DOMINION AND COMMON GRACE 1
Summary
Two months ago, my friend Don gave me a copy of this book ‘with much appreciation for (your) Kingdom vision.
Although Gary North’s style first irritated me, I also realized that I may have had a similar tendency of making enemies.
Since I have battled hyper-Calvinism several times in my life, I am genuinely bothered by North’s view of humanity around us as just elect or reprobate, even if in the final analysis, at the final judgment this will prove correct. Related to this is, of course, his restricted view of the Love of God.
While North refers us to Chilton’s books for the better argumentation in favor of Postmillennialism, the line of arguments used in this book failed to convince me. Although I can cooperate well with Millennialists of different persuasion, I prefer to keep at arm’s length those who claim to know exactly how the latter days will unfold.
I do appreciate the book and the insights shared by its author. There are many thought-provoking ideas that help me to adjust and fine-tune my own understanding and it is a wonderful thing to meet companions, who love to study and debate the Word of God and its implications for culture trends and practical church life.
Appreciation
Let’s start with some ‘applause moments’ during my studying of the book
After he quotes Romans 9:18,2 North comments, “If this bothers you in any way, let me issue a warning: you are thinking humanistically.”3 I like this, because in today’s setting we need such reminders on a regular basis. Don Carson warned church leaders to stop saying things like, “Now, we come to a topic I would rather avoid, but since the Bible talks about hell, I am obligated to talk about it, too”. Carson then adds: “Do you pretend to be more merciful or righteous than Almighty God?”
When, two pages further, North quotes Timothy 4:10, which states that “…the living God … is the Savior of all men…”, he agrees that just as there is a common grace for all and a special grace for some, there is also -to some extent- a universal salvation for all even though the eternal salvation is reserved for the elect. As I have argued elsewhere, God’s covenant of grace was -in its most basic form- extended to all earthly creatures, as God had saved them all from the great flood.
Several times Gary North reminds us that the recipients of God’s greater gifts also have a greater responsibility to respond in grateful thanksgiving.5 Again, in today’s age of ‘equality worship’ it is important to stress that God does not give equal gifts to all persons.6 Yet, he does demand more from those who received more and will issue greater punishment for those who received much, while they continue in their rebellion against the giver of all good things! 7
In my experience, deconstructing Christians and liberal churches today focus especially on ‘doing good’ and ‘being nice’ to others, like Muslim immigrants. Yet, they show no love or Christian faith if they do not seek to bring these people into loving relationship with the ultimate Giver of all good things. So, in their humanistic ‘love’ they end up piling coals of fire on the ones they claim to love, leading to their greater judgment.
North recognizes that, although ‘evil man can do good things’,8 such good things are only good in a limited sense. In fact, all things that do not give glory to God, are essentially evil.
1 Gary North, Dominion & Common Grace, the biblical basis of progress, Dominion Press, 1987.
2 God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
3 Dominion, p.20.
4 The Covenant of Grace Revisited I, in Praying for Rain blogger
5 e.g. Domion, p.29, 97.
6 Even many 'Christians today would argue that God is not fair or righteous! :(
7 Matthew 11:20-24.
8 Dominion, p.53.
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