Before we talk about what we should do in life, we must first understand why we exist. Purpose does not begin with our personal dreams, ambitions, or career choices. Purpose always begins with God. Scripture reveals that humanity was not created accidentally, nor placed on earth merely to survive or to pursue personal fulfillment. From the very beginning, God created human beings with identity, authority, and responsibility. We were made in His image, blessed by His presence, and entrusted with a mandate to represent His rule in the world.
The Dominion Mandate is not about power, control, or human ambition. It is about stewardship, responsibility, and faithful representation. God entrusted humanity to extend His wise, just, and life-giving order into creation. Until we understand why we are here on earth, our work, leadership, and influence will remain disconnected. But when our purpose is rooted in God, everything we do—our work, our leadership, and our daily decisions—begins to make sense.
Below is a clean, structured teaching outline you can use for sermon, leadership class, or marketplace ministry. I’ve kept your theology intact, tightened the flow, and sharpened the dominion vs domination tension so it lands both biblically and practically.
1. Purpose Always Begins with God, Not with Us
Genesis 1:26–27 “Then God said, ‘Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule…’”
Our life’s purpose does not begin with ourselves.
Purpose always begins with God.
The Bible begins the story of humanity with a simple but profound assumption: we are created beings. And if there is a creation, then there must be a Creator. This means the most important question of life—Why do we exist?—cannot be answered by the creation itself. Purpose is never determined by what is made, but by the One who made it.
Because we are created, our purpose cannot begin with the question, “What do I want my life to be about?” Instead, it must begin with a deeper and more fundamental question: “What was the Creator’s intention when He created us?” When the creation tries to define its own purpose apart from the Creator, confusion is inevitable. Meaning cannot be discovered by looking inward alone; it must be received by looking upward.
In Genesis 1, God speaks before humanity acts. Identity is established before responsibility is given. Humanity is created in God’s image, and from that identity flows its calling. The mandate to “rule” does not arise from human ambition or capability, but from divine design. Authority, responsibility, and purpose are all rooted in who God is and what He intends, not in what we prefer or pursue.
Romans 11:36 (ESV / NIV)
“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”
This verse gives us a complete framework for purpose:
- From Him – our lives originate in God
- Through Him – our lives are sustained and empowered by God
- To Him – our lives are directed back to God
Life only makes sense when it is aligned with the Creator’s intention—where it comes from, how it is sustained, and where it is heading.
This explains why people can live productive, successful, and even moral lives, yet still feel a deep sense of emptiness. When purpose is defined by the creation rather than the Creator, life may be full of activity but empty of meaning. True purpose is not self-invented; it is God-revealed.
Life becomes coherent not when we decide what we want our purpose to be, but when we discover why the Creator placed us here. Only then can our work, calling, leadership, and dominion truly align with God’s original design.
“Until you understand why you are here on earth, life will never make sense.”
– Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life
2. Dominion Is Representation, Not Domination
In the ancient world, an “image” represented the authority of a king in his territory.
In the ancient world, an image was never merely decorative. A king would place his image or statue throughout his territory as a visible sign of his authority and presence. The image did not replace the king, but it represented him. Wherever the image stood, it declared whose rule, values, and authority governed that land.
Genesis intentionally uses this royal language and applies it—not to a select elite, but to all humanity. When Scripture says that human beings are created in the image of God, it is declaring something profoundly theological and practical: humanity is placed in creation as God’s authorized representatives. To bear God’s image is to be entrusted with the responsibility of representing God’s rule in the world.
This is why dominion, in its biblical sense, is not domination, control, or exploitation. Dominion is representation—the calling to extend God’s wise, just, and life-giving order into every sphere of creation. Humanity does not rule instead of God, nor independently from God, but on behalf of God. Authority is delegated, not possessed autonomously.
Genesis applies this royal language to all humanity: to bear God’s image is to exercise God’s rule on His behalf.
When dominion is separated from image-bearing, it quickly becomes oppressive. Power is used to serve self-interest rather than God’s purposes. But when dominion flows from faithfully bearing God’s image, authority becomes a means of blessing. Human beings are called to rule in a way that reflects God’s own character—His wisdom, justice, faithfulness, and care for life.
In this sense, humanity’s role in creation is deeply vocational. We are not owners of the world, but stewards. We are not masters who exploit, but representatives who cultivate. Wherever human beings live, work, lead, and create, they are meant to make visible what God’s reign looks like—order instead of chaos, justice instead of oppression, and life instead of destruction.
Dominion, therefore, is not domination or exploitation, but representation—extending God’s wise, just, and life-giving order into creation.
3. The First Thing God Did: He Blessed Humanity
Genesis 1:28 (NKJV) “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion…’”
Scripture is intentional in its order. The first thing God did after creating humanity was not to command them to work, rule, or achieve. He blessed them. This reveals an essential truth about God’s nature and His way of relating to humanity: God never demands before He empowers.
Before there was any assignment, there was blessing. Before humanity was entrusted with responsibility, it was first endowed with divine capacity. God’s blessing is not merely a kind word or a hopeful wish; it is an impartation of ability, a release of grace that makes obedience possible. The command that follows does not create pressure—it provides direction for a life already empowered by God.
This order also guards us from misunderstanding our calling. The dominion mandate was never meant to be carried by human striving or self-effort alone. It flows from a life that is first blessed by God. When blessing is forgotten, responsibility becomes a burden. But when blessing is remembered, responsibility becomes a privilege.
In other words, God did not say, “Do this so that I will bless you.”
He said, “I bless you—now live out what I have already given you.”
This pattern reveals the heart of God: obedience is not a way to earn blessing; it is a response to blessing already received. Humanity’s fruitfulness, multiplication, and dominion are grounded not in pressure to perform, but in the grace to participate in God’s purposes.
4. Be Fruitful and Multiply
When God commands humanity to “be fruitful and multiply,” He is calling us to something far deeper than success or expansion. In Scripture, fruitfulness is not merely about achievement, visibility, or numerical growth. It is about life being reproduced. To be fruitful is not only to do well, but to cause life, goodness, and God’s intention to flow beyond ourselves.
This is why the Bible consistently speaks of fruit, not merely results. Results can be impressive yet empty; fruit is living, organic, and lasting. Success can be accumulated, but fruit must be cultivated. Fruitfulness speaks of character formed, relationships strengthened, people restored, and environments transformed by the life of God working through us.
In this sense, fruitfulness is different from being busy or productive. A person can be highly productive and yet barren—effective in tasks but empty in impact. But biblical fruitfulness always leaves something alive behind. It multiplies not just output, but life itself.
To multiply means that what God has placed within us—His image, His values, His blessing—is meant to be passed on. Fruitfulness that does not multiply eventually dies with the individual. God’s design is that His life flows through humanity into families, communities, systems, and generations.
Because of this, Scripture invites us to measure our lives not merely by how much we achieve, but by what kind of fruit we produce. Not only what we build, but what we leave behind. Not only what we gain, but who and what is made more alive because we were there.
To be fruitful, therefore, is not simply to be successful—but to be life-giving.
Bukan hanya berhasil, tapi berbuah.
5. Dominion Is Not Domination—It Is Stewardship
When God commands humanity to “subdue” the earth and “have dominion,” He is not granting permission to dominate, exploit, or abuse creation. These words must be understood through the character of the God who speaks them. Dominion in Genesis is not rooted in power for self-interest, but in responsibility for the flourishing of what God has made.
To subdue does not mean to crush or control harshly. It means to bring creation into alignment with God’s intended order—transforming chaos into order, potential into productivity, and wilderness into something cultivated and life-giving. This is why dominion is best understood as stewardship. A steward manages what belongs to another, for the owner’s purposes, not for personal gain.
Biblical dominion recognizes that the earth does not belong to humanity; it belongs to God. Humanity is entrusted with authority, but that authority is always accountable. Dominion is exercised under God’s authority, according to His values, and for His glory. Whenever power is detached from accountability, stewardship quickly degenerates into exploitation.
Stewardship asks a different set of questions than domination. Domination asks, “How much can I take?” Stewardship asks, “How can I make this flourish?” Domination consumes resources for immediate gain; stewardship develops resources so that life, beauty, and order increase over time.
This principle applies far beyond humanity’s relationship with nature. It shapes how we lead people, manage organizations, build economies, and exercise influence. To have dominion is not to rule over others for self-promotion, but to take responsibility for what God has placed under our care—so that everything entrusted to us becomes more whole, more just, and more aligned with God’s purposes.
- Dominion without image-bearing becomes oppression.
- Image-bearing without dominion becomes passive spirituality.
- But when image-bearing and dominion stay together, humanity fulfills its original calling.
Dominion is not the right to exploit creation, but the responsibility to steward it so that life, beauty, and order increase under God’s authority.
6. Work Is Part of God’s Original Design (Before the Fall)
Genesis 2:15 (MSG) “God took the Man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order.”
Genesis 2:15 (AMP) “…to cultivate and keep it.”
Work existed before sin.
Work did not originate as a consequence of sin. Long before the Fall, God placed humanity in the garden to work and to care for it. This reveals a foundational biblical truth: work is part of God’s good design, not a punishment imposed after human failure. Creation itself was ordered in such a way that it required human participation, cultivation, and responsibility.
Because work existed before sin entered the world, work is not a curse. What is often experienced as burdensome, frustrating, or exhausting in work is not the work itself, but the distortion introduced by the Fall. Sin disrupted relationships—with God, with others, and with creation—making work harder, less fulfilling, and more prone to conflict. Yet the original purpose of work remains unchanged.
Work is not a curse—misaligned work is.
This means that work is a calling. God invites humanity to participate in His ongoing creative activity by cultivating, organizing, and developing what He has made. Whether in the field, the marketplace, the home, or the church, work is a means through which humans express stewardship and reflect God’s character. Calling gives work dignity beyond its economic function; it connects daily labor to divine purpose.
The Fall, therefore, affects how we work, not why we work. Work can now involve toil, frustration, and broken systems, but its original intention—to serve God, bless others, and steward creation—still stands. Redemption in Christ does not remove work; it restores its meaning. As work is brought back under God’s rule, it moves from being merely endured to being intentionally lived as an expression of faithfulness.
Understanding work as part of God’s original design frees us from both resentment and idolatry. We neither despise work as a curse nor elevate it as our ultimate source of identity. Instead, we receive work as a calling—imperfect in experience, yet purposeful in design—through which we honor God and participate in His purposes in the world.
Work becomes worship when it serves God’s purposes, not merely personal gain.
7. God Blesses Humanity with Creativity and Capacity
From the beginning, God created the world rich with potential. He filled the earth with resources—raw materialswaiting to be developed: land, minerals, plants, animals, energy, and systems that could be cultivated. Creation was not finished in the sense of being static; it was designed to be developed. God intentionally left space for humanity to participate in His ongoing creative work.
But God did not only provide resources. He also gave humanity creativity—the ability to create. This is a crucial theological insight. Raw materials alone are useless without the capacity to transform them. Therefore, God blessed humanity not merely with what is needed, but with the ability to turn potential into value. Creativity, innovation, skill, and intelligence are not human inventions; they are divine gifts rooted in being created in God’s image.
Deuteronomy 8:18 “Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth…”
This verse reframes wealth and productivity. Scripture does not say that God simply gives wealth; it says that God gives the power to get wealth—the capacity, strength, insight, discipline, and creativity required to produce value. Wealth, therefore, is not a miracle dropped from heaven, but the result of God-given ability applied faithfully within God’s design.
This understanding protects us from two dangerous extremes. On one side is pride—the belief that success comes solely from human brilliance or effort. On the other side is passivity—the belief that spirituality means waiting for God to act while neglecting responsibility. Biblical faith rejects both. God supplies the resources and the capacity; humanity is called to apply them responsibly.
Creativity is thus a spiritual gift with practical expression. When humans design systems, build businesses, cultivate land, develop technology, teach, heal, or create art, they are exercising God-given capacity to bring order, beauty, and fruitfulness out of what God has already provided. This is dominion expressed through stewardship.
For this reason, economic activity, innovation, and productivity are not opposed to faith. When aligned with God’s values, they become expressions of worship. The question is never whether we will create and produce, but how and for whom. Creativity used for self-glory leads to exploitation; creativity surrendered to God leads to blessing for many.
God blesses humanity not merely with resources, but with creativity, skill, and capacity—so that through faithful stewardship, the world may increasingly reflect His wisdom, goodness, and provision.
8. Dominion Mandate: Building the Civilization of God’s Kingdom
The Dominion Mandate is not merely a spiritual concept or a personal calling; it is a mandate—both a command and an authority—given by God to humanity. From the beginning, God entrusted human beings with the responsibility to shape the world in a way that reflects His rule. Dominion, therefore, is a call to build the civilization of the Kingdom of God in the world (cosmos)—the whole created order of life, culture, systems, and society.
This mandate finds its fullest expression in Christ. Through redemption, humanity is restored not only to right relationship with God, but also to its original calling. Scripture describes believers as Christ’s ambassadors—those who represent the reign of another Kingdom while living in the present world. An ambassador does not speak on his own behalf; he carries the authority, values, and agenda of the one who sends him. In the same way, dominion under God is always representational, never autonomous.
The Kingdom of God is fundamentally about God’s sovereignty and His laws. It is not primarily a geographic territory, but a realm where God’s will is honored, His authority is recognized, and His ways are practiced. Wherever God’s will is done, His Kingdom is present. Dominion mandate calls humanity to extend this reality into every sphere of life—not by force, but by faithful obedience.
God’s rule is expressed through His principles and values. Justice, righteousness, truth, faithfulness, compassion, stewardship, and love are not optional moral ideals; they are the operating system of God’s Kingdom. When these values shape how people lead, work, create, and govern, God’s reign becomes visible in practical and tangible ways.
Therefore, building the civilization of God’s Kingdom does not mean escaping the world, but engaging it responsibly. It means shaping culture, systems, and institutions so that they increasingly reflect God’s heart and order. Through faithful ambassadors who live and work under God’s authority, the dominion mandate continues—transforming the cosmos not through domination, but through service, wisdom, and love.
WORK IS SACRED
Work is sacred because:
- It flows from being created in God’s image
- It participates in God’s ongoing creative activity
- It serves God’s purposes, not merely human survival
Work is sacred when it aligns with God’s design, not merely personal gain.
1. Reframe Work as Calling, Not Merely Career
Work was never meant to be understood only as a way to earn income or achieve status. While provision and progress are important, Scripture presents work as something far deeper—a calling entrusted by God. When work is reduced to salary, position, or recognition, it easily becomes a source of pressure, comparison, or emptiness. But when work is seen as calling, it becomes meaningful, purposeful, and life-giving.
To reframe work as calling is to recognize that every field of work is a field of stewardship. God entrusts each person with a specific place, role, and responsibility—not by accident, but by design. Like a field given to a farmer, our workplace is meant to be cultivated. It carries potential that is meant to be developed so that value, order, and blessing can grow through it.
Seeing work as calling also changes how we define success. Success is no longer measured only by promotion or profit, but by faithfulness. The question shifts from “How far am I getting?” to “How well am I stewarding what God has placed in my hands?” Calling anchors our work in obedience, not in outcomes.
This perspective invites daily reflection. Each day becomes an opportunity to align our work with God’s purposes, asking not only what we must do, but why we do it. It challenges us to look beyond ourselves and see the wider impact of our labor.
That is why these questions are essential to keep before us:
- How does my work serve God’s purposes?
- Who is blessed through what I do today?
When these questions shape our mindset, work is no longer merely something we do to sustain life—it becomes one of the primary ways we participate in what God is doing in the world.
2. Pursue Excellence as Worship, Not Approval
Excellence reflects God’s character.
But excellence flows from identity, not insecurity.
Biblical excellence is not driven by the need to impress others, secure approval, or prove our worth. Excellence flows from identity, not insecurity. Because we are created in the image of God, our work is meant to reflect His character. God is faithful, intentional, and good in all He does, and excellence in our work becomes one way we honor and represent Him.
When excellence is pursued for approval, work becomes exhausting and fragile. Motivation rises and falls with recognition, praise, or promotion. But when excellence is pursued as worship, it becomes steady and resilient. We work well not because someone is watching, but because God is worthy. Excellence, then, is not about perfection or performance, but about faithfulness.
This is why Scripture consistently emphasizes integrity in unseen places. Doing our work well even when no one notices reveals who we are working for. Hidden faithfulness shapes visible character. What we do when there is no applause often matters more to God than what we do on a stage.
Pursuing excellence as worship also means refusing to cut corners when integrity is tested. It is choosing honesty over convenience, faithfulness over shortcuts, and righteousness over results. Integrity may cost us in the short term, but it preserves our witness and aligns our work with God’s rule.
In this way, excellence becomes an act of devotion. Our work reflects not our insecurity, but our confidence in God. We do our work well—not to earn acceptance, but because we are already accepted, and we desire that everything we do honors Him.
3. Work to Add Value, Not Merely Extract Reward
Sacred work seeks fruitfulness, not exploitation.
Biblical work is never centered on taking as much as possible for personal gain. Sacred work is oriented toward adding value, not merely extracting reward. While compensation is a legitimate part of work, it is not the ultimate measure of its worth. In God’s design, work exists to cultivate, build, and bless—not to exploit people, systems, or resources for short-term benefit.
When work is driven primarily by reward, it easily slips into exploitation. People become tools, systems become loopholes, and resources become commodities to be consumed. But sacred work seeks fruitfulness—the kind of outcome that leaves life growing rather than depleted. Fruitfulness means that after our work is done, something is healthier, stronger, or more aligned with God’s purposes than before.
This value-adding mindset reshapes how we evaluate success. Instead of asking only how much we gained, we begin to ask what was improved because we were involved. Did our presence strengthen relationships? Did our leadership bring clarity and fairness? Did our work contribute to sustainability and long-term good?
These questions keep our hearts aligned with stewardship rather than self-interest:
- Am I leaving people, systems, and resources better than I found them?
- Do I measure success by contribution, not only compensation?
When contribution becomes the measure, reward finds its proper place. Compensation becomes a result of value created, not the reason for work itself. In this way, our labor reflects God’s heart—work that builds, serves, and brings life—rather than work that merely takes and consumes.
4. Offer Your Work Intentionally to God
Work becomes worship not automatically, but intentionally. The same task can be ordinary labor or sacred service, depending on the posture of the heart. Scripture consistently teaches that what we do gains spiritual meaning when it is consciously offered to God. When work is surrendered to Him, it moves beyond obligation and becomes an act of devotion.
To offer our work intentionally to God means we no longer work merely for ourselves, for recognition, or even only for results. We work before God, aware that He is the ultimate audience of our faithfulness. This posture shifts how we approach both success and struggle. Achievement no longer feeds pride, and difficulty no longer produces despair, because our work is anchored in obedience rather than outcome.
Intentional offering begins with awareness. Starting the day by committing our tasks to God—“Lord, receive my work today”—reorients our motives and priorities. It reminds us that our skills, opportunities, and energy are entrusted gifts, not personal possessions. Challenges are then seen not merely as problems to solve, but as opportunities to rely on God’s wisdom, patience, and grace.
When work is intentionally offered to God, integrity becomes non-negotiable. We refuse to cut corners, manipulate outcomes, or compromise values, because our work is no longer just about efficiency or reward—it is about faithfulness. Even unseen work carries weight, because God sees and receives it.
In this way, offering our work to God transforms the workplace into an altar. Every task, decision, and responsibility becomes a means of honoring Him. Work is no longer something we endure or merely manage; it becomes a daily expression of trust, obedience, and worship under God’s rule.
5. Creating systems that promote justice and peace:
Dominion under God creates structures where:
- Authority serves people
- Power protects the vulnerable
Dominion under God is never exercised merely at the personal level; it inevitably shapes systems, structures, and cultures. When God entrusts authority, He does so with the expectation that it will be expressed through frameworks that promote justice, peace, and human flourishing. Biblical dominion does not rely on charisma or personal control, but on systems that reflect God’s character.
Under God’s rule, authority exists to serve people, not to elevate those in power. Leadership is meant to create order, clarity, and safety so that others can grow and thrive. When authority functions as service, it removes oppression rather than reinforcing it. Decisions are guided not by convenience or self-interest, but by what is right, fair, and life-giving for the community.
At the same time, power is meant to protect the vulnerable. In God’s Kingdom, strength is not used to silence or exploit those with less influence, but to defend, uphold, and restore them. Systems shaped by godly dominion pay attention to those who are easily overlooked—the weak, the marginalized, and those without a voice. Justice is measured not by how the powerful are treated, but by how well the vulnerable are safeguarded.
This understanding transforms how we design and lead in every sphere of life. In leadership, it means creating policies that are transparent, fair, and accountable. In business, it means structuring practices that value people over profit and sustainability over short-term gain. In ministry, it means building environments where people are shepherded, not pressured. In daily life, it means using influence to create spaces of peace, dignity, and fairness.
When authority serves and power protects, systems begin to reflect the reign of God. Dominion then becomes visible—not as control, but as justice; not as force, but as peace; not as self-promotion, but as faithful stewardship under God’s rule.
Applications:
- Leadership: design policies that are fair, transparent, accountable
- Business: practice ethics even when profit is at stake
- Ministry: shepherd people, don’t pressure them
- Daily life: use influence to defend those who cannot defend themselves
CLOSING STATEMENT
The Dominion Mandate reminds us that our lives are not our own. We are image-bearers entrusted with authority—not to dominate, but to serve; not to exploit, but to steward; not to build our own kingdoms, but to represent God’s rule through faithfulness, justice, and love. Dominion under God is always expressed through responsibility, humility, and care for what has been entrusted to us.
Work, therefore, is sacred. Leadership is responsibility. Influence is stewardship. When image-bearing and dominion remain together, humanity fulfills its original calling—reflecting God’s character while extending His life-giving order into the world. May we leave with a renewed understanding that our daily work can become worship, our authority is a trust from God, and our lives are meant to faithfully represent the King whose Kingdom will never fail.
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