Genesis 1–11: God’s Design for Nationhood (Pt. 4/5)
The Great Commission is about making disciples of all nations to rebuild the global civilization to be in fellowship with God and consistent with his will. This video clarifies the meaning of “civilization” and “nation” based on Genesis 1–11. This is to present a biblical understanding of nationhood in light of the Creation Mandate as renewed in the Great Commission. In the process it explains how making disciples of Christ in a nation rebuilds civilization. A civilization is a developed culture. It is the outcome of God creating humanity with God-like abilities. A civilization consistent with God’s will is one that upholds “do justice and love mercy.” This correlates to God creating humanity with the God-like qualities of love and justice. A country may not (yet) be a nation. Building a country into a nation goes hand in hand with building a nation that is consistent with God’s will. For a nation is a community of people bound by a set of characteristics that motivates them to treat one another with justice and mercy regardless of race or ethnicity.
You may view the full video at:
Three questions posed by a viewer:
1. Does it mean that the church must renew its mandate to include nation building and governance?
2. Does it mean that the physical world we inherit with Christ will be what it is now forever except that it is redeemed?
3. That we will participate in Isaiah 9:7 ?
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Answers by Dr. Leong Tien Fock.
1) The Great Commission is already the renewed Creation Mandate. What the church needs to do is to fulfill the Great Commission as intended—make disciples, not just converts, of all nations. This means teaching believers to observe everything Christ has commanded in every aspect of their lives. Nation building is the by-product of making disciples as intended.
A believer may be a father/husband and a politician. When, as a disciple of Christ, he seeks to observe everything Christ has commanded in every aspect of his life, his church life, family life (father/husband) and work life (politician) would be increasingly consistent with God’s will—love your neighbor as yourself, or do justice and love mercy, which is what a nation should be like as defined in the video. When more people in a country become disciples of Christ, more people in the country are living their church/family/work life in a way consistent with God’s will. Thus the country is increasingly a nation. Hence making disciples as intended in and of itself is already nation building.
This then means, governance in the church, family (when the parents are disciples, and workplace (when the bosses are disciples) would be increasingly consistent with God’s will. And when those in power in the Government (a judge, a minister, a department head, etc.) are disciples, governance in (that part of) the Government would also be consistent with God’s will.
Also, disciples are called to be salt and light to influence those who are not (yet) disciples. This includes leading them to faith and making disciples of them, which contribute to nation building as outlined above. At the least, disciples can influence unbelievers to live in a way consistent with God’s will, which is contributing to nation building, though in minimal way.
2) The physical world we will inherit with Christ is the New Heavens and the New Earth. Scripture gives a glimpse of what it is like to be there, but not what it is like physically. All we can say is that it will be the redeemed heavens and earth that God created just as our resurrected bodies will be the redeemed bodies that God created. If God cannot redeem what he created, he is defeated by Satan.
3) We now participate in Christ’s eternal government through making disciples of all nations on the basis that “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” We will participate fully in this government at the second coming of the Son of Man, who was granted eternal dominion over the nations (Dan 7: 14)—when “the saints of the Most High” will possess the eternal kingdom (Dan 7:22; see 1 Cor 6:2–3; Rev 2:26–27; Rev 3:21).