FTK Fortifying the Kingdom

Pop-Christianity: Challenging the Authority of Christ

Jun 30, 2021

Once upon a time, in the not too distant past, it was almost universally accepted that Christianity was expected to shape and reform all elements of society (especially government). John Winthrop, prior to setting out for America to establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony, wrote a letter where he stated his vision for the colony:

“We shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us.”

In that same letter Winthrop self-consciously wrote of the role of Christians and Christianity in modeling and applying God’s Word in society. Indeed, the historical norm of Christianity has been Church involvement in all levels of society. Examples include:

  • Roman Catholicism
  • The role of preachers in the American revolution
  • The Reformation
  • The establishment of the Anglican church
  • English Common Law

Though in some of these examples we see unfaithful efforts (looking at You, Roman Catholicism), they still serve to illustrate the historocity of Christian activity in the public square, prior to the 21st century.

Fast-forwarding to our modern times, it has become very common for Christians to abdicate responsibility in society, especially in government, for a variety of reasons. One of the most popular reasons is one that I call “Satan is king of the world” (SKOTW) theology (mostly related to “two kingdom” theology). SKOTW theology is almost always invoked by Christians when pressed about what laws civil governments should and should not enact, or most any question of what to do in society that isn’t related evangelism. Proponents of SKOTW theology believe that the leavening effects of Christianity cannot (many argue, “should not”) extend to civil government because Satan, not Christ, has authority over the earth. In this article we will discuss the Scriptural proofs for the necessity of Christian involvement in government and all of society, we will talk about the common beliefs that stem from SKOTW theology, we will examine the fallacies found in the proof-texts used by proponents of SKOTW theology, and we will discuss the unhappiness that results from the application of SKOTW theology.

Christian Citizen Basics

The most fundamental question that must be asked by any Christian is this: “Why has God put me on earth?” Pop-Christianity has a ready reply: “To save souls.” But is this really what the Bible says? The Westminster Shorter Catechism has phrased the question like this: “What is the chief end of man?” (Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 1). It answers, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” (see this link, which includes proof-texts). To glorify God, and to enjoy Him now on Earth, and then one day in Heaven also, is, according to God’s Word, the ultimate reason mankind exists at all.

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.” - Eccles. 12:13

But what does it mean, “To Glorify God?” A question that my father likes to routinely ask is this: “How do Christians glorify God?” To which he would answer, by way of reminding us, “By making visible the invisible attributes of God.” Somewhere along the way, in response to the question, “What is the purpose of Christian life on earth?” Pop-Christianity got away from, “To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever,” and substituted it with, “To save souls.”

Note: I’m not saying that it isn’t the job of Christians to pursue and lead the lost to Christ. What I am saying, however, is that the calling of the Evangelist is but one (major) subset of the overall Christian calling. The work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of previously unregenerate men is one of the many positive by-products of the total work of Christianity in society. A Christian church is mistaken if they consider themselves to have fulfilled the Great Commision purely due to establishing a healthy evangelistic outreach.

The Christian-culture emphasis on evangelism, to the exclusion of any other biblical responsibility in society, is a 21st century phenomenon. However the Godly calling of Churchmen is the entirety of the Great Commission, not only the evangelistic portion.

The Christian Charter

So how do Christians make visible God’s invisible attributes? Primarily through two methods: worship and discipleship. Worship is the gathering of the visible and invisible Church collectively into God’s presence, whereupon the whole of His church glorifies the God by declaring His invisible attributes through songs and prayers. But the Christian calling to glorify God does not start and end on Sunday, nor does it cease once our activities have turned from worship to the other tasks that we have in life. Our business of glorifying God extends to our activities in culture as well. As a matter of fact, Jesus has made it expressly clear that disengaging from culture is not an option.

“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.” - Matthew 28:16-20

The great commission exists as the charter of earthly Christian activity; the Genesis dominion mandate restated in the Kingdom Age. In the same way that businesses have a charter that guides the direction of their corporate activity, so also has Christ given His Church a charter which informs us of what we are to be doing on earth.

Unspoken Assumptions

It seems that pop-Christianity has narrowed the scope and intent of the great commission. It is almost as if Christians have swapped the word, “Disciple” with the word, “Evangelize,” and, additionally, they have completely struck out Jesus’ words when He says, “All authority has been granted to me in heaven and on earth.” In relation to this last phrase in particular, it seems that at best Christians treat it as a sort of “metaphorical” thing that Jesus says, but that isn’t serious or real (at least, not today, anyway). They deny that any real authority is being proclaimed by Christ, and they diminish the scope of the word “all” by redefining the phrase to mean “some authority has been granted to Me in heaven and on earth.” This view clashes with an honest and informed reading of Matthew 28:16-20. By “honest,” I mean that these assumptions are not present in the text, nor can they be consistently supported by verses elsewhere in Scripture (two Kingdom believer’s efforts notwithstanding). By “informed,” I mean that we know that the great commission is a covenantal mandate (see The Greatness of the Great Commission, by Ken Gentry), and as such it carries all the weight and legal authority of covenants that are struck by God.

Two Kingdom Assumptions

To properly understand The Great Commission, we need to cast it in terms of the biblical covental structure which God uses throughout Scripture.

Covenenantal Authority

A basic principle of biblical hermeneutics is that Scripture interprets Scripture. It would be acceptable to redefine the scope of the Great Commission if there was Scriptural evidence to warrant it. To my knowledge there is not. Therefore, when receiving Jesus’ commissioning, it is appropriate for the Christian to take Jesus at His word that all authority has been granted to Him, in heaven and on earth. Without valid Scriptural evidence we cannot redefine the Great Commission to actually mean that Jesus does NOT have all authority in heaven and on earth. If such Scriptural evidence did exist it would undermine the internal consistency of the Bible through glaring contradiction.

Additionally, the fact that the Great Commission adheres to the five point structure of covenants cannot be dismissed as mere coincidence. Ray Sutton, author of the definitive introduction to Biblical covenentalism, has this to say about the first key point of covenants.

As identified by Ray Sutton in his book, That You May Prosper: Dominion by Covenant, the five points of covantelism are as follows:

  1. The transcendence and immanence of God

  2. Authority/hierarchy of God’s covenant

  3. Biblical law/ethics/dominion

  4. Judgment/oath: blessings and cursings

  5. Continuity/inheritance

A brief look reading of Matthew 28:16-20 reveals all five elements of the covenant, in part or in whole. Specifically on the first points of God’s covenants, Ray Sutton has this observation:

“[the] First [point of], the covenant taught a transcendent view of God. Not that He is distant but that He is distinct from His creation. This distinction meant God is Lord over everything. Men are not imbued with deity. Consequently, no one man or sphere (Family, Church, or State) is allowed to have absolute power. Europe had been dominated at times by clans, ecclesiocracies, and monarchical dictators. The application of God’s transcendence did not allow any of these to have total control. It brought about a true separation of institutional powers, all ruled directly by God.” - That You May Prosper by Ray Sutton, Pg. 6.

Covenants exist, in part, for the express purpose of establishing authority. In the Great Commission Jesus was making a covenantal declaration of His authority, which He extends to His Church. In accordance with Sutton’s observation above, Jesus accomplished in the Great Commission what all covenants must do: He established covenantal authority and defined its scope. The covenantal declaration of the Great Commission is that Christ has all authority over all the earth. No amount of theological gymnastics can abrogate the legal claim that Christ has made over our earth.

Apparently it wasn’t enough for Christ to declare that He has all of this authority. It is evident that He wanted His Church to be doing something with His authority. Therefore, He commands us to disciple the nations, and, lest we try to make the excuse that we thought evangelism was discipleship, He clarifies what He means by discipleship: “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” and “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” Nations are comprised of governments, cities, families, businesses, militaries, educational institutions, etc. Therefore it is evident that Christ commands us to disciple all elements of all societies that exist on earth – there is no area or facet of life that escapes His authority, nor is there any area or facet of life that is excluded from the scope of Christian discipleship.

Defining Biblical Discipleship

Christians often assume that discipleship is only something that you do to people who are already Christians. But where does the Bible say this? According to Jesus’ Great Commission, discipleship is for all nations. Jesus further instructs that discipleship is teaching people the commandments of Christ. Furthermore, Jesus' ministry in earth testifies to this definition of discipleship. Therefore, if we are to disciple the way that Jesus intends, then we have to teach everyone the commandments of Christ regardless of their spiritual condition or willingness to receive the oracles of God.

But some will say, “You are advocating that we FORCE people to become Christians!” This is not so. Jesus didn’t command us to force people to become Christians. He commanded us to call all people to live their lives in conformance with His will. Certainly there will be many who choose to ignore us when we instruct them on how to live according to Christ’s will. I would say, to borrow on a popular analogy, that there are two types of horses on earth: horses that drink when you lead them to the trough, and horses that will not drink when lead to the trough. Do not assume, just because the horse isn’t willing to drink from the trough (according to mankind’s finite assumptions about the future), that our responsibility to take the horse to the trough has been abrogated. We are to lead every horse to the trough, and we should must leave the issue of whether or not the horse will drink to the Holy Spirit.

Misrepresenting our King

Pop-Christianity sees right past the immense power and authority of the Great Commission. Christ has authoritatively and definitively declared His kingship over this present, real, physical world (as if there were any other type). The war is over. Christ reigns in Heaven and on earth. Furthermore, He has commissioned Christians as His officers in His authority. Through covenantal declaration He has made us representatives of His authority; whatever we bind on earth will also be bound in heaven (Matthew 16:19 and 18:18). Christians should not be scared to engage in any sphere of life so long as they are doing so according to the authority and truth of Christ. This means that we should be confident in using our Bible in the political square as we disciple kings, princes, lower magistrates, and citizens; for Scripture is the very real and true authority of Christ.

In describing the covenantal structure of the Gospel of Matthew, Sutton makes this observation:

“Matthew concludes his book with the Great Commission, drawing both the section of the covenant and our study of Jesus' covenant to a close. The best statement of the Great Commission is found at the end of Matthew. This is the new dominion charter attached to the end of the covenant: a statement of the Church’s new inheritance. We saw the same thing at the end of Deuteronomy. Jesus appears as the new Joshua commanding His army to take the land that belongs to them. A significant shift has taken place, one from the Land of Palestine to the world” - That You May Prosper by Ray Sutton, Pg. 244

Because Pop-Christianity has sought to diminish the authority of Christ they now fear the world. Yes, “There are giants in the land,” but the Christian can stand fast, and with sure confidence, in his calling to overthrow the giants of this earth because he has been authoritatively commissioned and enabled to do so by Christ. We must be careful to ensure that we do not diminish in our minds the authority that Christ has, that He also delegated to us.

An Illegitimate King

So what do proponents of SKOTW theology believe? According to my interactions, they are people who hold to the belief that Satan is the legally authoritative ruler of our present world. All such beliefs find their basis isa premillenial or amillennial reading of Revelation; unfortunately we are already skimming over this topic quickly, and there is simply no way that we can deal with this particular issue within this article (when I’ve written an article regarding the pessemistic eschatologies, I will link it here). For now we will only consider the conclusions which our pessemistic brethern reach, based upon their mistaken understand of revlation. To summarize:

  • They believe that the world is the domain of Satan; against all other Scripture to the contrary.

  • They believe that it is wrong, or at least unproductive, for Christians to engage in society with the purpose of bringing about positive change that is in accordance with Scriptural guidance.

  • They are especially adamant that it is wrong, or at least “incorrect,” for Christians to apply biblical standards of ethics to the law-making efforts of society.

  • They typically hold that the Christian’s chief function in society is to evangelize for the purpose of saving sinners from hell.

Such beliefs come together to yield a disobedient and impotent crust of biblical Christianity.

Now this would all seem to fly in the face of the Great Commission, but maybe they have found some Scriptural references that would call for a redefining of what Matthew 28:16-20 apparently says on the surface. What follows is a look at some common Scripture references used in support of SKOTW theology.

Jesus’ temptation in Matthew 4:8-9 is possibly the most humorous defense of SKTOW theology. Proponents of SKOTW theology would have us take Satan at his word, when he offers the kingdoms of the world to Jesus, that he has any authority to give those kingdoms to Jesus in the first place. John 8:44 describes Satan as more than merely a liar; he is father of all lies. Wisdom would point out that simply because the father of lies says that it is so does not make it so. Even if Satan had such authority, it would certainly be removed from him upon the resurrection of Christ; hence Christ claiming all authority in heaven and on earth. Satan has no qualms about making promises that he can’t deliver. After the promises that Satan made to Eve in the garden, all mankind should know better than to believe in the promises of Satan.

John 14:30 describes Satan as “The ruler of this world.” SKOTW proponents point at this as undeniable proof that the world is the domain of Satan and Christ has nothing to do with the world. After all, the Bible says it right there in red and white (assuming you have a red letter Bible). But Scripture interprets Scripture, and the New Testament makes it plainly evident in what context the phrase, “the world” is used. This phrase describes the body of people who reject God in favor of Satan (the only alternative). In other words, “the world” is all unregenerate men. If an emperor grants a king authority over a domain, but there is a rebellion in the domain led by an illegitimate king, does not the lawfully appointed king still have authority over his entire domain and all those therein, to include the rebel faction? You bet he does, and so does King Jesus. The rebels of this world, no matter the amount of wishful thinking they may exercise, all fall under the domain and authority of Christ. So does Satan for that matter. Can it be seriously argued that Christ has no authority over Satan? Christ has ALL authority in Heaven AND on earth.

Proponents of SKOTW theology say that Christ’s people are not of the world, and therefore they ought not to be involved in the world. They are absolutely right in their statement but completely wrong in their conclusion. Christians are not of the world, that body of people who seek to throw off Christ’s authority. But Christians are specifically called to be in the world nonetheless (John 17:15). This is because we are called to put down the rebellion that currently exists in our king’s domain by taking the authority of Christ to all nations through discipleship.

SKOTW advocates will also cite Hebrews 11:16, “But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” They use this as a proof-text for the idea that a true Christian desires so much to be in heaven that he is not concerned with the things of the world (except to get more people into heaven with him). Obviously such a view is a gross contradiction to Christ’s Commission. Certainly Christians look forward to the life to come, but not at the disregard of the present life. That God has purposed for Man to live on earth is not the result of some judgment sentence or cruel trick on God’s part. God has specifically chosen that men will live on the earth and He has done so for a purpose. Christ identifies that purpose in the Great Commission.

A particularly interesting Scripture that is touted in support of SKOTW theology is John 18:36 where Jesus is being accused before Pilate and answers, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” The application of this verse that is sought by SKOTW theology is especially entertaining because it is so reminiscent of the contextual tricks that news outlets like to use when they intentionally misrepresent the things that political leaders have said. As with any quote, context is key. Calvin points out the obvious context when he addresses Jesus’ words, “My kingdom is not of this world,” with the following explanation.

“By these words he [Jesus] acknowledges that he is a king, but, so far as was necessary to prove his innocence, he clears himself of the calumny; for he declares, that there is no disagreement between his kingdom and political government or order; as if he had said, ‘I am falsely accused, as if I had attempted to produce a disturbance, or to make a revolution in public affairs. I have preached about the kingdom of God; but that is spiritual, and, therefore, you have no right to suspect me of aspiring to kingly power.'” - John Calvin’s Bible Commentaries On The Gospel Of John

In other words, Jesus had been brought before Pilate under the false charges of instigating a rebellion against Roman occupation, and this was patently false. Calvin further addresses those who would maintain that, as a result of this verse, Christ does not rule over earth and therefore governments bear no responsibility to adhere to the authority of Christ as follows:

“But here a question arises, Is it not lawful to defend the kingdom of Christ by arms? For when Kings and Princes are commanded to kiss the Son of God, (Psalm 2:10-12) not only are they enjoined to submit to his authority in their private capacity, but also to employ all the power that they possess, in defending the Church and maintaining godliness. I answer, first, they who draw this conclusion, that the doctrine of the Gospel and the pure worship of God ought not to be defended by arms, are unskillful and ignorant reasoners; for Christ argues only from the facts of the case [He had been accused of inciting a rebellion] in hand, how frivolous were the calumnies which the Jews had brought against him.” - John Calvin’s Bible Commentaries On The Gospel Of John

Indeed, in accordance with Calvin’s observation, let us not be unskilled and ignorant in our reasoning by understanding this verse according to the presuppositions of SKOTW theology.

Returning to Egypt

Adherents to SKOTW theology seek to legitimize the authority of an illegitimate king, namely Satan. As a result they withdraw from their calling as detailed in the Great Commission, choosing instead to hunker down and wait out each of their short lives in the hopes of merely surviving to go to heaven. Earlier we touched on a quote by Ray Sutton who, in comparing the covenantal elements of the Gospel of Matthew to the book of Deuteronomy, described Jesus as a new Joshua, leading His people into a new Promise Land, which is the entire world. SKOTW theology is exactly like those unfaithful Israelites who spied out the Promise Land under Moses’ leadership and were afraid, wishing instead to return to slavery in Egypt rather than face the giants that inhabited the land (see Number 13 and 14:1-4). For this lack of faith God sent them to wander in the wilderness until that faithless generation had passed away. SKOTW theology would rather have us retreat from the world, choosing instead to live under the inevitable tyranny that will take any land in which Christians have ceased to fight for society based upon God’s righteousness. SKOTW theology wants you to reject Christ’s command to take the Promise Land in favor of returning to slavery in Egypt. SKOTW theology has paved the road for the transformation of our once Christian nation into a new Egypt. No wonder America has experienced such a spiritual decline in the last 150 years.

Conclusion

Christianity is not the cowardly and faithless religion that SKOTW theology would have it to be. Christians are those who have been equipped with weapons of warfare that are mighty in God for the destruction of strongholds and the casting down of any high things that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). We are those who recognize that societies are governed by rulers who are called by Christ to be His ministers (Romans 13:1-7), and we know that it is by God that kings reign and rulers decree justice (Proverbs 8:15-16). We are those who really mean it when we pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven,” (Matthew 6:10). We are those whose have been authoritatively commissioned to disciple all the nations of the earth by He who is the King of kings, and the Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). Christian brother, take up you sword; it is time for us to go kill some giants!

-M.H.