Grace and Nature: Reconnecting the Great Commission to the Cultural Mandate 

Dear OBC Family,

Grace restores nature.

This is a simple principle that Christian theologians have employed throughout the history of the church. Along the way, some (mostly in the Roman Catholic Church) have misused these terms and argued for some type of super-added grace in the beginning with Adam. But on the whole, Christians have affirmed the goodness of creation (nature), the badness of sin (the Fall), and the need for redemption and a new creation (grace).

Importantly, when the new creation comes, however, it does not destroy nature (the way God made humanity, for instance). Rather, it restores nature. Until all things are made new, this restoration is gradual, until Christ finally consummates the kingdom and completes the new heavens and the new earth.

Now, why should we who are simply trying to honor Christ with our daily living spend time on terms that are mildly esoteric? The answer will be found this Sunday, as we consider the Great Omission in the Great Commission.

As we considered last week, the Great Commission is possible because Christ is Lord over all. But equally, Christ is Lord over redemption and creation, grace and nature. Yet, as some have stressed the evangelistic calling of the Great Commission—to make disciples of all nations—they have unintentionally ignored the call to make a living, to make babies, or to make homes in which disciples are raised.

When we read the whole Bible, however, we learn that the spiritual calling of evangelism is not at odds with the cultural mandate to subdue and rule and to be fruitful and multiply. Indeed, grace restores nature; it does not destroy it. And so, as we are committed to the Great Commission, we must lean into the church’s mission to disciple the nations, all the while affirming, commending, and encouraging the place of children who grow up in our midst to get married and have their own children.

While that may seem obvious, it’s not. As Josh Holler has shown in his recent Christ Over All article, many today are opting for fewer babies and later babies. And as I will attempt to show Sunday, this comes from a view of the world that is anything but child-friendly. Rather, for a host of cultural reasons, demographic trends are moving away from marriage and children. And thus, as Christians who affirm the good news of the new birth and the good news of the first birth, we want to see disciples made, as well as babies.

And to help us think about that, we will look at a few stories from the time of the Judges. Most specifically, we will look at Judges 17–21 and Ruth 1–4. Now that’s a lot of Scripture and we won’t examine all the details of those chapters, but we will see how rampant sexual chaos collapsed the family in the days of the Judges. We will also see in that same time how the birth of one child to one unexpected family led to the kingdom of David and his greater son, Jesus Christ.

From that history then, we will see what God’s Word has to say to us today. And how the Great Commission calls all Christians to share the good news of Christ, even as we are called to encourage the formation of families—in our own day and in the days to come.

To prepare for Sunday, take time to read or listen to as much of Judges 17–21 and Ruth 1–4 as you can. These will be the places we reference on Sunday, as we look at the ways God worked in the chaotic days of the Judges and how he can work in our day, too.

As the Lord allows, I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

For His Glory and your joy in Christ,
Pastor David