First posted on October 9, 2012 at jakebelder.com.

Some time ago, I wrote about how the covenant of creation shapes our calling in the world, noting that the fall into sin and subsequent covenant of redemption does not negate our original responsibility to fulfill the cultural mandate. There are people who argue that the responsibilities God gave to humanity under the covenant of creation are not republished elsewhere in Scripture, thereby nullifying them. A few months ago, however, one of my seminary colleagues, Justin Borger, argued (and clearly demonstrated) that this is not the case. Be sure to read his post.

Biblical witness to the continuation of this mandate aside, it struck me that, were God to allievate us of the responsibility of fulfilling the cultural mandate, we would be less than human.

God created mankind specifically with the responsibility of acting as his co-regents on earth, ruling and having dominion over the creation (Gen. 1:28). This task is fundamentally a part of what it means to be human. Our dignity and worth is instrinsically connected with this responsibility. God called the pinnacle of his creation to rule over that creation, and to continue the work of creation, building and moulding and fashioning all areas of life and culture in line with the normative structures he wove into the fabric of creation.

Humanity, of course, failed to do this and instead rebelled against God. As a result, although mankind continued to create culture and shape society, it was now done in service to mankind, and anti-normatively, in opposition to the structures of God’s creation. Our sinful nature has now made it impossible for us to faithfully carry out our covenantal responsibilities. We are all covenant-breakers.

As I said above, some believe that because of the fall into sin, our original calling and responsibility has been eclipsed, and they will often argue instead that the task of the Christian now only concerns the eternal destiny of individuals. That is, our responsibility in the world is essentially limited to evangelism and to living upright lives, detached from the world around us. The problem with such a view is that it operates from the presupposition that the redemptive work of Christ is only concerned with the eternal destiny of people, and that in the interim, grace is only at work to make people more holy. Both these things are certainly the result of the transforming work of grace, but they only constitute a part of the work of grace.

Because the redemptive work of Christ extends to all of creation (Col. 1:18-20, 2 Pet. 3:13, Rev. 21:1-5), it also redeems the whole of our humanity, including our lives right now. That means our callings are not at all done away with by the incursion of sin into the world, but instead, because of Christ, we are now re-enabled to fulfil our original calling as his redemption touches every part of our lives. The transforming power of grace transforms us into people who can again live in faithfulness to the Lord. The mediator of the covenant once again makes it possible for us to fulfil our covenant obligations, and we do so more and more as we are progressively sanctified. God works in and through his people to make his rule as King known on earth as it is in heaven.

This restoration of our humanity is also significant in terms of upholding the sovereignty of God. For God to remove this responsibility from us because of our sin would call his sovereignty into question. God called his work of creation ‘good’, and that included his design for humanity. In order for God’s sovereignty to be upheld, the redemptive work of Christ must extend as far as the curse is found. And because that curse radically distorted our humanity, affecting our ability to fulfil our calling and responsibility, that redemption must also restore our humanity so that we can again live in the way that God intended us to. If we were not re-enabled, through the work of Christ, to live the whole of our lives to the praise and glory of God, then we would not be re-enabled to fully honour his sovereignty since he would be effectively allow us to live parts of our lives without deference to him. But, of course, God makes no such allowance (Luke 4:8, 1 Cor. 10:31).

The second-century church father, Irenaeus, said, ‘The glory of God is man fully alive.’ When we don’t fulfil the callings God gives to us, we are less than human, and less than fully alive. But God, in his mercy, enables us again to live in faithfulness to him. Let’s make every effort to take up the calling he has given us and work towards bringing all of our created life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, bearing witness to his redemption and his rule over all of life, glorifying the God who made us and brought us into relationship with himself.