Is Christ’s Lordship Active or Passive?
An Important Question for Church Governance
by Christopher Hendrix
In a franchised fast-food restaurant, you have an owner, a general manager, shift managers, and employees. You also have customers. The owner owns every square inch of the restaurant's property, even the parking lot. Yet, within this property there are certain divisions. For instance, customers have specific areas where they can park, enter, order, and sit. Those areas are designed for the staff. Within the restaurant, the customers can't tell the staff what to do (even if Burger King says to have it your way). Yet, the staff isn't free to make up rules to enforce. They are only allowed to put into place what the owner has mandated. Likewise, the customers have to abide by the owner's laws. If the owner posts a sign saying no shoes, no shirt, no service, they can't enter. Otherwise, the owner can punish them. If customers destroy something, park in the handicapped space, or do anything contrary to the owner's will, they will suffer the consequences. A restaurant is a microcosm of the Lord's Kingship over all creation. The restaurant represents an active rule of the owner over his people (the staff) and people who are not his people (the customers).
Watch Pastor Chris Hendrix’s sermon on 1 Timothy 3:1-7.
We live in a time that struggles to understand the Lordship of Christ. One of the hot topics among Christian circles right now involves the application of Christ's Kingship. Every Christian agrees that Christ is King. Every Christian knows that Christ sustains all things. Every Christian believes that He exercises authority. The issue comes down to the extent of His authority. Is he exercising an active Lordship or passive? A passive Lordship teaches that Christ rules the church, but the expectations shift when it comes to outside the church. While He is still in charge, he isn't actively involved in seeing unbelievers submit to His Law. While He builds His church and converts unbelievers to believers in their pre-Christian state, He does not actively bind them to His Word. They will one day be judged for their unbelief and sin, but they aren't held to the exact expectations on Earth.
On the other hand, an active Lordship views Christ as ruling the church and world according to His Law. The church is the only place by which the sacraments are administered, the preaching goes forth, and all sin is dealt with, but the entire world sits under the Law and is called to follow these standards. When we see unbelievers, knowing Christ's rules actively means we call them to the same standards and expectations that we hold, too. Just as Christians are called to obedience, so are unbelievers called to obey. Places like Psalm 2 tell us that the Son rules and all are called to humble themselves before Him. However, the most crucial difference is that believers have the Spirit of God that enables obedience, and unbelievers do not. Yet, this doesn't mean unbelievers are let off the hook. This means Christians call them to repent and believe in Christ to receive the Spirit and obey. Thus, the good news is excellent! Creation belongs under Christ's Lordship. Therefore, He rules equally.
Answering the question of whether Christ's rule is passive or active is vital for church leaders. Going back to our restaurant illustration, the leaders are the general managers. The stewards of what has been given to them. We don't create the rules; we communicate and guide people through them. In light of our season of seeking the Lord's face to bring to light leaders and servants in the church, this is one of the fundamental questions that govern how someone leads and teaches. This fleshes out the calling of the Elder in equipping the saints for the work of ministry in Ephesians 4:11–12. Is this ministry only serving the church on Sunday mornings, providing meals in crises, doing acts of love for those in the church, and evangelizing the lost? From a passive Lordship view, the answer is yes. If someone views Christ's Lordship as passive, the teaching and preaching will focus on the church institution. It will only focus on the heart of the person, maybe some principles for family and life, and only enduring to the end. Evangelism is about telling people they are going to hell if they don't repent and believe. The believer's life outside the church's walls is neglected even more, especially in addressing unbelievers and calling them to Christ.
An active Lordship view calls people to serve the church in all those ways, but not stopping with church gatherings. In the public sphere, Christians are called to continue fulfilling the commands of Jesus towards other Christians. Christians are called to stand upon the biblical truths that govern their thinking among unbelievers. In their families, jobs, and society, Christians build up the body of Christ by living according to the Word. We are called to bring creation to a place of submitting to the Law of Christ for the betterment of the church and society. This is the work of ministry that grows the body. When unbelievers see the fruits that back up the message, the Spirit draws them into the body. The Christian who views the Lordship of Christ as active seeks to bring Christ into every area of life. Evangelism focuses on calling people to repent to the King whose laws currently govern them. Just as the restaurant owner calls the customers to obey, so does the active rule of Christ.