Ask Dr. Jeanette”™ Success On “The Way”
“Dominion”
Let’s define what we believe is commonly meant or understood as “dominion?” This word is stated in Genesis 1:26 – “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion (to tread down; to oppress; subjugate; subdue: to walk on a person; rule or control by superior power or influence; sovereign authority) over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air (lit. heaven), and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.
If we believe the scriptures and understand what is being stated here, we can see that dominion does not mean ruling over people…not in this context. Even as an employer or as a husband or a wife or a father or a mother or other relative, no one is to be subjugated to things that are wrong regardless of the situation.
If the Lord Jehovah is sovereign as those who believe the Bible do, it doesn’t take a whole lot of studying to understand and see that the Creator was not talking about bringing humankind under man’s own rule and subjection. Somewhere over time, man has taken on and acquired the understanding from his own ungodly imagination that man is supposed to rule over other humankind and subjugate them to do all things that are imaginable in the dark recesses of their minds.
God has blessed His creation – “He furnished the world with all things needful, and even with an immense profusion of wealth, before he formed man. Thus, man was rich before he was born. But if God had such care for us before we existed, he will by no means leave us destitute of food and of other necessaries of life now that we are placed in the world. Yet, that he often keeps his hand as if closed is to be imputed to our sins.” (Calvin)
This explains why the world is in the predicament that became corrupt and out of order and now exists and continues in the path of greed, selfishness, arrogance, and other states that we see every day. People have gotten the state of the Lord’s universe in confusion and chaos. Things are so messed up that there is only one way out. We know the way, but who all will accept the way?
You know, I watch people and watch the way of the world. It is heartbreaking that many (I didn’t say all) people are closed-minded, narrow-minded and can only see “their way.” But, their way is not the only way.
Once a system has been set into place, to break out of it and move even to a better way would cause so much disruption that to change it through the hand of man himself would be catastrophic and turn things topsy turvey upside down.
Do you recall when Jesus and His disciples were making radical changes in society through preaching “a new way,” which included miracles, wanders and signs? There were people (including the ecclesiastics) and others who could not accept “this new way.” Nor could they understand hardly anything beyond what their minds would allow.
So, Jesus didn’t come to dominate. On the contrary, He fulfilled the law. He came for freedom from the rigid laws, which were restrictive and no man could follow all of them because it was impossible to do so. He pointed the way by showing visible demonstrations of His power and authority.
He showed forth His glory through healings, turning water into wine, walking on water, feeding thousands by multiplying a small amount into multitude amounts and His resurrection. Dominion is “another quality of man’s kinship with the Eternal. The intention of Almighty God in the creation of man is revealed to have been the placement of man over the earth and all that is in it, an intention frustrated in part by man’s rebellion in Eden, but finally realized despite all hindrances and delays in the era of the “new heavens and the new earth.”
In the person of Christ, man has already achieved the dominion mentioned in Genesis 1:26 – a dominion to be more completely realized in the final resurrection. It’s clear that man was not meant to nor is now meant to rule or have dominion over any other man.
All you have to do is look around and see that this has been going on and still exits. Can any person claim they have misread the scripture (Genesis 1:26)? I think not. Even a new reader of the scriptures clearly shows that the dominion was over creatures, not people.
It is not endorsing any means to ill-treat others…the homeless…the mentally challenged, prisoners or other. Jesus Christ’s work is to have dominion and to practice it. He said, “I only do those things which the Father does.”
He declares His equality with the Father in many scriptures, but John 5 is one of the places to see and define His equality with the Father. He said, “I and the Father are One.”
Thanks for reading! Jeanette Grattan Parker is founder-superintendent of Today’s Fresh Start Charter School 4514 Crenshaw Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90043, 323-293-9826, www.todaysfreshstart.org (Ask Dr. Jeanette TM) Inquiring Minds Want to Know” All articles are copyright. All rights reserved © The Holy Bible New Testament, Errors? Let me know. Sundays for music & message: 11:30am {1-712-775-8971—code 266751} References: (The Holy Bible) References: Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible Commentaries: Coffman, Calvin. Pray always. Don’t stop praying and hoping.