Feet and Inches: Understanding Christ’s Universal Reign Through the Lens of Smeaton and Kuyper
By David Schrock –
Solomon advises us that there is nothing new under the sun. Indeed, in the history of Christian thought, one would expect that under the Lordship of Christ and his church, the essentials of the gospel would remain consistent over time. Thus, while they need repeating in every generation because slippage is always a threat, there remains a kind of harmony that exists among theologians who make the Bible first order. Likewise, as one dives into reading pastors and theologians from different eras and different places, one can expect to find echoes. Sometimes these are organically related, sometimes they are not, which causes curiosity in how two statements made by independent thinkers could be so similar.
George Smeaton on Christ’s Universal Reign
Such an occasion happened a few months ago as I read George Smeaton’s eminently helpful book, The Doctrine of the Atonement As Taught By Christ Himself (Edinburgh, 1871) now re-titled and republished as Christ’s Doctrine of the Atonement. In it, the Scottish theologian gives his final exhortation from the text John 12:31, which reads, “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” In his thorough exegesis, the nineteenth-century Scot shows how Satan’s overthrow means simply, that Christ is the sole possessor of all things. He has stripped the god of this age of his title to this world, and he now rightly possesses the earth (cf. Matt 28:18). Therefore he writes,
This text [John 12:31], important in many aspects, is capable of being viewed in many applications. It throws a steady light on the great and momentous doctrine, that the world is, in consequence of the vicarious work of Christ, no more Satan’s, and that Christ’s people are now to be far from the impression that they are only captives in an enemy’s territory, and unable warrantably to occupy a place in the world, either as citizens or magistrates.
Moving from Christ’s substitutionary cross to the the universal themes of victory and dominion, Smeaton makes this final, global and glorious statement,
On the contrary, this testimony shows that every foot of ground in the world belongs to Christ, that His followers can be loyal to Him in every position, and that in every country and corner where they may placed they have to act their part for their Lord. The world is judicially awarded to Christ as its owner and Lord (p. 300).
This is a glorious truth that deserves time for consideration and meditation. Yet, in first hearing it, I could not help but think of Abraham Kuyper, who said something almost identical. Yet, as it will be shown, Kuyper’s context is different than Smeaton, and Kuyper actually spoke his word’s later.
Abraham Kuyper on Christ’s Universal Reign
In his lecture on “Sphere Sovereignty” delivered on October 20, 1880, Kuyper uttered what is today his most famous quotation. It reads:
There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: “Mine!” (Abraham Kuyper, “Sphere Sovereignty,” in Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader, ed. James D. Bratt [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998], 488).
In context, Kuyper’s statement comes at the end of a long list of academic sciences–medicine, law, natural science, letters– which the great educator of the Netherlands argued should be brought underneath the rule of Christ. Since all wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ (Col 2:3), all mental disciplines should find their origin and telos in Christ. In full context, he states,
Man in his antithesis as fallen sinner or self-developing natural creature returns again as the ‘subject that thinks’ or ‘the object that prompts thought’ in every department, in every discipline, and with every investigator. Oh, no single piece of our mental world is to be hermetically sealed off from the rest, and there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’ (488).
This concluding statement has been repeated again and again. It is a favorite of Reformed thinkers and others too. It is a wonderful thought to realize that all things have been and should be put in submission to Christ. But interestingly the application of Kuyper’s words (as I have used them and have heard others use them) are slightly out of context.
Often Kuyper’s turn of phrase is used in spatial, geographical ways, as if he was explaining Psalm 2 (or John 12:31) which says that all the nations have been given to the Son. Since the Lord possesses all the earth, he has a right to put his finger on it and exclaim “Mine!” However, in context, Kuyper’s statement is more specific. He is speaking more exactly of the “mental world,” not the spatial world. I doubt he would deny the broader application, but to read Kuyper closely, we find that his statement is more narrow.
This point does not mean that we need to abandon the use of Kuyper’s quotation. By no means! Rather, we would be find much help if we included Smeaton’s statement, too. In fact, what I want to suggest, in what follows, is that by comparing and contrasting Smeaton and Kuyper’s statements, we find a rich texture for understanding Christ’s work of common grace and saving grace in the world. He rules as king and priest, and thus he rules over all things in distinct ways, and I believe that these two men help us think through Christ’s universal reign with increasing perspicuity. So lets notice how and what these two statements contribute to such an understanding.
Feet and Inches: Understanding Christ’s Universal Reign Through the Lens of Smeaton and Kuyper
In these quotations above, the resonance between Kuyper and Smeaton is unmistakable. However, there are a number of differences in context and nuances that make it worthwhile to take up both statements as we consider Christ’s universal dominion. Let’s consider three that develop this truth.
First, Christ Rules Over Satan and Scholars. In Smeaton, Christ’s rule over the earth is contrasted with that of Satan. While Satan stole possession of the earth from Adam and Eve, and ruled as the god of this age for generations; Jesus Christ came and dethroned the serpent of old. Thus, while he still flails, Jesus is the one resting on the throne and delegating his Spirit and his Church to have dominion over the whole wide earth.
At the same time, one of the areas in which this dominion ought to occur is in the academy. Kuyper, a brilliant theologian, author, educator, politician, and spokesman for a Reformed worldview, advocates the need for the disciplines of law, medicine, science and so forth to be undertaken not in disjunction from faith or from the reign of Christ, but rather in connection with him. The reason? Just as Christ reigns over Satan and in the church, so he is the creator, sustainer, and inventor of all life. Thus, to rightly understand anything in creation demands that a person sees how that individual theory, molecule, or musical note relates to the whole. Only with Christ reigning on the throne can such a vision of research be conceived.
Second, Christ Rules Over Space and Studies. In Smeaton, we find biblical proof of the fact that Christ died for people from every tongue, tribe, language, and nation. At the same time, his death defeated the cosmic reign of Satan. Therefore, every square foot has now been reclaimed, officially, by Christ, and in time all creation will be re-made and re-seeded as Christ brings the New Creation. At the same time, Kuyper rightly sees Christ gifting his world with thinkers and thoughts that benefit all of humanity. These come not only from Christian scientists and philosophers, they are also developed by unbelievers. Nevertheless, Christ rules over the nations and their various schools of thought in such a way that all of life accomplishes his purposes, not just the penultimate desires of secular humanists and gene therapists.
One example of this would include the political theory that permitted Israel to dwell in the land of Palestine under the auspices of the Roman Empire. While not apparent to the Romans or even the Jews, God permitted the toleration of the Roman Empire to provide a way of life in Israel that facilitated the coming of Christ (cf. Gal 4:4). All the orchestrations and political machinations were at one level governed by various thinkers and philosophies, but at another level, God used them in order to effect his causes. In this way, God is sovereign over the geographic nations and the way they run. Smeaton points to the former, Kuyper more the latter.
Third, Christ Rules As Redeemer and Creator. In Smeaton’s work, he is insistent on Christ’s atoning work. Because of Christ’s death, he defeats Satan and redeems or reclaims the earth. In this way, he is functioning as a Redeemer who has authority over all the earth. For Kuyper, it seems that his sphere sovereignty is more connected with his role as creator and sustainer. While not denying the special work of redemption, in any sort of way, he emphasizes Christ the Creator.
Indeed, both of these things are true and should not be set against one another. Rather, they work in tandem and rightly relate Christ to all the earth. As John 17:2 mentions, Jesus has authority over all flesh, but he only gives eternal life to the ones who have been given to him (i.e. the elect).
In the end, Smeaton’s statement balances Kuyper’s statement and gives added texture and depth to the beautiful reality that Christ reigns over all things. Christ reigns over all the earth as Creator and Redeemer, as the one who has subdued Satan and who subverts scholars. He rules space and time, measurement and rhyme. He is God over all, and in the works of Smeaton and Kuyper, one can find an excellent pair who help us think through the way Christ governs his universe.
A Final Curiosity
Smeaton published his words before Kuyper proclaimed his. While it would be natural for Smeaton to assimilate Kuyper’s well known words–at least well known today–it seems odd that Kuyper would have borrowed his most famous utterance from another. Likewise, given the contexts in which the statements occurred and the provenances from which they were written, it is unlikely that these two statements had any organic relationship. It is more likely the case, that the allusive echo found in their statements are simply the product of two men studying the same Scriptures, influenced by the same Spirit–coincidentally, both men produced mammoth works on the Holy Spirit (Smeaton, The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit; and Kuyper, The Work of the Holy Spirit), living under the same king whose rule is seen in Edinburgh and Amsterdam.
While Smeaton measured Christ’s reign in feet and Kupyer marked his off in inches, the reality for both of them, is that Christ rightly possesses all his inheritance and is reigning over it all today. This glorious truth bears repeating, and as often as we quote Kuyper, perhaps we should also cite Smeaton, who not only precedes the Dutch theologian and prime minister, but who also connects the universal reign to the cross of Christ.
David Schrock is a Ph.D. candidate in systematic theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church (Seymour, IN). David also blogs at Via Emmaus. He is married to Wendy and is the father of Titus and Silas.
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