Are Christians Blind?

A common question among Christians is: "What is God's will for my life"? But, why do they ask this question as if our Father never told us what His will for our lives is. Wouldn't it make sense that God would state what His will is for us immediately after creating humans? And if that is the case, then certainly the answer to the question of God's will for all of our lives is in Genesis. And, in fact, it is in Genesis in very plain fashion. But, Christians who wonder what God's will is for them have demonstrated that they are blind, because they don't believe the answer they've been given in Genesis.

The answer to the question is: 1) subdue the earth, 2) take dominion of God's creation, 3) multiply, 4) be productive. Jesus expanded on this: disciple the nations.

God's will is for His people to be in control of the planet He gave for them. If you notice, God did not give these four directives to the wicked. In fact, when the wicked multiplied on the earth, He got rid of them and gave the planet back to His people through Noah. Go and subdue the earth, Christians.

God's will is for His people to know about His creation and exercise control over it. Go and take dominion, Christians.

God's will is for His people to multiply over the face of the earth. Go and have children, Christians. Marriage was made for you, not the wicked. You can see what a mess they've made of it. It was never meant for them. Stop cutting yourselves to prevent yourselves from raising a Godly generation! And don't tell me that you can't afford it. Our Father has already told us what to do to have our family's needs abundantly supplied for: read Proverbs 24:27! Go raise a dynasty, Christians, leaving a Godly legacy that will last generations!

God's will is for His people to be productive - that means making things! Go create music, movies, video games, technology, and so on. This world belongs to you! Go, and be productive, Christians!

Stop being so stinking blind!!

Evil has already entered the world and therefore everything decays, not that there's anything man could have done to stop it but it is by design because God knew it. God Himself reconciles everything back to Himself through man.
In this evil world, becoming productive and subduing every creation is futility because the world and everything in it is in the process of passing away- our children/ great music/ video and technology- all shall pass away.

1 Thessalonians 5:14 - Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Hi, Noose -

I disagree with you on the basis of 2 Tim 3:16:

perhaps you haven't read..

People that ask that are just wondering what God would have them do with their lives. I really don't believe that God wants everyone to subdue the earth. What is this blind thing that you are referring to?

Perhaps he is blind?

Apparently, you are living in some sort of fantasy world.

@posthuman
Hi, posthuman -

Thanks for your reply.

After reviewing your quotes, I am not convinced that either 1 Peter 2:17-18 or Romans 13:1-2 are inconsistent with God's will for His people to be in control of the planet He gave for them as evidenced by Genesis 1:27-28:


Please note that God was speaking to two people who were in right standing with Him. In other words, He was not talking to the wicked. In addition, there are other passages demonstrating God's will for His people to be in control of the planet:

• Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son — blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies (Genesis 22:15-17. The gate of their enemies is translated as cities of their enemies in the Septuagint. And Galatians 3:29 demonstrates that Abraham's seed/descendants are Christians. If you look up the Greek word for "descendants" in the Septuagint and the Greek word for "seed" in Galatians 3:29, it is the exact same word. So, the text is referring to the same object that possess the cities of their enemies: Christians.)
• And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.' And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.' And the second came, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned five minas.' Likewise he said to him, 'You also be over five cities' (Luke 19:15-19).
• Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden. But hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations —
  'He shall rule them with a rod of iron;
  They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels' —
  as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star.
  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches (Revelation 2:24-28).
• And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4).

So, we have Abraham's descendants (Christians) who possess the cities of their enemies. Then we have Jesus giving His people (Christians) authority over cities. Then we have Jesus giving those in the church (Christians) power over the nations (ruling with iron rods and dashing the nations to pieces). Then we have Christians who happened to die get resurrected so that they can reign with Christ. The message is clear: God's will is for Christians to be in control of the planet. This message is not inconsistent with 1 Peter 2:17-18 or Romans 13:1-2. If there is an inconsistency, then please demonstrate it with convincing and compelling argumentation. Thanks in advance.

@tourist
Hi, tourist -

What did I share that led you to the conclusion that I am living in some sort of fantasy world?

I have heard Christians voice concern over knowing God's will for their lives after reading the Bible. But, Genesis makes it clear what His will is in Genesis 1:27-28:

God gave these directives to two people who were in right standing with Him; He gave no such directives to the wicked. (In fact, when the wicked grew on the earth, God got rid of them and gave the planet to His people through Noah and his family.) Christians are in right standing with God through the work of Christ. So, my question is: are Christians who voice uncertainty over God's will for their lives blind to the text of Scripture?

"It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality." (1 Thessalonians 4:3)
"Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." (John 17:17)
"So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)

premise: i am rightfully the governing authority of the earth
caveat: i am commanded to submit myself to the governing authorities of the earth

there's a certain distinction to be made clear:


this speaks of mankind in a general sense, not 'Christians' or 'Israelites'
it speak of the incomprehensible smallness of mankind in comparison with the vast scope of the creation,
and the contrasting amazement that God is mindful of us and even more, put us in a position of stewardship over creation.
that's "us" again as humans, not in particular as 'believers' or 'chosen people' out of the mass of humanity.

the same sentiment is brought up in Job, where God makes mention of living creatures in the earth whose strength and size and majesty are beyond the power of man to control -- the contrasting smallness of us ((as a species)) and, in the natural order, relative inconsequence. yet He chose to give us dominion -- and again, to stress, that's "us" as a species, as mankind, as humans: apart from whether we be godless or God-fearing.

dominion/stewardship/authority over the earth and over His creation is not the same as political power & authority over other humans in a governmental system.

yes, we are made -- as humans -- rulers over the earth. we till fields, we mine ores, we harness wind and sun and water. we make tools and manipulate dirt and metal and gases and we domesticate some animals and exert control over the populations of others for food. and that is disparate and independent over whether we are Christians or we are pagan: it is the station of mankind as a particular creature.

simultaneously, can we bind the Pleiades or loosen Orion's belt? does Leviathan grovel at our feet?
we are given - undeservingly - a position of dominion over His creation, as mankind, and at the same time humbled by the very thing that we are set in authority over: in order that before God, who owns and created all these things, we also should be taught to be humble.

this is not a call to establish theocratic empire over the homo-sapiens population of this planet. Paul did not seek to become emperor of Rome; he both submitted to human authority, both before the Synod and the Senate, and wrote that we should honor the emperor: this at the time Nero Caesar sat on the throne. neither Christ, nor Paul, nor Peter nor any other apostle taught that followers of the Lord should establish an earthly kingdom -- Deus vult. the Son of Man, who we are being made conformed to the image of, made Himself the servant of others, even as He showed His authority to command the wind and the waves.

@posthuman

Hi, posthuman -

Thank you for your Biblical response. It's refreshing to see someone articulate a well thought-out Biblical reply.

In response to your post on this subject, let me first say, "amen, amen, and amen"!

Yes, Psalm 8:3-6 speaks of what God has done for mankind in a general sense. But, what is God's will? From my perspective there is a distinction between what God has done, and what God's will is. God created the world in perfection; His will is that man keeps it that way. However, we know how that turned out. Likewise, in general God made man "rulers over the works of [His] hands", and God's will is for those in right standing with Him to rule the word with Him as demonstrated by the four directives given to Adam and Eve, the flood, God's prophetic vision given Abraham just after the sacrifice of Isaac was thwarted, Daniel's vision where "the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting dominion. And all dominions shall serve and obey Him" (Daniel 7:27), Jesus giving authority over cities to those who are faithful, the saints reigning with Jesus for a thousand years, and Jesus stating that those who overcome (conquer) will be granted to sit with Jesus on His throne as Jesus also overcame and sat down with His Father on His throne (Revelation 3:21).

Yes, the text of Job teaches a very important lesson regarding us being humble.

Yes, we are not called to establish a theocracy, at least not upon unbelievers. Perhaps, we can cover this topic in another post. But, my thesis is that just as Jews were under and administered Mosaic law amongst themselves, we are under and administer Christ's kingdom amongst ourselves with the Gospel as an invitiation for non-believers to join Christ's kingdom on earth.

Yes, Jesus withdrew Himself when the Jews wanted to make Him king by force. I think "by force" is the key phrase here, because Jesus later admitted that He was a king. But His kingdom does not originate from this planet, it originates from heaven toward the planet. I know people state "My kingdom is not of this world". But the problem is that this declaration is erroneously translated as "My kingdom is not on this world". This translation is erroneous because the two statements do not convey equivalent meanings. If more people studied Greek, then they would be able to recognize that Jesus is not saying His kingdom is not on the planet. Instead, He is stating that His kingdom is not of earthly origin. Moreover, we already know that Christ's kingdom is on the planet because when Jesus was asked when the kingdom would come, He stated that the kingdom does not come with observation. Instead the kingdom is within you guys. In addition, Jesus stated that if he performed miracles by the finger of God, then the kingdom had come upon the people He was speaking to. Finally, Daniel 2:44 states Christ's kingdom is on earth destroying other kingdoms.

So, yes, yes, and yes to everything you wrote. I wholeheartedly appreciate what you shared.

There are two things I'd like for you to consider. The first is that Scripture speaks in a general sense, as you have shown. And Scripture speaks in a specific sense, as I have shown. So, please consider both perspectives, because both perspectives are in Scripture, and each perspective is no more important than the other.

The second thing I'd like for you to consider is a bit more complex, because it consists of two parts. The first part is what I call Christian Promotion to Authority:

• And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:15-22).
• But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-7).
• But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Luke 22:28-30).
• Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.(Matt 16:17-19)"

The second part is what I call Christian Authority in Action:

• Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them (Matt 18:15-20).
• Every place in the Bible where you see the word "church", the Greek word is ekklesia. This word means "assembly". During the 1st century, this word was a politically charged word, not a religious word. It meant people were assembled to take care of business, similar to the way a city council would convene. You'll see the word used this way in Acts 19:32 and Acts 19:39,41; but please don't neglect the context, because the context drives home the meaning of the word.

So, what's the point? The point is that this is an amazing message from our Father that extends throughout Scripture from Genesis to Revelation regarding the vision He has for us specifically. And the message is consistent.

Again, thank you for your Biblical response. I think what you've contributed is valuable and adds significant understanding to knowing God's will for us specifically and humans in general. As you can see I added additional Scriptures from Jesus, Paul, and Daniel that add to our understanding of what God's will is for us, all of which underscore the message that our Father created this planet for man in general, but for Christ and us specifically. In essence, we rule through advancing Christ's kingdom on earth.

@posthuman

Hi, posthuman -

Thanks for the reply.

Just as state legislators are the governing authority, they also must submit to the laws they create.

I hope that helps.

That is hardly the answer to a Christian asking God for direction in their life. OK, all of that stuff was accomplished centuries ago, what happens next. Your answer to the question about God's will for one's life is borderline ridiculous. As to your other point, the whole bible is filled with God offering guidance to the wicked, directing them to repent of their sins, to do good and not practice evil anymore. You have to open your eyes because in regards to understanding scripture you are blind as a bat.

Do you actually believe that anyone is actually going to consider your OP and apply it to their life? The chance of that happening is less than zero. God gave general guidance to the role of man in regards to certain matters pertaining to the earth. Each Christian is a unique creation in Christ and they ain't going to read your OP and then try to subdue the world. Someone asking for God's will for their life is seeking particular guidance that is based on who they are and what they are about. They may however be fruitful and multiply but even that can become problematic in today's troubled world.

That is hardly the answer to a Christian asking God for direction in their life.
What is the basis for this statement?

OK, all of that stuff was accomplished centuries ago, what happens next.
All of what stuff was accomplished centuries ago?

Your answer to the question about God's will for one's life is borderline ridiculous.
What is the basis for this statement?

You have to open your eyes because in regards to understanding scripture you are blind as a bat.
What is the basis for this statement?