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| Have you signed on to your role on planet Earth? |
Did you notice how similar Jeremiah 29:4-7 is to Genesis 1:26-28?
In Genesis 1:26-28, God told the first humans to “be fruitful
and multiply.” And He went on to give us a task.
An assignment. A mission. A charge.
Specifically, God told us to “have dominion over” planet Earth.
To “rule” over it. To “replenish the earth, and subdue it.” This is our role. This is God’s purpose for us.
The “First Commission” of Genesis 1:26-28 was not rescinded at
the Fall. The Fall makes our role more difficult. But the assignment
remains, even as it did for Israelites in Babylon.
In my writing, I keep coming back to one fundamental question:
What is the role of human beings on
planet Earth?
The reason I keep coming back to this fundamental question is because
the answer to this question provides a fundamental purpose for education, a fundamental purpose for work, a fundamental purpose for rearing children, a fundamental purpose
for civil government, a fundamental
purpose for living.
The Westminster Confession answers the question, “What is the chief
aim of man” this way: “To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Very good. But this
does not tell me what my role is. It
does not tell me what my purpose is on
planet Earth. It tells me a by-product of fulfilling my role well, but it does not tell me what my role is.
What role did God specifically have in mind for humans to fill on
planet Earth?
The answer is so simple it eludes us: fill it and farm it.
Psalm 8:3-6 says: “…what
is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You
have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and
honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything
under their feet…” (NIV)
Psalm 115:16 puts it this way: “The heaven of heavens is for God, but he put us in charge of the earth.”
(The Message)
We have a role. We
have a charge.
Let's fulfill it, shall we?
Let's fulfill it, shall we?
Posted by Dr. Christian Overman