One of the major talking points of Dominionism is the success of the Great Commission. Their argument goes that since Christ has triumphed over His enemies and we know that all the promises are fulfilled in Christ, the Great Commission must be successful. The statement itself is absolutely true but the question must be asked - how is success defined? Answering that question is key because success itself is a vague term. Take a simple example of a corporation. Its leadership might determine that success is increasing its revenues by 10% over the year. Now that the leadership has set a clear target, at the end of the year one can gauge their success. If they increased their revenue by 9%, they have failed and if they increased it by 10.5% or 12% or 100% they have succeeded. The point being that the clear metric set by the leadership on what success is, defines it. In the same way when we speak of fulfilment of Biblical prophecies and therefore the success of the Great Commission, we ought to consider them through the lens of Christ and the apostles. We’ve already considered some of their hermeneutics earlier in this work. How does that apply to the Great Commission?
Tag: Biblical Separation
The New Covenant and Antithesis: Part 6 – A Remnant, Apostates and a Typological Judgement
We have followed this theme of remnants and apostates throughout the Bible. We have seen how throughout the Old Testament, the people of God were a small minority that was persecuted and rejected by both those who rejected YHWH and many who professed to belong to YHWH but lived in wickedness. In the days of Noah, a single family was spared. In the days of Abraham, a single family was called out. In the days of Elijah, only 7000 Jews remained faithful to YHWH. This theme also holds true in the New Covenant.
The New Covenant and Antithesis: Part 3 – The Church as an Assembly of God’s Divine Council
A lot of these issues in worship stem from a misunderstanding of what the church of God really is. Some of it can be attributed to the Greek Word ekklesia translated as Church in the English language. The word church has institutional connotations and often represents a formal structure that gathers in a building or as a reference to the building itself. It doesn’t accurately represent what the apostles meant when they used ekklesia. Some have understood the term ekklesia to be a sum of two different words. The prefix ex meaning out of and the verb kaleo meaning to call. This they understand to mean called out ones. Now this could be a legitimate understanding of the term. However, when the apostles used the term ekklesia, it already had a colloquial usage in the Koine Greek of the time. Moreover, it is often used in the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament, which the apostles used. Therefore, to understand this term, it is good to look into its colloquial usage and its usage in the Septuagint.
The New Covenant and Antithesis: Part 2 – Religious Separation and Worship
The second aspect that defines the Christian’s antithesis from the world is religious separation. In the Old Covenant, we see it first in Abraham who built altars to YHWH wherever he pitched his tent. These altars signified that Abraham was a YHWH worshipper and did not worship the gods of the nations around him. Similarly, under Moses, God gave the Israelite nation diverse laws that set them apart as a holy people of God. These laws pertained to purity and holiness and intended to teach them the requirements of God as they worshipped Him. Even when the Jews were taken in exile they continued to worship Him in a distinct way, remembering God’s promise to Solomon and turning towards the temple to pray.
The New Covenant and Antithesis: Part 1 – Pilgrim Identity
The Lord instructs His disciples on their antithesis from the world in saying - “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:19). It is because the Christian does not belong to this world, that its citizens hate him. According to our Lord, this hatred is to be an expected aspect of the Christian life and not one that we will see abated in this present age. In fact Christ emphasises this pilgrim separation in His prayer for His people (John 17:14-16). The Christian is not of the world even as their king is not of the world (John 17:16). Looking at this through a kingdom lens helps us understand why Christ emphasises that both He and His people are not of this world. It aligns with the theme that the Scriptures have drawn out so far, that the world belongs to Satan and is under a curse, awaiting destruction.
The Bondage of Manmade Holy Days
Today I walked down to the local Walmart to buy some groceries. I was surprised by how packed the parking lot was and as I entered the store, it was bustling with activity. After a few perplexing seconds I remembered that tomorrow is Valentine's day. I saw men and women rushing to grab flowers, stuffed toys and candy. The candy section was crowded and its stocks were almost empty. It was an interesting sight to say the least! As I walked back home after picking up my groceries I reflected on the craze surrounding manmade holy days.
A Biblical Rejection of Christmas
The celebration of Christmas is a widespread practice in the Western world. It is so widespread and socially acceptable that should one state that they do not keep the custom they are likely to be deemed as odd and strange. In Reformed circles in which I tend to run, there is some degree of controversy in the practice. Historically, the Reformed tradition has generally rejected Christmas and the celebration of other holy days. However, in our times the practice has become more prevalent even in Reformed churches. As Christians, it is important for us to consider what the Scriptures have to say about this topic. Given that I have been asked by many why I do not join in the tradition and celebration that is so common across the Western world and is also celebrated to a degree outside the West, I have decided to gather my thoughts on what I believe the Bible teaches and what I have learnt from my studies of the history.
Redemptive Kingdom Structure in the Old Covenant: Part 2
The Abrahamic Covenant placed Abraham and his descendants in constant antithesis with the people of the world. However, broadly speaking God didn’t regulate the day to day activities of Abraham’s life. There was no specific law given to him. Apart from circumcision there were no external cultural requirements. The covenant itself required separation and distinction from the world, but the details of that were less regulated and we see that Abraham and his descendants often fell into sin and temptation as they interacted with the world. What this implies is that the Abrahamic Covenant, foreshadowing the ultimate end of the present created order in the final judgement, doesn't regulate the things that are passing away as they are not being redeemed.
The Abrahamic Covenant and Antithesis
The covenant with Abraham can be contrasted with the Noahic Covenant because it is rather specific. It does not concern all men, rather it specifically concerns Abraham and his descendants. Unlike the Noahic Covenant it is religious in nature and calls for Abraham’s descendants to be distinct from the people around them. This establishes a principle that we have seen already drawn upon prior to Abraham, that God’s people are in antithesis or opposition to the people of the world. They are to be a distinct people and to serve their God. This distinction was to be in both worship and ordinary practice.
The End of the First World and New Beginnings
The Great Flood was a cleansing of sorts. Peter compares what is experienced in Baptism to the preservation of Noah and his household in the flood (1 Pet 3:20). The future judgement will not be a cleansing with water but a purging with fire. It won’t be a reboot of this present material order, either in its fallen state or in its Edenic form. Rather the form of the new order that God will create from the ashes of the old will be grander and even better than anything Adam could even hope to comprehend in the Edenic state.
Deo Vicit Mundum 