Christians are to take dominion
Understanding we are to take dominion on the earth, Christians can get overwhelmed by the prospects, as we see the seemingly overwhelming effect of evil on all parts of life, and find it difficult or impossible (in our eyes) to see some light at the end of the tunnel.
But the truth is it's not difficult in any way to understand, yet it's not easy to put into practice what it is God commanded and expects of us in this area.
The first thing to look at to get a clear view of what we are to do, is to read Ecclesiates 12:13,14. It says this"
Ecclesiastes 12:
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
It doesn't get any clearer than that. This is very easy to understand, although hard to put into practice. The most important thing is to see that we are to fear God, and if we do truly fear God, the end result will be we grow into understanding and obedience to His commands through our walk with the Lord during our lifetimes.
The fear side is we are to know every thing we think, say or do will be brought into the judgment of God. That should provide us a healthy check and balance in how we live, as we rely upon the Holy Spirit to help us to increase in our obedience to God as revealed in the Holy Scriptures.
There is another extremely important part of the dominion equation for man, and it's revealed in the father of the faith: Abraham.
Genesis 18:
17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
Training children the commands of God and to obey them is part of taking dominion
What's very important in this passage of Scripture is the reference to Abraham commanding his children to keep the way of the Lord. Not only does it bring understanding of what God is doing, but it is a crucial part of the nations being blessed in Abraham through Jesus Christ.
That's another way of saying in regard to taking dominion. Being a blessing to all the nations of the earth is to take dominion. A key part of that is to teach the laws of God to our children and command them to obey them.
Deuteronomy gives some more insight into the issue of raising children to know and obey God's laws.
Deuteronomy 6:6-8
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
Deuteronomy 32:46-47
46 And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.
47 For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.
Living as examples of obedience
The first step in obedience is to ensure we have the commands and laws of God in our hearts. If they dwell within us, we will not have to work to share them with our children. It'll be an extension of who we are because they're within us.
That's essentially what Deuteronomy 6 is talking about. We are to make an effort to spend time with our children, and during those times we're to look for opportunities to apply the word and laws of God to their lives. It can of course be a special time of teaching while they're expected to listen, but also a natural part of interacting with them in various circumstances of life.
I believe that's what is referred to here in Deuteronomy 6. Children will learn as we spend time with them and spontaneously share the ways of God and His expectations with them. Along with direct teaching, telling stories with the laws of God in them is a good way for children to understand and ultimately to obey His commands.
God promises in Deuteronomy 32:46-47 that if we command our children to obey the words of the law, we will enjoy long life on this earth. Interestingly, in another part of the Scriptures the children are promised long life for obeying parents, which is a direct reference to being obedient to the word of God.
This works its way into the New Testament as well, as 2 Timothy 2:2 says this:
2 Timothy 2:2
2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
It extends beyond the family to spiritual men, who are defined as those that are faithful and will teach others. This is a big part of dominion. It's the teaching and passing on the understanding of the law, and communicating the expectation God has for us to obey all of it.
Finally, this goes beyond individuals and families to the body of Christ as a whole.
2 Corinthians 10:5-6
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
Everything that contradicts or stands in opposition to the revealed will of God in the Bible is to be cast down. We are to bring all our thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
The end result is when we do reach the fullness of our obedience to Christ, we will then fully enter into dominion and go on the offensive against all disobedience to the revealed will of God. This is the goal of dominion on the earth, and the people of God in Christ are called to engage in it.
This is a quick synopsis of taking dominion on the earth, and it's easy to see we are to hold the word of God in our hearts and train our children to know and obey the laws of God. Not only that, spiritual leaders are to train others so they may also teach the word of God in a faithful manner.
The idea is to build a continuity over generations, where those believing in Jesus Christ train their children to obey God, the leaders in the church train men to pass on the faith to others, and finally when the church in in obedience to the laws of God, it will rise across the world at a local level and teach the nations to do the same.
All of this is connected to the simple revelation in Ecclesiastes that we are to fear God and keep His commandments.
Taking dominion is nothing more or less than being faithful in this and passing it on to the next generation. This is ultimately what dominion looks like, and if there is another big move of God, the only way it'll have long-term legs is if these basic but full concepts are embraced and adhered to.
Of course we have to do a lot more research on how the word of God applies to all the areas of life, but it's not hard in the generation we live in to obey what knowledge we do have, as we work to learn more of what God has for us.
The promised blessings of God are directly related to honoring the covenant He made with us. That includes obeying His commands and taking dominion over this world. That is the heritage of the followers of Jesus Christ.
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