A series of seven theses on the case for Christendom continues. As a refresher, my working definition of Christendom is a distinctively Christian civil order in which an entire society—top to bottom, left to right—assumes the lordship of Christ, consciously obeys his commands, and gratefully expects the attendant blessings of covenantal faithfulness.
My first thesis argues that God intends to rule the world through mankind, which results in the salvation and restoration of mankind into his faithful image-bearers, which, at scale, results in Christendom. More on the first thesis here:
Thesis 2 - The nations will be discipled
For one reason or another—and I will suggest a reason momentarily—Christians have come to hear Jesus’ command to “make disciples of all nations” as “make disciples from all nations.” Similarly, Christians have heard God’s promise to Abraham that “in you I will bless all the families of the earth” as “in you I will bless some from among all the families of the earth.” A few more examples of these subconscious interpolations:
“In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall [some from among] the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious” (Isa. 11:10).
“It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and [some from among] all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths’” (Isa. 2:2-3).
“[Some from among] all the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and [a representative sample of] all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations [in a spiritual sense, of course]” (Ps. 22:27-28).
These and other such passages fall upon the ears of an incredulous people. Believers have become, well, unbelievers insofar as it concerns the victory of Christ over the nations. We unbelieving believers look out at the world and see the nations in rebellion against God and against his Christ. We look at the rise and fall of the first Christendom. We look and believe what our eyes see, and what do we behold?
Nations that have yet to be discipled.
We see a world full of nations who have not yet been taught to obey all that Christ has commanded, a world that reminds us our work is not done. We ought to respond by putting our hands to the plow and getting on with the work required of us, all while praying “thy kingdom come.” Instead we adjust our hearing so that Scripture’s prophecies and commands concerning the discipleship of the nations sounds like God merely expects us to makes disciples from all nations (“as if Christ could actually convert and disciple whole nations to himself!” we think to ourselves… except that’s exactly what God promised him for his reward). We are quite satisfied with these subconscious interpolations, these limitations we place on God’s promises and commands. And why? The reason, I suggest, is that they relieve us of our duty to subdue entire nations (see Heb. 11:33). We think that because we haven’t fulfilled God’s command, maybe we can lower the bar concerning God’s promises—so that, you know, he can fulfill them.
We believe what our eyes see—nations in rebellion—but we ought to be those who “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).
The Scriptures promise the discipleship of the nations, and Jesus commanded it. Therefore God will fulfill his promise as we walk in obedience to Christ’s commandment. As we do so—as we disciple the nations such that they learn to obey Christ—the civil order of such nations will be come distinctively Christian. Such nations, as body politics, will assume the lordship of Christ, consciously obey his commands, and gratefully expect the attendant blessings of covenantal faithfulness.
In short, we will not behold nations in rebellion against the Lord and his Christ. We will behold Christendom.
To be continued…