Glorious and Depraved (6): The Creation/Cultural Mandate (Part Three)

Fill the earth and subdue it! (Genesis 1:28)

The expand and control parts of the mandate from God go hand in hand. Expanding into new territories requires learning new ways to survive and thrive. Mankind tried staying in one place at Shinar, with their tower to make a name for themselves (Genesis 11), but God dispersed them by confusing their language.

We see in Genesis several ways in which mankind learned to survive and thrive by the invention of several technologies and arts.

Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground. (Genesis 4:2)

Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the first of those who live in tents and keep livestock.  The name of his brother was Jubal; he was the first of all who play the harp and the flute.  Now Zillah also gave birth to Tubal-Cain, who heated metal and shaped all kinds of tools made of bronze and iron. (Genesis 4:20-22)

Learning to harness fire was a huge accomplishment, and with the use of fire, learning to cook food was huge. Cooking made food more digestible and nutritious. Learning to make bread from harvested and milled grains was a major advance, unlocking the nutrients from the grain with fermentation. Hunting, of course, after God gave animals for food was a skill in itself.

Building shelter, storing food, managing waste, procuring water, purifying water, governing communities, relating to other communities, and many more skills were developed as humans proliferated and spread out. Culture was built.

The cultural mandate does not require believers to fight against or remove ourselves from the cultures that have been built with so many ungodly traits, nor to embrace its idolatry, but to be “representatives of Christ who live their lives in the midst of and for the good of their cultural context, and whose cultural lives are characterized by obedience and witness.”

The cultural mandate requires us to have “respect for the environment, cultivation of the land, love of nature, the kind and humane treatment of animals” (Focus on the Family). We are encouraged to explore our universe, our world, and ourselves to see God’s handiwork and to harness what secrets we can to promote healing and improve our quality of life. All of this requires work.