Dominion and Authority
From the very beginning of creation, God established humanity with purpose, responsibility, and authority. Before sin entered the world, He entrusted Adam and Eve with the privilege of stewarding His creation.
Genesis 1:26-28 declares:
"Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth…. ”
God gave Adam and Eve dominion in the Garden of Eden—not to rule independently of Him, but to serve as His representatives and stewards on the earth. They were commissioned to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it, and exercise wise dominion over all creation (Genesis 1:28). Their authority was a sacred trust, calling them to faithfully manage and care for everything God had placed under their stewardship in accordance with His will and purpose.