hand,
his doctrince of the kingdom was founded on such a profound
and broad conviction of the absolute supremacy of God in all
things, that he could not look upon every normal and
legitmate province of human life as intended to form part of
God's kingdom.
Vos is unable to provide any direct Biblical basis for this
latter conclusion. In fact, he himself declares in reference to
the question of including these spheres as a part of the kingdom:
Now our Lord in his teaching seldom makes explicity reference
to these things (p. 89).
He also comments:
As already stated, this is a subject on which our Lord's
teaching does not bring any explicit disclosures and which
can only be treated by way of inference (89).
We might add that philosophically this extension of the
kingdom as suggested by Vos and others appears very logical, even
though there is no direct Biblical warrant for it. But when such
statements as God's command to subdue the earth and have dominion
over its creatures are studied in the light of the whole Word of
God, we have seen that this idea will not accord with Biblical
revelation. It appears, unfortunately, that Vos did not explore
the Biblical revelation from the aspect of these direct commands.
Rather he is to be content with his lot in life because his
citizenship is in heaven. He, with Abraham, is a stranger and a
pilgrim here. The city he is looking for is the heavenly city.
But he is living here as in a foreign land with a glorious task.
In the carrying out of this task, he utilizes the products that
man (both natural and God's man) has produced, even as Jesus used
a boat when he preached. The all important aspect of Jesus'
ministry, however, was not the boat, but the Gospel message.
Likewise, the all important aspect of the Christian's task is not
the production of means of communication but communication
itself--communication of the Gospel.
The Christian shows mercy, the Christian loves and the
Christian provides food and the cup of cold water for the same
reasons that Jesus healed the sick, wept over Jerusalem and fed
the five thousand. In these programs he is obeying Christ and
showing the love of God. And as he manifests his love in these
endeavors, he is providing the context and contact for presenting
the Gospel that will set men free. He is truly the aroma of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
The Christian realizes that he is heir to this earth. Jesus
promised this when he said "the meek shall inherit the earth."
But he knows that his inheritance will become a reality when
Christ gives it to him as a new earth following judgment day.
Then the enemy, Satan and all his followers, both demons and men,
will be removed, will be destroyed from this earth. Today they
claim possession of this earth. They appear to be very
successful. But victory for God's man is certain. He will be the
prossessor, the heir of this earth, because Christ has been
entirely successful in his subjugation of Satan. God's timetable
calls for the final evidence of Christ's victory to be shown at
His return when only God's man and the angels will be eternally
present with God in the new heaven and new earth, wherein
righteousness dwells.
How glorious is the salvation offered by the Lord Jesus Christ
to whosoever will believe on Him. How glorious is the task of the
disciple of Christ as he follows his Lord and Savior.
(Notes to numbered passages in Chapter 3)
(1) The 12 rules of Alcoholics Anonymous are a good example of
this fact. If these rules, which are derived from Biblical truth,
are followed, the members of this organization are able to stay
sober. This in itself can never bring salvation, but it does
permit alcoholics to live decent lives.
(2) In the same context Jesus indicated that when it is time for
Christ's return, "your redemption is near" (Luke 21:28). The
kingdom of God is exactly parallel to salvation. At conversion
man's eternal salvation in all of its fullness is guaranteed--at
the cross the eternal kingdom of God was assurred in all its
fulness of the new heaven and new earth. At conversion salvation
can only be seen in the soul of man and in his body as he reigns
over it with his new soul. This side of judgment day the kingdom
of God can only be seen in the redeemed souls of men as believers
reign over their bodies. At Christ's return redemption will be
totally completed--both of man's body as well as the cosmos. The
kingdom will come to full fruition.
(3) Vos, The Kingdom and the Church, Erdmans 1951.
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