The Context for Economics

Every field of knowledge has a starting point—in the language of the Greek New Testament this is called an arche’.

Since the eighteenth-century French Enlightenment, the arche’ for naturalists (atheists) and deists has been the assumption that knowledge exists as objective reality independent of God. In other words, the arche’ for knowledge is not the Creator but rather the creation (physical reality). It is further assumed by atheists that physical reality is self-existence; deists, however, assume that the arche’ of physical reality was a Creator who is no longer engaged in his creation. Other than the question of the origin of the physical universe, deists think like atheists. For both atheists and deists, knowledge is therefore viewed as neutral—unbiased by a God hypothesis. Even when postmodernism arose in the nineteenth century in reaction to naturalism’s failure to provide a profound explanation for reality, most people continued to subscribe to the assumption that knowledge is neutral.

From a Christian worldview, knowledge is not neutral, rather the arche’ for all true knowledge is not the creation but the Creator. The first verse in the Bible (see above), states this truth. There is nothing in the physical realm that does not proceed from God. Therefore, the arche’ for all disciplines of knowledge is God.

Genesis 1 reveals that God created mankind for the purpose of ruling his physical universe. This is known as the Creation Mandate.¹ To facilitate this mandate, mankind was made in the image of God, which provided mankind the requisite empowerment to rule. Biblically, the nature of mankind includes divine traits associated with the Trinitarian nature of God, such as the division of labor and interdependence. This means that individuals cannot be fully self-sufficient. Therefore, people must mutually support one another to obey the Creation Mandate. Division of labor and interdependence requires the trading of goods and services. Herein is the need for economics.

Economics before the fall of man was simple. There was no sin to bias people in their work. Neither did sin impair the physical universe—the context of work.

When the fall of man occurred, work and economics became more difficult. Mankind was biased by sin, such as, pride, self-centeredness, greed, lies, and deception. Furthermore, the physical context for man’s work was impaired by events such as, natural disasters, extreme weather patterns, manufacturing defects, and spurious events.

Genesis 3:15 intimates that God began a metanarrative of redemption of the fallen universe shortly after the fall of man. The Old Testament recorded mankind’s efforts at self-redemption, which failed. The New Testament recorded God’s efficacious plan of redemption based on Christ, which succeeded and added the Discipleship Mandate² to the plan.

The Discipleship Mandate³ is the basis for empowering mankind to be able to fulfill the Creation Mandate. Without the special divine empowerment of Christ, mankind’s ability to rule God’s creation is limited to common grace. Common grace is limited divine empowerment available to all mankind that, on a rudimentary level, facilitates mankind's obedience to some of God’s commands. This enables mankind, even rebellious mankind, to survive for a time in this existence, but mankind will never fully realize the full potential to rule as God’s agents over creation without the special divine empowerment of Christ.

Here is your business tip. From a Christian worldview, the starting point (arche') for economics must be sound biblical thinking about God and his purpose for mankind in history. All economic activity must support God’s purpose by enabling mankind to fulfill the Creation Mandate in the context of the metanarrative. This is the correct context to support economic activity. Economic activity executed based on common grace can only be marginally effective. Economic activity executed by true disciples of Jesus who are doing the will and ways of God will be efficacious in glorifying God and producing excellent value for those served. Wise management understands this reality and builds organizations based on discipleship.

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1. Genesis 1:26–28.
2. Matthew 28:18–20.
3. Commonly called the Great Commission.