Category Archives: Foundation

If someone is willing to purchase a product of the earth, then the market price is a measure of usefulness in obedience to God’s command to subdue the earth. But, gentle reader, how do we know how well we are obeying this fundamental imperative from Genesis 1:28?

Remember from Part 1 that the command to subdue the earth does not mean to despoil or exploit the earth. Thus it follows that using as little of the creation as possible is fundamentally good, because “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof”      (1 Corinthians 10:26, quoting Psalm 24:1). Therefore, even though a tree could be chopped down to make a single useful toothpick, this is not in accord with God’s intent for subduing the world.

An accountant would measure the amount of creation (material and labor) used to fashion a product as the “cost” of that item. Whatever person or firm is able to create a useful good while utilizing the smallest possible amount of creation will have the lowest accounted cost.

My wife Ana (who is a CPA) will tell you that the difference between the price of a product (how useful it is to the buyer) and the cost of a product (the amount of creation used in production) is called the “profit.” For this reason, an honest profit is a valid measurement of our obedience to the command to subdue the earth from Genesis 1:28.

It is important to note the adjective “honest” used to define profit. Simply accumulating money through deception in the marketplace or theft is not the point. Creating something useful for another person at the lowest possible cost is the essence of earning an honest profit. This not only shapes the creation, but builds relationships between people according to God’s plan.

Gentle reader, have you ever heard that earning an honest profit is a measure of obedience to God’s command? What difference does this make to you as you go to work tomorrow morning?

Part 1, 2, 3, 4 of the series.

What does it mean to subdue creation and how do we know if we are obeying this fundamental command from Genesis 1:28?

In one sense, my wife Ana and I subdue creation in our backyard every summer.  We use a rototiller to turn over the soil and then plant seeds. Soon, the earth yields tomatoes, green beans, and cucumbers (lots of cucumbers). The earth has been subdued when it provides useful things.

In another sense, I was part of subduing the world when I worked for Ford Motor Company. At one time in the factories of Ford, iron ore was brought in to smelt steel, petroleum was brought in in the form of plastics, and all the components of glass were melted together.  At the end of the assembly line, a new car purred to life and drove away.  While any Ford customer could have purchased iron ore, petroleum, and the components of glass, without question they preferred these elements in the form of an automobile. In other words, the earth had been subdued and the creation was made useful when a car was assembled from parts.

How do we know that the creation was useful for our customers? They were willing to pay for the finished automobiles.  In a free market transaction, the customers willingly traded money for the means of transportation. In fact, the market price is a helpful measure of how useful creation had been made for an individual.

People are willing to pay high prices for things that are useful and are willing to pay only low prices (if at all) for things that are less useful. For this reason, the price established in a free market transaction is an important part of understanding how well we are obeying the commands to subdue the world.  Thus theology and economics intersect at this critical juncture and investigating these points of intersection is the purpose of this blog.

Gentle reader, we’ll examine the the other essential element in our next post tomorrow.

Part 1, 2, 3, 4 of the series.

Earning an honest profit is fundamentally good, though it is increasingly unpopular to argue that it is good to earn a lot of money. The basis for this bold assertion can be found in the first chapter of the Bible.  After creating and blessing Adam, God explained to him (and by extension all of us) his purpose in life:

And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Gen 1:28 ESV)

Though the Bible progressively adds precision to God’s intent in creation, the five imperatives listed above provide a clear trajectory: be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it, have dominion.  I would argue that within the heart of every human being is a strong desire to obey these five distinct commands.

God intends people to be fruitful and multiply, and we have a strong desire for sex and to have children. Of course, further revelation from the Bible shows that God is seeking true worshippers (John 4:23), not that everyone breed like rabbits. From the first steps of any toddler to the discovery of the New World and beyond, the desire to fill the Earth is in every heart.  Having dominion over animals requires human care of created beings, and this desire is evident in children asking for a pet, dairy farmers caring for a herd, or even governments setting aside enormous wildlife reserves.

But what does it mean to subdue the earth?  Obviously it does not mean to pollute and to spoil the world. Rather, it means to make the world subservient or useful to human beings. What does it mean to subdue the earth? It is straightforward to see if we are obeying the command to be fruitful and multiply with a simple head count. Filling the earth is also easily measured. But how do we know if we are obeying the command to subdue the earth?

Gentle reader, we will continue addressing these questions in tomorrow’s post.

Part 1, 2, 3, 4 of the series.