(English & Español)
by Raimer Rojas
Discipleship • The Four Great Callings of God's People
Exodus 18 (and the Cultural Mandate) • The Cultural Mandate as a Reality Check • The Cultural Mandate Stewardship Checklist
This cultural mandate is emphasized here because it is often overlooked in the church, even though this expectation was given by God from the very beginning and remains a mandate for all humanity. Christians must recognize this and take seriously the responsibility God has entrusted to us. If we truly understood and honored this mandate, everything we do in life would be filled with purpose and carry real responsibility for the flourishing of humanity.
From the beginning, God entrusted humanity with the responsibility to cultivate, order, steward, and protect what He created (Gen. 1:28; 2:15). This stewardship includes not only the earth itself, but also human relationships, families, social systems, creativity, intellect, and innovation. God gave human beings minds capable of ingenuity and problem-solving so that we might build wisely for the advancement of civilization—not for harm, but for life.
At the heart of the cultural mandate is this truth: God designed the world with parameters. When those boundaries—moral, relational, physical, and social—are honored, life flourishes. When they are ignored or violated, destruction follows. Scripture consistently affirms that God’s intent is life, peace, and hope (Jer. 29:11), and He calls His people to choose life rather than death (Deut. 30:19). The cultural mandate invites humanity to cooperate with God’s design by working with the grain of creation rather than against it.
The cultural mandate, then, is God’s call to shape relationships, families, communities, and societies in ways that reflect His wisdom and goodness. When rightly practiced, our work points people back to God—the Author and source of life—and toward the blessed life He intended humanity to experience. This requires recognizing the limits and design of the world God made, honoring those limits, and wisely capitalizing on creation’s potential so that its greatest good can be harnessed for the blessing of society.
God’s design for flourishing is not carried out only through pastors, missionaries, or explicitly religious work. Much of the cultural mandate is lived out through ordinary vocations that order society, protect life, and create environments where people can thrive.
In all these vocations, the cultural mandate is actively at work:
Cultivating what is good — developing people, places, and systems so they can flourish
Ordering what is chaotic — bringing structure, clarity, and stability where there is disorder
Setting boundaries that protect life — establishing limits that prevent harm and promote safety
Designing systems that enhance life and promote healthy functioning — creating environments and processes that support long-term flourishing
Stewarding resources wisely — managing time, talent, knowledge, and material resources with care and responsibility
Choosing what leads to life, not destruction — aligning decisions and innovations with God’s intent for life, peace, and hope
These principles become visible through everyday work.
Teachers and educators cultivate minds, character, and curiosity, helping students grow in wisdom and develop their God-given potential.
Doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers protect life, restore health, and relieve suffering, honoring the sacred value of the human body.
Engineers, architects, and builders take raw materials and design structures that support life—homes, infrastructure, clean water, and safe environments.
Farmers, environmental scientists, and conservationists embody the call to “work and keep” the earth, stewarding resources so creation continues to produce life.
Social workers, counselors, and therapists help restore order where relationships and emotional lives have been fractured, bringing healing and stability.
Judges, lawyers, and civic leaders, when guided by integrity, uphold justice and set boundaries that restrain harm and protect the vulnerable.
Entrepreneurs and innovators solve real problems, create jobs, and develop systems that meet human needs—unlocking potential for the common good.
When humans lead and steward responsibly—honoring God’s design, respecting limits, seeking wisdom, and choosing life—creation begins to function as God intended. Relationships stabilize. Families strengthen. Communities become safer and more just. Societies grow in ways that bless rather than destroy.
Ultimately, this kind of work points beyond itself. It testifies that life works best when aligned with God, the Source of life, and it offers the world a glimpse of the goodness of the way He intended things to be.
This is the cultural mandate lived out:
ordinary people, in ordinary vocations, doing extraordinary good by honoring God’s design for life, society, and human flourishing.