The Cultural Mandate After the Fall
The tectonic plates of human history shifted at the Fall—when all mankind in Adam disbelieved God and rebelled against Him. Yet between pre-Fall history and post-Fall history there are continuities, as well as discontinuities.
Clearly, the Lord-Who-does-not-change is one continuity; the creation another; man being in the image of God is a third. The Cultural Mandate—the command to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it—is yet another. But there are also changes within the Cultural Mandate—changes which reflect the reality and existence of sin.
The first, and most obvious, is that the duties and tasks given to mankind become much harder to perform. While the command to be fruitful and multiply remains, now the bearing of children would be extremely painful. Moreover, the creation itself would now work against man, rebelling against his rule—so that man, being in God's likeness, would experience being rebelled against. It would grow thorns and thistles—throwing up constant obstacles to man's rule over nature. Secondly, the very ground was cursed as a result of man's sin. This meant that it was to be not nearly as productive and fecund as it once was. Man would continue to cultivate it, but would do so in toil and sorrow. It would require hard labour rather than delightfully easy labour.
A good analogy of the contrast between the experience of carrying out the Cultural Mandate before the Fall, and the struggle, strife and effort after the Fall, is the difference between when a sportsperson is “zoned” and when he is not. When a sportsperson is “in the zone” the activities required are found to be effortless and amazingly skillful, precise and accurate. So man before the Fall. When a sportsperson is not zoned, however, every aspect of the game can be a struggle, requiring hard physical effort. Play is unskilled, copious mistakes are made. Everything is hard; every stroke or every shot clumsy. So man after the Fall.
Thus, God speaks to Adam after his sin: “Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you shall eat of the plants of the field—by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, until you return to the ground.” (Genesis 3:17—19)
The citizens of Jerusalem by faith accept this duty-by-struggle in humility, recognising that it provides a constant reminder that sin has consequences which cannot easily be escaped. But, thanks be to God, this does not consign mankind to a never ending life sentence of hard labour. In Psalm 8, man's position as being a little lower than God is to result in him being crowned with glory and majesty—these are not terms of humiliation and despair. He is made to rule over the works of God's hands. And this is provides the ground for declaring the glory and majesty of the Name of God through the whole earth.
As God's plan of redemption unfolds and comes to pass, it takes a most spectacular and amazing turn. Herein lies the greatest discontinuity between the time prior to the Fall and afterward. Another Adam is born into the human race—a second Adam—Who wins the right to reverse all the consequences of Adam's sin. As such, He is the first to be crowned fully with the glory and honour which God originally intended for mankind. The glorious picture given in Psalm 8 for mankind in general is declared to be realised and accomplished first in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Compare Psalm 8 with Hebrews 2: 5-8) He is raised to the right hand of God—the highest place of dignity for any creature. All authority in heaven and earth is granted to Him, and gradually, all things and all enemies are being placed under His feet. He will remain at God's right hand until it is finished and done. (Psalm 110:1)
His people, the citizens of Jerusalem, share in this gradual restitution because they inherit the fruit and blessing of what He earned on their behalf. We are part of the new creation which is being worked by Christ as He impeccably and irrevocably brings the fruit of His redemption to pass on the earth. The creation will gradually cease to groan under the weight of man's sin as the citizens of Jerusalem grow in number and a great multitude which no man can number depart Athens, the city of death and come through the gates of Jerusalem, the city of life in Christ. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. Eye has not seen nor ear heard what glory awaits to come forth upon the earth as the Kingdom of God expands to fill the whole, as Athens is depopulated and withers away into an ossified relic of a bygone blighted age.
So the call continues to go out to the citizens of Athens, who in our day foolishly believe that it is Jerusalem which is an empty relic of a primitive past and that Athens has triumphed. But He who sits at God's right hand is laughing at them (Psalm 2: 4). Indeed it is Athens which is doomed, not Jerusalem. God has decreed that Athens shall be shattered and broken by His Christ. Therefore, Athenians, while it is still today, while it is still possible, leave the city of death. Come to Jerusalem and worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling. There is no future for you in Athens—only death. Leave now, for tomorrow the gates of Jerusalem may be shut forever to you.
I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to Me, “Thou art My Son,
Today I have begotten Thee.
Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thy inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Thy possession.
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron,
Thou shalt shatter them like earthenware.”
Now, therefore, O kings, show discernment
Take warning, O judges of the earth.
Worship the Lord with reverence,
And rejoice with trembling.
Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry
And you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are those who take refuge in Him.
(Psalm 2:7—12)
It is well to recall that these are the words of the Living God, Who called all things into being of nothing by His command. His declaration over Athens makes its history and prospect, doom and dissolution utterly certain--as certain as existence itself. To parody Descartes: I am (and the creation is), therefore Athens is doomed.
To the vast majority within Athens, the god of current favour and choice is the Government. It is to their kings, rulers and judges they look for provision and life, health and happiness, salvation and safety. But, citizens of Athens, the doom of your judges and rulers is declared and certain—and if you continue in them and with them, you will likewise perish with them. Come out from among them while it is still today.
The certain prospect that the Jerusalem will triumph upon the earth fills its citizens with hope that will not disappoint. Therefore, the Christian mind is fundamentally an optimistic mind, experiencing all the well-being that such well-founded godly optimism brings. The optimistic outlook of the Believing Mind is not pollyanna like—refusing to see any evil or danger, suffering or harm—but rather sees the inevitable and ultimate triumph of Christ and His people upon the earth, despite such things. Any reversals are viewed as mere short-term setbacks. Any suffering is for the ultimate increase in His glory. Any struggle with sin is seen as for the greater manifestation of Christ's grace. No labour for Christ is in vain. No work of faith without significance. No effort without fruit.
For the Believing Mind these things are as certain as God Himself, utterly locked in by the resurrection of Christ from the dead, and His ascension and enthronement on high.
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