THE WORD OF DOMINION (1)

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them HAVE DOMINION over…” – Genesis 1: 26a

The creation of the Universe began with the Word of Light, but human creation began with THE WORD of DOMINION: “Then GOD SAID, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have DOMINION over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Gen.1:26). Just as it was crucial for Light to precede the creation of the vast span of the universe, human creation was preceded and is sustained by God’s Word of Dominion. God’s Dream of Dominion became His Mandate of Dominion: “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; HAVE DOMINION over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (v.28).

This first recorded blessing of God upon humankind includes the commands to be fruitful and multiply, as well as the mandate to subdue the earth and HAVE DOMINION over “every living thing.” The atmosphere of dominion saturated creation, but in particular, DOMINION was at the heart of God’s creation of humankind. The declaration of God’s Word of Dominion preceded and succeeded human creation (vv.26-28). Dominion is a vocabulary of royalty, a language of authority! Kingdom means the KING’S DOMAIN: the areas or territories over which the king has and exercises authority. Dominion is the exercise of a king’s authority within his domain. No kingdom; no king. No king; no dominion. Dominion is the function, job. or occupation of a King. It differs from Domination. Dominion is about fulfilling a commission, not subjugation!

God created Humankind in His Image, with the Sceptre of Dominion – the staaff of office. To be in the image of God is to share His leadership attributes and to reflect His character. The Ruler of the Universe designed and created men and women in His Image and Likeness, to serve as His vice-regents over creation: “The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; but the earth He has given to the children of men” (Psa.115:16). Unfortunately, humanity’s ability to mirror God’s perfections in governing the earth, was severely impaired by the fall into sin. Even so, in spite of this perversion by sin, it is obvious from human development that humankind still manifests the God-given drive for dominion. However, rather than utilise dominion for good, it has manifested more as domination, subjugation, and tyranny of Man to man!

The commands to be fruitful, multiply, and replenish were not abrogated by Adam’s sin: “So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Gen.9:1). Humanity has continued to procreate and populate the earth; invent, innovate, and produce life-impacting technologies; transform raw materials into finished products; and radically change the face of the earth. Praise God! The dominion mandate that was ‘lost’ or traded away by the first Adam has been restored and redeemed – bought back – by the Last Adam – Jesus Christ through His Mission of Redemption: “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will REIGN IN LIFE through the One, Jesus Christ” (Rom.5:17).

We who believe in Christ are divinely ordained to represent the Sovereign Creator to His creation. The gears of multiplication, fruitfulness, and dominion have however shifted beyond physical replenishment and biological reproduction, to higher spiritual and eternal dimensions. In practical terms, exercising dominion includes using and maximizing our diverse gifts, talents, and vocations excellently, to bring Glory to God: “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was VERY GOOD…” (v..31a).