Part 1 of 7
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Starting with eternity in mind, we will be able to understand more clearly God’s purposes for our businesses and our lives. We need to know the purposes to which we Christian business owners[1] have been called. We will better understand the connection between what we do as owners today and what we will be doing in eternity. And we will better understand who we are serving, both now and in the future. Our stewardship role will not end when we die—it will continue into eternity. We will understand the reasons for the entrustments God has given to us and we’ll learn that the principles offered here can be lived out pragmatically.[2] All Christian theology, when properly understood and applied, can be lived out without violating the commands of Scripture or God’s character.
Reigning with Christ
For those who remain faithful to Christ in this life, our reward will be our reigning with Him in eternity:
Only hold fast what you have until I come. The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. And I will give him the morning star.[3]
John is citing Psalm 2, which describes the Messiah’s reign:
I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel”[4]
God has given to Christ the nations[5] and the entire earth as His possession. Revelation 2 tells us that Christ shares all that He has with His children—described as “those who overcome”[6] until He returns. In Revelation 3.20-21, John says this even more directly:
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne[7]
The destiny of the believer is not only a place in God’s home (John 14.1-3), but dominion with Jesus in the new heaven and earth. This future reigning with Christ is not emphasized in our seminaries or churches. While we like to emphasize the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives (John 14.15-23), we often miss the connection between our faithfulness to God today and our future with Him in Heaven. We do not connect the present reality of our actions with the future reality of reigning with Christ. We understand that the Holy Spirit lives within us, but we think of His presence mainly as helping us sin less or be more like Christ. We don’t see His indwelling as a present foretaste of a future reality. Most of our preaching about present-day activities is cast in terms of sin and righteousness, not faithfulness to Christ and a future reign with Him. Ultimately, we need a better understanding of our future with Christ.
So, while the language in Revelation 3.21 may be symbolic in terms of a physical throne,[8] the core of the message is clear: we will reign with Christ in eternity (Matthew 19.28, Luke 22.30, 1 Corinthians 6.2-3, 2 Timothy 2.12, Revelation 5.10; 20.4-6; 22.5) if we are faithful to Him on earth.[9] Our work on this earth is preparatory for our reign with Christ in eternity, but it is also a type of reigning in His Kingdom as we further His Kingdom here. There is both a present and a future aspect to our roles as business owners. I’ll be discussing this more as the chapter unfolds.
This reigning is a result of God’s gracious love toward us, that even when we were in rebellion against Him (Romans 5.8), He was active in the reclamation of the nations to Himself (Colossians 1.20-21) and the implementation of His original Edenic plan:
We can see that the tasks of humanity, taken in tandem with the earlier observations that require Eden and Earth to be distinct, distinguish Eden and the earth. It makes no sense to subdue the garden of God. It’s already what God wants it to be. There’s no place on Earth like it. If it needed subjugation, that would imply imperfection. That’s something that cannot be said about Eden, but it’s true of the rest of the world. For sure God was happy with the whole creation. He pronounced it “very good” (Gen 1: 31). But “very good” is not perfect.[10] Lastly, Eden and Earth must be distinct since, after the fall, Adam and Eve are expelled from it and have to live elsewhere. Unless you believe that they were sent into outer space, you must acknowledge Eden and Earth as distinct…The distinction helps us see that the original task of humanity was to make the entire Earth like Eden. Adam and Eve lived in the garden. They cared for it. But the rest of the earth needed subduing. It wasn’t awful— in fact Genesis 1 tells us that it was habitable. But it wasn’t quite what Eden was. The whole world needs to be like God’s home. He could do the job himself, but he chose to create human imagers to do it for him. He issued the decree; they were supposed to make it happen. They were to do that by multiplying and following God’s direction. Eden is where the idea of the kingdom of God begins. And it’s no coincidence that the Bible ends with the vision of a new Edenic Earth (Rev 21– 22).[11] [emphasis added]
Getting Back to God’s Plan
Our reign with Christ will fulfill His original purpose—to have us steward and cultivate the earth, enjoy our work, and enjoy His presence.[12] He will create a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21.1, 2 Peter 3.13, Isaiah 65.17, 66.22) since the earth and heaven we know today will “pass away.”[13] We will work with God to subdue the earth as members of His divine council (Psalm 88.5-7, 82.1-7, Daniel 4.17-24, 7.10-12, 1 Kings 22.13-28).[14]
It is important to understand that starting, growing, and building a business is part of “subduing the earth.” It is business which takes raw materials and turns them into useful things which better our lives. It is often within the context of business where innovation and creativity are expressed. As a Christian business owner, when you run your business well, you are fulfilling God’s command to steward well the earth.
And when we steward the earth in accordance with God’s agenda, we are preparing ourselves to reign with Christ in eternity. Taking seriously our stewardship responsibilities is part of the preparatory work to reigning with Him. Holding fast to our covenant with Him is also part of that work of preparation. We don’t prepare on this earth primarily to have a fulfilling career. We prepare on this earth to have treasures in Heaven, enjoy His presence, worship Him, and reign with Him.
[1] I use the phrase “Christian business owner” to refer to one who is a Christian and owns a business. The words “Christian” and “Business” are adjectives for the word “owner”. I don’t believe there is such a there is such a thing as a “Christian business” – as if the business itself can choose to be Christian or secular. The core of the business entity is the owner, even though most feel it is the legal structure or the balance sheet. Hence, the owner can choose to operate the activities and purposes of the business based on God’s purposes for business or not. But a business, by itself, cannot be either Christian or secular. It simply is what it is.
[2] Biblical theology concerns itself with what the Bible has to say about a topic. Systematic theology concerns itself with the pragmatic application of Biblical theology. This book has both Biblical and systematic theology in it.
[3] ESV Revelation 2.25-28
[4] ESV Psalm 2.7–9
[5] Most think of nations in political terms. I am using it here as a cosmic geography term. For background on this concept, please see the Deuteronomy 32 Worldview, Dr. Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible, Lexham Press. pp113-122. You can also view his presentations about the Divine Council and the Cosmic World view at https://nakedbiblepodcast.com/newstarthere/
[6] Revelation 2.26, NASB
[7] ESV Revelation 3.20–21
[8] Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Vol. 20, p. 176). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.
[9] This conditional aspect of our faith is presented in other passages, such as Colossians 1.21-23. “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation – if you continue in your faith, established and firm and do not move from the hophope held out in the gospel.” [emphasis added] One scholar wrote: “In light of Christ’s atoning death, the reconciliation with God that resulted, and the believer’s accountability before God, Paul challenges the Colossians to persevere in their walk with God. There is a critical condition (“if indeed, provided that”) to be met if they are to be presented before God as holy and blameless (v. 22). Some interpreters wrongly take this as an expression of confidence that the believers will indeed stand firm. More likely, however, the conditional aspect is stronger, making their future presentation to God dependent on their firm stance for him. The emphasis is on the absolute necessity (“you must”) of their compliance to this charge. Paul is confident of them (see 2.5) but still demands that they take their Christian obligations seriously. The present tense “continue” or “remain” commands ongoing perseverance in faithfulness to the Christian life.” Osborn, Grant, Colossians and Philemon: Verse by Verse, Lexham Press, p 49.
[10] I do think the author, as much as I respect him, is splitting hairs here. I take “good” to mean that it was “perfect” in the sense that it was exactly what God wanted it to be at the time He created it.
[11] Heiser, Michael S.. The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible (pp. 50-51). Lexham Press. Kindle Edition.
[12] If you were to ask the question “why did God do all this in the first place?”, I think the answer is that within the Trinity, there is so much love and joy which they share with each other that they decided to enlarge the circle of those who could share in that love and joy. So, I’ll telecast here a bit, but this is why, I think, the righteous servants in the parable of the ten talents in Matthew 25 have as their reward gaining more of the Master’s joy. Their reward wasn’t economic, though they (partially) proved their faithfulness this way – it was more of the master’s presence, which gave to them a greater joy and love in which to bask they had never had before. This speaks volumes to us about what should excite us even as business owners: as much fun as it is to create wealth, God’s presence should far surpass that experience.
[13] It’s good to keep an eternal perspective on modern-day events. We get so worked up over things that will pass away. Everything on this earth – all material goods, all buildings, all laws, all money, all wealth – everything will one day pass away. It’s best now to focus on those things which are eternal because we too will pass away very soon.
[14] As members of His divine council, we will have a glorified body, but we will not be ontological par with God Himself.
