Dualism
By Dr. Derek Carlsen
Dualism is a false view of life or reality whereby a separation is made between matter and non-matter, i.e., body and spirit. Then the spiritual aspect of existence is exalted above the physical aspect, which is regarded as evil, inferior or an obstacle.
Seduced
Many Christians have been seduced by the idea that the spiritual aspect of their life in Christ requires them to have as little as possible to do with the affairs of life in the physical world. Thus, a great evil in their eyes is someone trying to break down the barrier that they have set up between these two realms. They say that Christian truth has no place in most of the dusty details of our lives, not realizing that their view arises from a religious commitment to certain non-Christian beliefs about life, purpose, morality, etc. Their claims that Christ and His truth are not allowed in the “secular” realm, allows other beliefs to have ultimate say in those realms; beliefs, mind you, that are inescapably religious.
Disintegrating Nation
It is from relying upon man’s wisdom as guide in the “secular” or “earthly” realm that we find ourselves in a disintegrating nation. Christians have, in great numbers and for a long time, given hearty support to the sacred/secular separation and have claimed that spiritual maturity is measured by how well believers are able to keep Christian truth out of the secular aspects of life—the greater the separation, the greater the spiritual maturity.
Not of this World
One of the most commonly cited verses by those who promote this dualistic separation is John 18:36, where Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not of this world”. It is assumed that this verse settles the debate in the favour of those who want to keep the two realms separate, because, they claim; Jesus clearly means that His rule and purposes have nothing to do with this world’s civil or secular realms.
A False Dilemma
Those who uphold the sacred/secular separation create a false dilemma, forcing people to choose only one of two options, namely, deciding whether to serve the heavenly kingdom or an earthly kingdom. The Bible, however, does not force believers to choose between heavenly or earthly service, but rather shows them to be inseparably linked.
True Spirituality
To think that our spiritual service for God can be separated from any aspect of life on earth is to have a false idea about spirituality. True spirituality is concerned about the whole person and the whole of culture. A person’s soul (spiritual aspect) is not more holy than their body (physical aspect); their songs of worship are not more holy than their work to support their family.
Platonism
Everyone and everything is meant to glorify the King of kings. It is Platonism that makes the “upper level” holy, but grants the “lower level” little, if any, spiritual value. God made the whole earth and everything in it for His own pleasure and glory (Colossians 1:16), which includes every aspect of our being (body and spirit) and our comprehensive life (culture)—everything is to be holy unto the Lord.
The Great Commission
While Adam’s sin touched every aspect of life in this world, we must not think that his disobedience was greater than Christ’s obedience. The redemption that has been accomplished by Christ is not only meant for people’s souls, but for all of life. The Great Commission does not tell Christ’s followers to disciple people’s souls. It doesn’t even tell them to disciple individuals (though this is implied), rather, what it tells them to do is disciple nations. Nations are whole people groups that exist in community and Jesus wants every aspect of their existence, as nations, to be brought into line with His will (Matthew 28:19-20). The target Jesus has given to His followers is clearly not individuals from all nations, but the nations themselves. Dualism rejects this and so denies the scope of the Great Commission—actually, dualism is a false gospel waging war against the Lordship of Christ.
What Does “of” Mean?
When Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36), the word ‘of’ does not mean that Jesus’ Kingdom has nothing to do with this world, is unrelated to or unconcerned about the details of life on earth. Yet somehow, because of this verse, many Christians have placed the Kingdom of God in an upper realm that is almost completely cut off from the lower or earthly realm of existence. The only way to be part of God’s Kingdom, according to this reasoning, is to remain separated or aloof from most of what happens in the lower level. Actually, some go so far as to say that if you try and bring the light of God’s Word to bear on many “earthly” matters, you reveal your lack of spirituality and that you are deceived.
The Origin of His Kingdom
When Jesus said His Kingdom was not of this world, He was not referring to the realm of its influence. Rather, He was talking about the power and origin of His Kingly rule, explaining that the source of His authority was not from this world, but from somewhere else, namely, the throne-room of heaven. All other kingdoms rely upon the resources that are available within the created world. Christ’s Kingdom alone has its origin in eternity. His authority, power, glory and victory do not depend upon anything in this world, because His Kingdom is not of this world. There is nothing in this world that can be compared to Christ’s Kingdom or the authority that sustains it.
My Disciples Would Fight
Christ’s Kingdom wasn’t sustained by the resources needed by other kingdoms in order to survive. Jesus clearly said that if His Kingdom was of this world, then His disciples would fight to protect Him from Pilate. The source of Christ’s power was not dependent upon how many soldiers He had following Him, which is what earthly kingdoms depend upon. Christ’s Kingdom is not dependent upon man’s will, strength or wisdom.
Jesus’ Kingdom is in the World
Jesus had announced previously that His Kingdom was in this world (Matthew 4:17; 12:28; Luke 17:20-21). Thus it is wrong to think that now, before Pilate, He was reversing course and saying that His Kingdom was no longer in, concerned about or wielded authority in the earthly realm. The fact was, Christ’s Kingdom was already very much established in this world and there was nothing that anyone could (or can) do about it. Jesus was not talking about the location of His Kingdom, but about its origin. Christ’s Kingdom rule remains very involved in this world; it doesn’t originate from, nor is it sustained by resources from this world. This is the meaning of John 18:36. Paul said that God “has placed all things under His [Jesus’] feet,” (Ephesians 1:22). This was a past event from Paul’s perspective, which took place when God seated Jesus “at His right hand in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 1:20). See the article (Redemption versus the Fall).
To Become Foolish
Christ’s Kingdom touches every area of life because His Lordship is over every aspect of life. He told His servants that they were to be salt and light in this world (Matthew 5:13-16). The usefulness of salt is found in its ability to preserve and flavour, but if it is not used to preserve and savour, then it is worthless. For salt to be effective it must touch every part of the meat or food, not just a small part of it. The phrase translated in our Bibles as “to lose its savour”, can be literally translated as, “to become foolish”. In other words, Christ’s people become foolish when they refuse to act as preserving agents in all of life. By implication, they act wisely when they bring the light of God to bear upon all things—His Word is light (Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 6:23; Ephesians 5:13).
Hiding the Light
Dualism, by relegating the testimony and influence of the church to an imagined “spiritual” realm, has removed God’s light from most of life, with the aim of rendering the church worthless. The church’s reluctance and inability to address the political madness in our days is just one illustration of how dualism has triumphed in our nation. The church’s almost total silence in the civil realm is not a sign of holiness or spirituality, but of being deceived, because a plain and humble reading of the Bible will reveal how unbiblical this silence has been.
The Scriptural Precedent
It is obvious that political leaders are God’s servants and are fully accountable to His revelation (Psalm 2:10-12; Romans 13:4; Revelation 1:5). When God’s people challenge lawlessness in political officers, they are representing God who has called them to be His ambassadors in this world (2 Corinthians 5:20). Moses told Pharaoh what God expected him to do (Exodus 5:1-2). David challenged the unrighteous behaviour of king Saul by resisting his authority—if a king wants to kill you and you flee from him, you are despising his command and resisting his will (1 Samuel 23 and 24). Nathan rebuked the unrighteousness of King David (2 Samuel 12:7). Elijah told King Ahab that it was his sin that brought trouble upon Israel (1 Kings 18:18), then later he rebuked King Ahaziah and resisted his commands (2 Kings 1:9-16). Many prophets, including Isaiah, rebuked foreign kings (e.g., chapters 13-23). John the Baptist rebuked King Herod’s actions (Matthew 14:1-5) and Christ called Herod a “fox”, referring to his unrighteous ways (Luke 13:32). Stephen rebuked and openly exposed the sinfulness of the Sanhedrin—the Jews’ highest political body (Acts 7:51-53). The above verses make it clear that rebuking political leaders with the truth of God’s Word is a natural part of our calling. We are not to be ashamed of God’s truth—the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it (Psalm 24:1; 119:46), thus all things and people are accountable to Him. This does not mean the church has authority over the state, but that church, state and all spheres, are equally under the authority of God’s Word and must not step beyond the boundaries He has set for them.
Lord of the Nations
There is one Law-giver and one Lord who is over all people, institutions and nations (James 4:12; 2 Chronicles 20:6). It is true that the Kingdom of God is a spiritual reign within our hearts (Luke 17:21); however, this doesn’t exhaust everything the Bible tells us about Christ’s Kingdom reign. The reign of Christ subdues every enemy of righteousness (1 Corinthians 15:25-26; Colossians 1:20). Christ doesn’t limit His rule to merely an internal, heart felt, other worldly realm, but claims for Himself unlimited authority over every realm (Psalm 47:7,8; 72;8-11; Matthew 28:18-20; Philippians 2:9-11; Colossians 2:10).
Conclusion
Christ, the King, calls on His children who have been saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-10), to bring their own lives into submission to His every Word (2 Corinthians 10:5), to walk perfectly before Him (Matthew 5:48), according to His revelation for every area in life (2 Timothy 3:16-17), which requires exposing works of darkness (Ephesians 5:11). The Lord of the universe tells us to bring every thought and action into line with His will, not only those “spiritual” or internal areas. Every sphere of life must be brought into submission to Christ’s Lordship, and this forever destroys the false idea of a sacred/secular distinction. If churches don’t want to proclaim the Lordship of Christ in all areas (i.e., education, civil government, economics, etc.), that is their choice, but then they must not claim that their internal, other worldly religion is glorifying Christ’s Kingdom. Dualism must be exposed for what it is if the church is going to obey the Lord’s comprehensive Commission to disciple the nations.