(English & Español)
by Raimer Rojas
Discipleship • The Four Great Callings of God's People
The Cultural Mandate: God’s Design for Human Flourishing • Exodus 18 (and the Cultural Mandate) • The Cultural Mandate as a Reality Check
The cultural mandate (Gen. 1:28; 2:15) calls humanity to cultivate life, steward resources, set boundaries, and build systems that lead toward flourishing. Scripture shows that God evaluates individuals, leaders, institutions, and nations based on how well they steward life toward goodness rather than destruction.
This framework helps ask the right questions at four interconnected levels:
Relational
Moral
Economic
Structural
Failure at any level eventually undermines the whole.
This level examines the human core of a society or organization.
Key Questions:
Are relationships built on dignity, trust, and responsibility?
Are families strengthened or weakened?
Are people formed into mature, capable contributors—or dependent consumers?
Are leaders accessible, accountable, and relationally grounded?
Is conflict handled with truth, justice, and reconciliation?
Indicators of Health:
Strong families and communities
Healthy leadership culture
Intergenerational responsibility
Mutual accountability
Indicators of Breakdown:
Relational fragmentation
Exploitation or neglect of people
Isolation, burnout, or dependency
Leaders detached from the people they serve
This level examines whether boundaries that protect life are honored.
Key Questions:
Are clear moral boundaries established and upheld?
Is truth valued over convenience or image?
Is power restrained by integrity?
Are justice and mercy practiced consistently?
Are actions aligned with stated values?
Indicators of Health:
Integrity in leadership
Justice for the vulnerable
Accountability mechanisms
Humility and restraint in power
Indicators of Breakdown:
Corruption or hypocrisy
Moral relativism
Abuse of power
Tolerance of harm for the sake of gain
This level examines whether the system is productive, sustainable, and fair.
Key Questions:
Are resources stewarded wisely or extracted recklessly?
Is productivity encouraged or discouraged?
Are incentives aligned with contribution and responsibility?
Is wealth creation balanced with care for the vulnerable?
Are future generations considered in economic decisions?
Indicators of Health:
Sustainable productivity
Fair opportunity and access
Responsible innovation
Long-term planning
Indicators of Breakdown:
Exploitation or extreme inequality
Short-term gain over long-term sustainability
Dependency without empowerment
Debt, debasement, or systemic instability
This level examines whether structures, policies, and institutions are designed well.
Key Questions:
Do systems support healthy functioning—or create bottlenecks?
Are roles, authority, and responsibility clearly defined?
Are systems scalable, resilient, and adaptable?
Do structures serve people—or do people serve the system?
Is growth intentional or accidental?
Indicators of Health:
Clear governance and accountability
Systems that empower people
Sustainable growth patterns
Wise delegation and shared leadership
Indicators of Breakdown:
Overcentralization of power
Bureaucratic paralysis
Event-driven or reactive systems
Growth without formation
This question cuts across all four levels. Is this organization, church, or nation choosing what leads to life—or what leads to death? (Deut. 30:19)
Signs of Choosing Life:
Long-term flourishing
Formation of responsible people
Systems that heal and sustain
Alignment with reality and human limits
Signs of Choosing Death:
Short-term gains with long-term damage
Burnout, decay, or collapse
Dehumanization
Repeated crisis cycles
Level > Focus > Key Question
Relational > People & community > Are people being formed to flourish?
Moral > Values & boundaries > Are limits that protect life honored?
Economic > Resources & productivity > Is stewardship sustainable and just?
Structural > Systems & governance > Do systems actually produce life?
Life Orientation > Direction > Are we choosing life or death?
God evaluates stewardship not by activity, intention, or success alone, but by whether what is built actually leads to human flourishing over time.
This framework applies equally to:
Individuals
leaders
small groups
churches
organizations/institutions
corporations
nonprofits
movements
nations
The cultural mandate is not optional—it is the operating standard by which life either works or breaks down.