THE FIVE PILLARS OF

BIBLICAL SUCCESS
THE FIVE PILLARS OF
BIBLICAL SUCCESS

GARY NORTH

p oin t f iv e p r e ss
Dallas, Georgia
The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

Copyright © 2008, 2021 by Gary North

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Inter-
national License. To view a copy of this license, visit [Link]/
licenses/by/4.0/.

Published by
Point Five Press
P.O. Box 2778
Dallas, Georgia 30132

Typesetting by Kyle Shepherd

 This book is dedicated to

John Livingston

whose website helps deacons

help people in financial trouble

[Link]
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Part 1: The Covenantal Structure of Success

Introduction to Part 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1 Legitimacy/Guarantor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2 Stewardship/Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3 Criteria/Objectivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4 Performance/Imputation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
5 Inheritance/Compounding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Conclusion to Part 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Part 2: Conflicting Views of Success

Introduction to Part 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
6 God vs. Mammon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
7 Dominion vs. Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
8 Giving vs. Receiving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
9 Values vs. Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
10 Long Run vs. Short Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Conclusion to Part 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Scripture Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
General Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

vii
 Preface

PREFACE

It is a well-known fact in the book publishing industry that

there are two kinds of books that always have a ready market:
diet books and self-help books on personal success. I have for
many years wanted to write a Christian diet book. I even have
the title: The Wages of Thin ​. . .​ Is Dearth. The title betrays my
fondness for the King James Version, even when its grammar
is incorrect. But this book is not a diet book. It is not a self-
help book, either. But it is surely a book on personal success.

A. The Price of Success

After many years of observation of what most people actually
do with their lives, I have become convinced that very few
people want what most people regard as success. They say
they do, but they don’t. What they want is success on their
own terms. They want success without making major changes
in their lives. They want success at a discount price, which they
think they deserve. Most important, they want success with-
out a proportional increase in their personal responsibility.
At some point, they recognize that success is not available
on these terms, so they abandon any systematic attempt to
achieve it. They re-define success to mean “just as I am, Lord,
just as I am.” Or, to put it more graphically, “As a dog retur-
neth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly” (Proverbs
26:11). An unsuccessful man returns to his patterns of medi-
ocrity or failure—or never abandons them.

ix
x The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

The best example in the Bible of this failure to count the

cost of success is found in Jesus’ confrontation with the rich
young ruler (Matthew 19:16–24). “And, behold, one came and
said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that
I may have eternal life?” It was clear that he did not under-
stand that the price of eternal life cannot be paid by sinful
man’s good deeds. So, Jesus began a dialogue leading to the
man’s self-recognition.
If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith
unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou
shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not
bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

These are unquestionably the Bible’s terms of success. Is-

rael recognized this. But, like Israel, the ruler thought these
are possible to attain through one’s own strength and self-dis-
cipline. “The young man saith unto him, All these things have
I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?” He wanted eternal
life, the New Testament’s definition of success. He believed
he was on the road to success. He believed he had almost per-
fectly mastered the system of success, lacking only the final
piece, which he believed Jesus would reveal to him. This final
piece would be the capstone of his personal success plan.
In fact, he had attained no success at all, and Jesus’ words
soon made this plain to him. Jesus went along with the man’s
self-deluded affirmation. He pretended that He knew the
missing final piece. “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be per-
fect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou
shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” But
this was not the final piece. It was instead the first piece: the
man’s public affirmation that he had to start from scratch—no
wealth, no position of authority, nothing to bring to God’s
table.
This requirement was designed to produce the shock of
recognition, which it did. It exposed the ruler’s failure to rec-
 Preface xi

ognize the true cost of his personal success program. “But

when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrow-
ful: for he had great possessions.” The fact that he would not
take this step pointed to the fact that his supposed successes
in meeting the terms of his personal success program were
a delusion—a delusion that would keep him from attaining
eternal life if he persisted in it. His seeming success so far was
a snare. He possessed success indicators, but no success.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That
a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And
again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the
eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of
God.

B. Success and Failure

I have had my share of successes. I have also had my share of
failures. I am reminded of an observation made by an Amer-
ican comedienne, Sophie Tucker. “I’ve been rich, and I’ve
been poor. Believe me, honey, rich is better.” We all have a
fondness for success and a repugnance at failure. Yet most
successful people will tell you that their failures were part of
their success. Success comes through trial and error. Vilfredo
Pareto’s nearly universal and unexplained 20/80 law informs
us that 20 percent of our activities produce 80 percent of our
success. If we could only eliminate that failure-generating 80
percent! But we can’t. It is part of the package, or, as we Amer-
icans say, it comes with the territory—an analogy based on the
sales profession, one of America’s acknowledged successes.
I like to think of Pareto’s law in terms of the human hand.
There are four fingers and a thumb. The thumb makes all the
difference: the crucial 20 percent.
As this book shows, you can count on one hand the prin-
ciples for achieving success in history. Also like the human
hand, there is a thumb that makes all the difference: the prin-
ciple of the absolute sovereignty of God. I cover this in Chap-
ter 1.
xii The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

The first public step in the application of the first princi-

ple of success in history is to rest one day in seven.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh
day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any
work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor
thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy
gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea,
and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the
Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it (Exodus 20:9–11).

The second step is to tithe the required 10 percent. Tithing

is the beginning of the process, not the end.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe
of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier
matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to
have done, and not to leave the other undone (Matthew 23:23).

The third and subsequent steps are not to leave the other
things undone.
The first principle—a day of rest—should remind us that
success is not earned. It is instead received. Success is based
entirely on grace, and in no way on works—at least not our
autonomous works. Success is a gift undeserved by its recip-
ients. This principle should warn us against making the fol-
lowing conceptual error.
And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine
hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the
Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth,
that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fa-
thers, as it is this day (Deuteronomy 8:17–18).

This book is not a handbook for success. Rather, it is a

theological introduction to success and its tempting imita-
tions. There are lots of self-help handbooks available. There
will be lots more. The problem is, one of them may make you
a nearly universally acknowledged success. Then what will
you do?
With increased success comes increased responsibility. If
 Preface xiii

your degree of success outruns your ability to exercise re-

sponsibility efficiently, you will be in trouble.
And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not
himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with
many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things wor-
thy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomso-
ever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom
men have committed much, of him they will ask the more (Luke
12:47–48).

This book is more about the efficient exercise of responsi-

bility than it is about gaining the visible marks of success, i.e.,
success indicators. Gaining success indicators is the easy part.
Maintaining them without passing by success is the difficult
part.
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest
observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant
commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left,
that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of
the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt med-
itate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do ac-
cording to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy
way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success (Joshua
1:7–8).

Go and do thou likewise.

 Introduction

INTRODUCTION

Most men suspect that something greater than earthly success

is at stake in life, but they are easily bedazzled and then side-
tracked. In American business history, no example of bedaz-
zlement matches that of steel magnate Andrew Carnegie [car-
NEYguee]. On January 1, 1901, he became the richest man on
earth when the sale of Carnegie Steel to the newly formed steel
trust known as United States Steel, made up of his former com-
petitors, went into effect. He then spent the rest of his life giving
away most of his money. He abided by the rules of accumu-
lating great wealth: wealth through productivity. Then he fol-
lowed the advice of sages everywhere. He gave his money away.
After he died, his executor found a note in his effects. Car-
negie had written it at the age of 33, when he was making
$50,000 a year—in an era in which the average urban laborer
earned $500. Here is what he wrote.
Man must have an idol—the amassing of wealth is one of the worst
species of idolatry—no idol more debasing than the worship of
money. Whatever I engage in I must push inordinately; therefore
should I be careful to choose that life which will be the most el-
evating in character. To continue much longer overwhelmed by
business cares and with most of my thoughts wholly upon the
way to make more money in the shortest time, must degrade me
beyond hope of permanent recovery. I will resign business at thir-
ty-five, but during the ensuing two years I wish to spend the af-
ternoons in receiving instruction and in reading systematically.1

1. Quoted in Robert L. Heilbroner, “Carnegie & Rockefeller” (1960); re-

1
2 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

He spent the rest of his life obsessed with money: first mak-
ing it, then giving it away. He made the world better off when
he was making his money by reducing the cost of steel than
when he gave it away to the humanists who controlled the dis-
tribution of his wealth in the various Carnegie foundations.
The most famous president of the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace was Alger Hiss (1946–49), who had been
a high-level U.S. State Department official, then became the
Secretary-General of the United Nations Organization’s char-
ter conference (1945), and was a spy for the Soviet Union.
There is an old rule: “Be careful what you ask for. You may
receive it.” This book can help you ask for what you are capa-
ble of receiving in good faith. Begin with good faith.

A. This Book’s Two Theses

I will here summarize the primary thesis of this book. It is
very simple to understand in the way a child could under-
stand it. Yet it is difficult beyond belief to apply it personally.
In fact, it takes the grace of God to apply it successfully in our
lives, which is the only way that we should apply the things
we know. Right?
Let us say that someone who is very important—world fa-
mous, even—takes the time and trouble to give you a very
valuable gift. You are flattered that the person even knows
your name, let alone that the gift itself is a treasure.
In response, you say two words: “Thank you.”
This is success.
Success always involves more than one person. At a mini-
mum, success is a two-way relationship. If you fail to under-
stand this, you will never understand success.
Let us get five things clear about this relationship.

printed in A Sense of History: The Best Writing from the Pages of American Heritage
(New York: Smithmark, [1985] 1995), p. 431. Heilbroner was a multimillion-
aire socialist economist who made his fortune through royalties from an in-
troductory textbook on the history of economic thought. It was appropriate-
ly titled, The Worldly Philosophers.
 Introduction 3

First, and by far the most important, it was the giver’s de-
cision to give you the gift. You had nothing to do with it. You
did not in any way deserve the gift. That is why we call it a
gift.
Second, your “Thank you” did not repay the giver for
what he spent on the gift. He put far more into it than you
have money in your bank account. Your “Thank you” was
merely a heart-felt token of your gratitude.
Third, You did not buy the gift with your simple “Thank
you.” The gift came first. There is no organized market for
gift-receiving.
Fourth, you are incapable of estimating the gift’s real
value, for it is in the giving, not the receiving, that the gift’s
real value lies ​. . .​ for the giver, who is very important, not you,
who are less important.
Fifth, your “Thank you” does not legally guarantee you
a stream of future gifts, although your perfectly correct re-
sponse may well get you more gifts from the very gracious
giver. That all depends on his motivation, not yours.
Do you understand this? A child would—anyway, a well-
trained child would.
How well-trained are you? This book may help you dis-
cover the correct answer.
This book’s secondary thesis is less simple to understand:
Success is different from success indicators. This is probably the
number-one problem you will encounter in evaluating your
personal success.
The New Testament, unlike the Old Testament, offers a
single definition of objective success: Your name is written in
the book of life.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the
books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the
book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which
were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea
gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered
up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every
4 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into
the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not
found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire
(Revelation 20:12–15).

Look no further for objective success. This is it. There is

no other valid standard. There is no other valid definition.
Here is everyone’s practical problem: No one has access in
history to the book of life. I have good news and bad news.
The good news is that there is a preliminary substitute for ac-
cess to the book of life, and quite reliable: residence in heaven
or hell until that final day. The bad news is that there is no
exit from hell—no backtracking allowed (Luke 16:23–31).
Here is the supreme practical, two-part question of this life:
Are there reliable temporal indicators of eternal success, and if
there are, how can a person accurately apply them to his or her
personal judicial condition?

This book is my answer to this crucial two-part question.

Before I begin to present my answer, I need to make one
thing as clear as I can: There is no program for success. Well, this
is not quite true. There was such a program, and Jesus Christ
successfully pursued it. No one else ever has. No one else
ever will. No one else ever could. Success is attained solely by
God’s grace: God the Father’s judicial imputation of Christ’s
successful completion of the program.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of your-
selves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should
boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto
good works, which God hath before ordained that we should
walk in them (Ephesians 2:8–10).

“Wait a minute,” you may be thinking. “If success is based

on God’s grace, and success is defined as salvation, then what
about eternal rewards for ‘good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them’? Aren’t good works
worth rewarding, once a person has salvation by grace?” Paul
wrote that good works are eminently worth rewarding.
 Introduction 5

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is
Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold,
silver, and precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work
shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it
shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work
of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built
thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be
burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so
as by fire (1 Corinthians 3:11–15).

There are objective differences between gold, silver, and

precious stones vs. wood, hay, and stubble. The person de-
scribed in this passage gets into heaven, but he enters emp-
ty-handed, because his life’s output was accounted by God as
wood, hay, and stubble. But other people arrive at heaven’s
gate with assets that survived the fire of testing.
So, there is eternal success, with a capital S: salvation. There
are also successes: gold, silver, and precious stones. But they
are not literally gold, silver, and precious stones. In fact, literal
gold, silver, and precious stones do not survive the fire of test-
ing. They are accounted as wood, hay, and stubble. Jesus said:
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth
nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through
nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also
(Matthew 6:19–21).

There are two vaults in history: an earthly vault and a

heavenly vault. They correspond to the two kingdoms.

B. Two Kingdoms
There are two kingdoms in history: the kingdom of God and
the kingdom of mammon. No one can be a member in good
standing of both kingdoms. Jesus warned:
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one,
and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise
the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24).
6 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

Each kingdom has its own definition of success. Each

has its own success indicators, although there is some cross-
over here. Each has its own program for attaining success.
In Part 1, I present a discussion of success indicators in the
kingdom of God. In Part 2, I identify some of the illusions of
success in the kingdom of mammon.
The kingdom of mammon is a perverse replication of the
kingdom of God. The kingdom of mammon does not extend
beyond the grave. So, its replication of the kingdom of God
is truncated: cut short. Its highway is wide, but this highway
is short.
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the
way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in
thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Matthew 7:13–14).

At the end of this highway is a sign: Dead End. There is

only one off-ramp. You must take it before you reach the dead
end. It is well marked, but comparatively few people have
noticed it, and fewer still have taken it.
The world is full of self-help books. These books are like
travel guides. Most of them have some good suggestions as
to which sights to see, where to shop for bargains, and how
to write off the holiday as a legitimate business expense. The
problem is, they do not warn you that there is a plague in
Shangri-La.2 This plague is even worse than the one in your
home town, which is bad enough. The one in Shangri-La kills
you in stages. First, it reduces your sensitivity to physical pain.
Then it induces false perceptions of grandeur and safety. It is
better to come to grips with the local plague, which has the
twin benefits of being more painful and more easily perceived.
You might get to the physician in time (Matthew 9:12).
Both kingdoms have a doctrine of sovereignty: God’s vs.
man’s. Both have a concept of authority: delegated vs. origi-

2. Shangri-La is the mythical kingdom in the 1933 novel by James Hilton,

Lost Horizon.
 Introduction 7

nal. Both have criteria of success: eternal vs. temporal. Both

offer rewards and punishments for performance: eternal vs.
temporal. Finally, both have concepts of inheritance and dis-
inheritance: eternal vs. temporal.
What are the five points of biblical success? These.
First, the God of the Bible, who spoke the universe into
existence, is absolutely sovereign. He has determined that
His word will not return to Him void. His word is manifested
in history in two forms: Jesus Christ, the second person of the
Trinity, who is God’s incarnated Word, and the Bible, which
is God’s inscripturated word,
Second, God created mankind to exercise dominion over
the earth in His name, as His representative agent. These
agents are made in the image of God and can understand
the world as God does, but as creatures. But in the rebellion
of Adam, men’s perception is distorted by sin. Those whom
God redeems by grace through their faith in the saving work
of Jesus Christ are given the mind of Christ.
Third, God has revealed the work of the law in every per-
son’s heart (Romans 2:15) and has placed the law of God’s
covenant in every Christian’s heart (Hebrews 8:10; 10:16).
God’s law is the tool of dominion.
Fourth, God’s providence in history is revealed by a system
of sanctions, positive and negative, which He imposes. These
sanctions reinforce His covenant law. Positive sanctions are
for obedience. Negative sanctions are for disobedience.
Fifth, covenant-keepers, who have been adopted by God
through grace, progressively inherit the earth through grace,
for they are empowered by God to obey His laws. Coven-
ant-breakers are progressively disinherited in history.
This book will prove this assertion.
 Part 1: The Covenantal Structure of Success

PART 1

THE COVENANTAL STRUCTURE OF SUCCESS

 Introduction to Part 1

INTRODUCTION TO PART 1

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt
meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do accord-
ing to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way pros-
perous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Joshua 1:8

This is the only verse in the King James Version in which the
word success appears. I am pleased to report that this is an ex-
cellent representative example of the thesis of my book. You
could do no better than this verse as a starting point in your
quest to gain an improved understanding of the meaning of
success.
The Hebrew word, sakal, here translated as success, can be
translated in a number of ways: prosper, be wise, understand,
instruct. The word is used to describe the most successful fail-
ure in history.
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and
that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make
one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also
unto her husband with her; and he did eat (Genesis 3:6).

This was a great success for Satan—a success for which he

has paid dearly and will pay for even more dearly.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from
me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his
angels (Matthew 25:41).

11
12 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

In short, this was a failure disguised as a success.

For Adam and Eve, this was also a failure disguised as a
success. They got away with their rebellion, but only briefly.
They gained a form of wisdom that had been open to them
through time and experience. This prospect was insufficient
for them. They wanted instant wisdom, instant illumination.
This, they received.
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they
were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made them-
selves aprons (Genesis 3:7).

The implementation of success in history is to gain wisdom

through God’s approved means rather than Adam’s. What is
God’s approved means? The procedure known as trial and
error. This procedure has five aspects. First, it rests on the as-
sumption that wisdom has its origin in God’s perfect knowl-
edge. Second, it rests on man’s position as a creature made in
the image of God and therefore capable of gaining wisdom.
Third, it rests on the law of God: law over nature and law over
man. Fourth, it rests on the God-given ability of His specially
redeemed people to apply their understanding of God’s law
to specific circumstances. Fifth, it rests on confidence that,
over time, covenant-keeping man’s wisdom will increase with
experience, and also that the process of trial and error will
increasingly be weighted against error.
I have said that Adam’s rebellion against God was a failure
disguised as a success. This rebellion resulted in Adam’s grim
legacy to his heirs: original sin and death. This raises a crucial
question: “How can the sons of Adam overcome this compre-
hensive, death-producing failure in their lives?” God has an
answer: through an even greater success disguised as an even
more monumental failure, namely, the cross of Christ.
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which
doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that
is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our
 Introduction to Part 1 13

faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the
throne of God (Hebrews 12:1–2).

Herbert Schlossberg made an important observation in

his book, Idols for Destruction. The history of Christianity is a
series of victories disguised as defeats. This process began at
Calvary.
I would modify Schlossberg’s statement. There will come
a time when these victories will become more obviously victo-
ries, and Satan’s defeats will become more obviously defeats.
Isaiah spoke of such a day.
And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of
them that hear shall hearken. The heart also of the rash shall
understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall
be ready to speak plainly. The vile person shall be no more called
liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful (Isaiah 32:3–5).

I would like to think that this little book may make a small
contribution to this increase in what my teacher Cornelius
Van Til called epistemological self-consciousness, but which I
prefer to designate by a more common phrase: calling a spade
a spade.
This book is based on the five points of the biblical cove-
nant model. It rests heavily on the book by Dr. Ray Sutton,
That You May Prosper, which was published in 1987.1

1. You can download it here: [Link]/Sutton-Prosper.

 Legitimacy/Guarantor

LEGITIMACY/ GUARANTOR

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,
saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my
ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For
as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth
not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud,
that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my
word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me
void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in
the thing whereto I sent it.
Isaiah 55:8–11

What is the best biblical model of success in this world? This

text provides the answer: the Bible itself. God guarantees the
success of His word in history. God has a wonderful plan for His
word. He has decreed in advance that it will prosper. It has
so far. This will continue. No other word will replace the Bi-
ble in history. No other word will serve mankind as the foun-
dation of the fulfillment of the dominion covenant (Genesis
1:26–27).
What does the Hebrew word translated as “prosper”
mean? It means to succeed, to flourish. It means what “pros-
per” means in English.
How can we prosper? By hitching our wagons to the star
of God’s word. This must begin with our covenantal subor-

15
16 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

dination to the word, which also means subordination to the

incarnation of God’s word, Jesus Christ. “In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God” (John 1:1). Success over creation begins with our
self-conscious, oath-bound subordination to God the Father
through His representatives: the Bible and the Son.
We can prosper in four major areas of life: individual,
church, family, and civil government. These are God’s cove-
nantal administrations. There are only four. We have special
obligations in these areas, which are uniquely established by
an oath to God that invokes His covenantal negative sanc-
tions if we should violate the terms of the oath. No other ar-
eas of life are so bound. The oath acknowledges the possibil-
ity of our failure. What failure? Our failure to adhere to the
terms of the oath.
This is how God wants us to view success and failure: in
terms of His covenant and its four administrations.
The context of this passage was God’s call to Israel to obey
Him. Through the prophet Isaiah, God told the people of
Israel to turn from their wicked ways.
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while
he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous
man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will
have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon (Isaiah 55:6–7).

The issue here had to do with conformity, inward and out-

ward, to the law of God. This warning was presented in a
special format: an assertion of the sovereignty of God. God’s
transcendent sovereignty is point one of the biblical covenant
model. Here we read that God is far above mankind—not just
a little above, but completely. God’s ways and thoughts are so
far superior to man’s that they are determinative. Man plans
and then acts, but man does not achieve all of his goals in this
life. God, in stark contrast to man, achieves all of His goals.
Every word that God utters completes its task. God does
 Legitimacy/Guarantor 17

not waste words. God also does not waste effort. As surely
as the rain produces growth in the field, so does God’s word
achieve its appropriate productivity in history. This was Isa-
iah’s message.
This affirmation places God over all history. No creature
possesses this degree of authority. This is more than mere au-
thority. This is sovereignty. God proposes, and God disposes.
“O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith
the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye
in mine hand, O house of Israel” (Jeremiah 18:6). Babylon’s
king Nebuchadnezzar, after he had been delivered by God
from the madness that God had imposed on him, affirmed
God’s sovereignty: “And all the inhabitants of the earth are
reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the
army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and
none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?”
(Daniel 4:35).
God therefore possesses the God-given authority to declare
a person’s work either good or poor. He told the rebellious heir
of Nebuchadnezzar that his work had been found substan-
dard. He told him this by means of a hand that wrote words
on a wall and by means of a prophet, Daniel, who interpreted
the words. This happened in front of witnesses. Daniel said:
And this is the writing that was written, Mene, Mene, Tekel,
Upharsin. This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God
hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. Tekel; Thou art
weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. Peres; Thy
kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians (Dan-
iel 5:25–28).

Individual success or failure is determined by the God

who is sovereign over all creation. So is institutional success
or failure, as Babylon discovered that very night. The suc-
cessor-inheritor of the kingdom of Babylon was Cyrus, king
of Persia. Here is what God announced to him, through the
prophet Isaiah, two centuries before Cyrus conquered Baby-
lon, long before Cyrus was born.
18 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand
I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose
the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and
the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the
crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass,
and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the trea-
sures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou
mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am
the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine
elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee,
though thou hast not known me (Isaiah 45:1–4).

So, it is not merely that God has established the criteria

of success or failure. It is not simply that He retroactively
evaluates individual success or failure at the final judgment.
He also brings to pass His decree in history. His word will not
return unto Him void. No one else speaks a more powerful
word in history.
Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd
strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that
fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?
Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or
to the woman, What hast thou brought forth? (Isaiah 45:9–10)

Mary’s song of praise regarding her pregnancy was a

prophecy as well as an affirmation of God’s sovereignty over
the successful and the unsuccessful.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is
his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation
to generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath
scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath
put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low
degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich
he hath sent empty away (Luke 1:49–53).

This same God assessed the preliminary work of His Son,

Jesus Christ. He did this in front of witnesses.
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them:
and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my be-
 Legitimacy/Guarantor 19

loved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when

the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid
(Matthew 17:5–6).

These are the words that every covenant-keeper longs to hear:

His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful ser-
vant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee
ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord (Mat-
thew 25:21).

Success begins with a confession that God is absolutely

sovereign over His creation, and that His word will not re-
turn unto Him void. God proposes, and God disposes. His
word—both inscripturated and incarnated—has revealed to
us what God has proposed and how He intends to dispose.

A. Self-Government
With respect to everything we think, say, and do, we should
remind ourselves that we are not in charge. God is in charge.
Yet we are fully responsible before God for what we think, say,
or do, as well as what we do not think, say, or do. As surely as
Adam and Eve were responsible, so are we responsible.
Each individual works out his salvation or damnation in
this life. Paul wrote: “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have al-
ways obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more
in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling” (Philippians 2:12). There is no escape from this
responsibility. Yet at the same time, “The king’s heart is in the
hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whith-
ersoever he will” (Proverbs 21:1). God is sovereign.
So, when we begin to make our personal plans for success,
we should begin with God and His holy word, which always
prospers. We should search the Bible for examples of success
in history. These, we should imitate. A good place to begin is
Hebrews 11, the chapter on people of great faith.
The first example is Abel. “By faith Abel offered unto God
a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained
20 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and

by it he being dead yet speaketh” (Hebrews 11:4). Yet Abel
was killed by his jealous brother. Abel had great success.
Cain’s seemingly permanent triumph over Abel was a great
failure. Abel’s victory was a success disguised as a failure. This is a
basic biblical model of success. Do not ignore it or forget it.
When you think “success,” think “Abel.”
Abel’s model is not the only biblical model. “By faith
Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which
he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he
went out, not knowing whither he went” (Hebrews 11:8). He
departed for the sake of an inheritance, even though he was
childless. Abram was an economic success. “And Abram was
very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold” (Genesis 13:2). He
was also a successful military leader. “And he brought back
all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his
goods, and the women also, and the people” (Genesis 14:16).
He became a father of nations, as his new name promised:
Abraham. “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will
bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a
blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him
that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be
blessed” (Genesis 12:2–3). Abraham was a man of great faith
in God. He trusted God’s word.
In contrast, the Pharaoh of the exodus was a failure. Yet
he possessed enormous power: the power of life and death.
His covenantal predecessor was Cain. God used his power
against him. Pharaoh believed that he could defeat God.
And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus
saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may
hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, Who
is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know
not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go (Exodus 5:1–2).

As a result, he experienced total failure. Moses gained total

victory over him—a victory that has come down through the
 Legitimacy/Guarantor 21

ages as one half of the archetypal story of success and failure in

history. In what did Moses’ success consist? Not the attainment
of great wealth, surely. Then what was Moses’ reward? To be
named as the greatest prophet of his era. “And there arose not a
prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew
face to face” (Deuteronomy 34:10). He wrote the Pentateuch, by
far the most extensive and detailed single revelation of God ever
recorded. Moses’ words have been regarded as God-inspired by
Christians, Jews, and Muslims. No man has had greater visible
influence in history. No man has had greater fame.
Jesus, of course, is the Bible’s supreme model of success.
He obeyed God to the letter (Matthew 5:17–18). The result
was His inheritance. This inheritance was, and remains,
comprehensive.
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given
unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway,
even unto the end of the world. Amen (Matthew 28:18–20).

He knew that He was well-pleasing to God the Father. He

also knew what His reward would be: complete authority.
Therefore, He could tell His disciples confidently that they
would not, could not, fail.
And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which
have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall
sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath for-
saken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife,
or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hun-
dredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life (Matthew 19:28–29).

Yet Jesus was clear about what constitutes success. Success

does not mean attaining great personal wealth, to be used for
one’s own pleasure. That is what mammon promises: “More
for man in history.” This is the wrong path, Jesus said.
22 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth
nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through
nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also
(Matthew 6:19–21).

This is an inheritance in the world beyond history. We ex-

change present uncertain assets for future certain assets. We
also need not worry about our lack of assets in the present.
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What
shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after
all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father
knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall
be added unto you. (Matthew 6:31–33)

B. Church Government
Jesus Christ is the head of the church. He possesses this title
legitimately, both as the incarnate Son of God and by rea-
son of His perfect humanity, which was publicly revealed at
the resurrection and the ascension (Acts 1:9). This two-phase
bodily raising of Christ is at the center of His lawful posses-
sion, Paul wrote.
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who
believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which
he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and
set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above
all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every
name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which
is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him
to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body,
the fulness of him that filleth all in all (Ephesians 1:19–23).

Christ has established His church in history. Christ now

rules it from heaven. Then how can the church fail in his-
tory? To ask this question is to answer it. The church of Jesus
Christ cannot fail in history. It will not fail. Like God’s word, it
 Legitimacy/Guarantor 23

will not return unto God void. In response to Peter’s correct

confession of Jesus’ office, Jesus told him, “And I say also
unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build
my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”
(Matthew 16:18). Hell is on the defensive, not the church. Hell’s
gates cannot resist the expansion of the church.
There are no literal gates for the church to overcome, ob-
viously. The battle in history is spiritual, not military. Then
what did Jesus mean? He meant that Satan’s kingdom is on
the defensive. Satan is fighting a losing battle. God is sov-
ereign. Satan is not. God empowers His church. Satan also
empowers his troops, but they do not receive from their com-
mander comparable empowerment, which is spiritual suc-
cess. God sanctifies His church through the power of His
word. Jesus prayed:
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast
sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the
world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might
be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone,
but for them also which shall believe on me through their word
(John 17:17–20).

Conclusion: Satan and his forces cannot win this battle.

C. Family Government
God places each family member in a special position of per-
sonal responsibility. All family members are under God. They
did not obtain their positions in terms of their own auton-
omy. God is in charge. The classic example of this principle
in the Bible is the rivalry between Esau and Jacob. Paul made
it clear that their respective positions with respect to God’s
blessing was based entirely on God’s grace from the very
beginning.
And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one,
even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, nei-
ther having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God accord-
24 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

ing to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is writ-
ten, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated (Romans 9:10–13).

It should not be amazing to us that God hated Esau. Esau

was a son of Adam, as we are. What is amazing is that God
loved Jacob. Jacob was the second-born son, yet he would
lawfully claim authority over his firstborn brother.
Jacob later bargained with Esau to attain his birthright
through mutual exchange. “And Jacob said, Sell me this day
thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to
die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob
said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he
sold his birthright unto Jacob” (Genesis 25:31-33). But he in-
herited because of God’s grace, not because he was a success-
ful bargainer. He possessed legitimate title to the birthright:
from God first, and then from Esau.
The basis of success in the family, as in all of life, is adher-
ence to God’s word. God guarantees the success of His word
in history. Men participate in this success by subordinating
themselves to His word.

D. Civil Government
God is the source of every position of leadership, as well ev-
ery position of servitude. He determines the distribution of
authority. Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar: “Thou, O king,
art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a
kingdom, power, and strength, and glory” (Daniel 2:37). God
sets up rulers and also pulls them down.
Thus saith the Lord God; Remove the diadem, and take off the
crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase
him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it
shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give
it him (Ezekiel 21:26–27).

Jesus, as the ultimate King of kings, was the one whose

right it was, and is, and will always be.
 Legitimacy/Guarantor 25

And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white
horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his
mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the na-
tions: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth
the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And
he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of
Kings, and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:14–16).

It is through a covenant-keeper’s judicial subordination to

Christ that one can become a success in history. God is the
source of this success.

Conclusion
In history, success is a result of performance that meets God’s
standards: adherence to God’s word. There is only one way
to do this: by God’s grace. God distributes this according to
His preference.
For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So
then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but
of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh,
Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew
my power in thee, and that my name might be declared through-
out all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have
mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. (Romans 9:15–18).

In history, there are multiple forms of success. Sometimes

success is economic (Abraham). Sometimes it is significance
(Moses). Sometimes it is influence (Daniel). Sometimes it is
a good reputation (Jesus). There are also varying degrees of
success. But God is the source of every blessing. “Every good
gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down
from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nei-
ther shadow of turning” (James 1:17).
Success is a legitimate goal because God is the guaran-
tor of success: before history, during history, and at the final
judgment. But success must be on God’s terms, not man’s.
Better to be Abel than Cain.
26 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

Summary
God’s word is the ultimate criterion of success: inscriptuated
(Bible) and incarnated (Jesus).

Men succeed or fail in four main areas of life: individual, eccle-

siastical, familial, and civil.

God’s decree is sovereign over all successes and failures.

Abel’s success was disguised as a failure.

Abraham’s success was visible to all.

Pharaoh’s failure was visible to all.

Jesus offers the supreme model of success.

Treasures can be earthly or heavenly.

Christ protects and prospers His church.

The Christian family is under God’s protection.

God raises up and pulls down rulers.

God is the source of every success.

 Stewardship/Assignment

STEWARDSHIP/ASSIGNMENT

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and
let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the
air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping
thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own
image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he
them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every
living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Genesis 1:26–28

This is the model for mankind throughout history. This is

what defines mankind. Man is made in the image of God, who
is both one and many. God assigned to mankind (the one) the
task of administering the creation under God’s authority. He
also assigns to individuals (the many) their specific tasks of
administration. Mankind is not autonomous. Our species is
subordinate to God. Neither is any individual autonomous.
He is under God. But this subordination entitles him to be
an authorized master of his temporary share of the universe.
God is the Creator, so He possesses original sovereignty
over the universe. He can do with it as He pleases. What
pleases Him is to delegate specific areas of authority to indi-
viduals and groups that represent Him, i.e., who are made in

27
28 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

His image. God delegates authority. There is a hierarchy of

authority: God is over man; man is over the creation. Hierar-
chy is point two of the biblical covenant model.
The great question for each person as he goes through life
is this one: What am I responsible for right now? This is a
question that involves two primary issues. First, what is my le-
gitimate area of responsibility? What am I in charge of? This
is the inclusive aspect of responsibility. Second, there is also
the exclusionary side of the question: What am I not respon-
sible for? What activities can I therefore legitimately defer to
others, simply by refusing to intervene? Both questions in-
volve identifying boundaries of responsibility.
There are secondary issues. Here is the big one: To whom
can I lawfully and wisely delegate responsibility? This ques-
tion faces God, too. This is the vertical issue. Then there is
the horizontal issue: Who will share part of this responsibility
with me, and at what price? Both issues involve the division
of labor.
Both questions have their origin in the Trinity. God is one,
yet He is plural. The three Persons of the Trinity are equal in
honor and their very being. None of them is “sort of God.”
Each is fully God. Yet they cooperate. Put differently, within
the Godhead, there is a division of labor. In this division of
labor, there is a hierarchy. This testifies to the fact that there
can be no division of labor without hierarchy: a chain of
command.
We see this in the life of Jesus. Jesus was one with the Fa-
ther. “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). Yet He was sub-
ordinate to the Father.
And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said
unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy
father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them,
How is it that ye sought me? wist [know] ye not that I must be
about my Father’s business? (Luke 2:48–49)

For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment
unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they
 Stewardship/Assignment 29

honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not
the Father which hath sent him (John 5:22–23).

The Holy Spirit has His particular assignment in relation

to the church.
If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father,
and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with
you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot re-
ceive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know
him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you (John 14:15–17).

So, the model for solving the problem of authority, which

necessarily involves the division of labor, is found in the per-
sonhood of God, who is both unified and plural. The three
Persons of the Trinity are equal in honor yet hierarchical in
service. Only Christianity proclaims such a God. Therefore,
only Christianity offers a viable intellectual solution to the
problem of the one and the many, one aspect of which is the
problem of the division of labor.
Stewardship requires an accounting. This in turn requires
objective standards of performance. God’s accounting is both
intermediate and final. First, intermediate. God provided a
public accounting of Christ’s work before it was complete.
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them:
and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my be-
loved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when
the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid
(Matthew 17:5–6).

Second, final. In Matthew 25, which provides a glimpse

of the final judgment, Jesus introduced the discussion by a
parable of the kingdom. A rich man hands money to three
stewards and tells them to manage it. Much later, he returns
and demands an accounting. Then he passes judgment (Mat-
thew 25:14–30). Conclusion: Authority always involves account-
ability. Accountability in turn implies two things: standards
and sanctions, i.e., point three and point four of the biblical
covenant model.
30 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

Here is one of the most difficult problems in life. How

can the objective success indicators be kept from becoming
ends rather than means? This is the problem of representation:
point two of the biblical covenant model. A success indica-
tor represents success, but it is not success in itself. It points
to success, but it is not success in itself. Most dangerous in
this regard are success indicators that are numerical. They are
easy to define, easy to measure, and a threat to the soul.
In every area of life, for every set of success indicators,
people are tempted to substitute success indicators for suc-
cess, means for ends. A student seeks good grades so that
he can advance his education. Grades are numerical: a grade
point average. He then pursues a higher grade point aver-
age to the exclusion of everything else. He studies for the
test, not for knowledge. He cheats. He gets good grades, but
he fails God’s test. Similarly, a businessman pursues profit
so that he can expand his business. He wants to serve more
people. Profits are numerical: an accounting procedure. But
then he forgets his primary goal: service. He pursues profit to
the exclusion of everything else. He uses false advertising. He
lowers the quality of the product line to save money. He gets
wealthy, but he fails God’s test.
Sanctions involve rewards and punishments: positive and
negative. Sanctions are success indicators. There are biblical
standards for them.

A. Self-Government
There will be a final judgment. For this, there will be no shar-
ing of responsibility.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the
books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the
book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which
were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea
gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered
up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man
according to their works (Revelation 20:12–13).
 Stewardship/Assignment 31

This final manifestation of individual accountability re-

flects a fundamental principle of biblical law: “The fathers
shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the
children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be
put to death for his own sin” (Deuteronomy 24:16).
There will be no committee to share the blame. The divi-
sion of labor in history is not a replacement for individual ac-
countability in history. There is no safety in numbers. There
is no access to invisibility in a group. God sees everything.
To each person God gives assets and opportunities. This is
the message of the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–30).
This is also the message of the two craftsmen who built the
tabernacle.
See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of
Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit
of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge,
and in all manner of workmanship, To devise cunning works, to
work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting of stones,
to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of
workmanship. And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the
son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that
are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that
I have commanded thee (Exodus 31:2–6).

These were specialists. They were placed in charge be-

cause of their peculiar personal gifts. Their area of respon-
sibility was bounded by their skills and their opportunity.
Their area of responsibility extended beyond what they could
personally do on their own. God gave them the gift of teach-
ing. By means of this gift, they extended the division of labor
through the delegation of authority.
And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and
Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. Them hath
he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the
engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer,
in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the
weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise
32 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

cunning work. Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every

wise hearted man, in whom the Lord put wisdom and under-
standing to know how to work all manner of work for the service
of the sanctuary, according to all that the Lord had commanded
(Exodus 35:34–36:1).

Their success was two-fold: the construction of the tab-

ernacle, for which they were given credit by Moses, and the
establishment of their names in history.

B. Church Government
The conflict between God and Satan is not a matter of power.
If power were the deciding issue, Satan’s defeat would be im-
mediate. The conflict is a matter of representation. God has
His representatives: angels and humans. So does Satan. The
supreme institutional question is this: Which institution best
represents its commander’s interests in history, the institu-
tional church or Satan’s oath-bound imitations of the church?
Jesus’ answer is clear. “And I say also unto thee, That thou
art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
There is a hierarchy of authority in the church. There are
officers. To them God has assigned leadership. This leader-
ship is based on service: service downward, not upward.
But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know
that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise
lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon
them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be
great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you
will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of
man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give
his life a ransom for many (Mark 10:42–45).

Servanthood is a basic principle of Christian leadership,

but it is manifested most clearly in the institutional church. A
successful church leader is a successful servant.
Servanthood is not the concept of success that Jesus said
was common to the gentiles: the exercise of power. Biblical
 Stewardship/Assignment 33

success inside the church is the exercise of authority: volun-

tary submission by those who seek justice, wisdom, and coun-
sel. This is what those inside Jesus’ circle of followers sought
when they came to Jesus.
And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my
brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto
him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? And he
said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a
man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he
possesseth (Luke 12:13–15).

This is a bottom-up system of authority. It is submission

based on self-interest of those lower in the chain of command.
Judicially, God appoints church officers, which is revealed in
the rite known as the laying on of hands. Those in authority
extend this authority by formally anointing others into the hi-
erarchy of authority. But they do so on behalf of those served,
who initiate the action.
Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of hon-
est report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may
appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually
to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. And the saying pleased
the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith
and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor,
and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed,
they laid their hands on them (Acts 6:3–6).

Stephen was so successful that he was illegally executed by

the Jews (Acts 7). Paul consented to this act of murder (Acts
8:1). This in turn led to God’s direct intervention to call Paul
into service (Acts 9). This changed the world.

C. Family Government
The family is structured in terms of a hierarchy: husband, wife,
children, and all those living under the permanent authority of the
household. The mark of this authority used to be circumcision.
34 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, ev-
ery man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or
bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He
that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money,
must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your
flesh for an everlasting covenant (Genesis 17:12–13).

Under the New Covenant, the mark is baptism. We learn

this with the story of the Philippian jailer.
And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be
saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word
of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them
the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was
baptized, he and all his, straightway (Acts 16:30–33).

Husbands possess authority over their wives.

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the
Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is
the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. There-
fore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to
their own husbands in every thing (Ephesians 5:22–24).

Children are under their parents.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour
thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with
promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live
long on the earth (Ephesians 6:1–3).

This hierarchy of authority places responsibilities on par-

ents: “. . . the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but
the parents for the children” (2 Corinthians 12:14b). This
points to service as the basis of authority.
For the husband, this service is above all financial. “But
if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his
own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an
infidel” (1 Timothy 5:8).
For the wife, this service is to her husband above all. “Like-
wise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that,
 Stewardship/Assignment 35

if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be
won by the conversation of the wives” (1 Peter 3:1). “Even
as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daugh-
ters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any
amazement” (1 Peter 3:6). But she is entitled to reciprocal
honor from her husband. “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with
them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife,
as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the
grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered” (1 Peter 3:7).
Husbands are tempted to seek an escape from responsibil-
ity. They hand over decision-making authority to wives. Adam
handed over responsibility to Eve with respect to the forbid-
den fruit. This was not her area of authority. She was not
equipped to make this decision. “For Adam was first formed,
then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being
deceived was in the transgression” (1 Timothy 2:13–14). He
did not escape from the consequences (Genesis 3:17–19).

D. Civil Government
Civil government is a bottom-up hierarchy. The model is an
appeals court. This was best described by Jethro, the priest
of Midian, when explaining the procedure to Moses. Moses
had to adopt the principle of the division of labor, Jethro
warned. Otherwise, Moses would wear out both himself and
the people.
Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God
shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to Godward, that thou
mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them
ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they
must walk, and the work that they must do. Moreover thou shalt
provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men
of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be
rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and
rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and
it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee,
but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for
thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. If thou shalt do
36 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to
endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace
(Exodus 18:19–23).

Only after Moses adopted this system, which involved a

system of 78,000 judges, did God covenant with the nation
(chapter 19), give the Ten Commandments (chapter 20), and
give the case laws (chapters 21–23).
There is a fundamental principle of all government: Power
flows to those who voluntarily take responsibility. This is no less
true of civil government. The ruler who is willing to accept
responsibility for his actions is more likely to be trusted. Also,
those who want to escape responsibility are willing to hand
over their authority to such a person. Sometimes this is for
better, as when the people acquiesced to Jehoiada the priest’s
anointing of King Joash, which constituted a revolt against
Queen Athaliah (2 Chronicles 23:10, 12). Sometimes this is
for worse, as when the Israelites defiantly handed over power
to a king who would rule them harshly (1 Samuel 8).
Absalom, David’s son, understood this principle of trans-
ferred responsibility.
And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate:
and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to
the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said,
Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the
tribes of Israel. And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are
good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear
thee. Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the
land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come
unto me, and I would do him justice! And it was so, that when
any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth
his hand, and took him, and kissed him. And on this manner
did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so
Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel (2 Samuel 15:2–6).

He believed that this acceptance by the people justified a re-

volt against his father. This eventually cost him his life (2 Sam-
uel 18:14). He sought success beyond his lawful station in life.
 Stewardship/Assignment 37

Conclusion
God reigns over nature through men. He delegates author-
ity, which is inescapably hierarchical. Men are told to receive
grants of authority from God. They are also warned where
the limits of their authority are, and not to violate them.
There is a sharing of responsibility downward and out-
ward. This is the basis of the division of labor. There is a
transfer of responsibility upward to those who are willing to
take responsibility. Sometimes this transfer is justified. Some-
times it isn’t. It depends on the boundaries. We are supposed
to remain inside those boundaries which God has assigned
to us.

Summary
The dominion covenant defines mankind.

God delegates responsibility to mankind and individuals.

Responsibility is hierarchical.

Men must delegate responsibility.

God is one and many.

The Persons of the Trinity are equal yet hierarchical.

There is a division of labor within the Godhead.

The division of labor requires hierarchy.

Authority requires accountability.

Success indicators are not the same as success.

Accountability is individual.

The church is a hierarchy of service.

The family is a hierarchy of service.

The state is a hierarchy of service.

 Criteria/Objectivity

CRITERIA /OBJECTIVITY

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the king-
dom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in
thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto
them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 7:21–23

These condemned men had believed that they were accepted

by God. They had drawn this false conclusion from what they
had achieved in history. This indicates the nature of life’s su-
preme practical problem: reliably evaluating the likelihood of
our eternal success based on evidence in history.
There are eternally meaningful temporal successes. Jesus
surely attained complete success. His covenant people can
attain meaningful, though imperfect, successes in history.
These successes can sometimes be far more impressive than
anything Jesus did. Jesus said: “Verily, verily, I say unto you,
He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also;
and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto
my Father” (John 14:12).
As we shall see in Chapter 4, success is imputed by God.
This imputation is subjective, for God is a Person, yet the
imputation is objectively true, because God is the imputer.

38
 Criteria/Objectivity 39

The imputation is objective also because there is an objective

standard of success: ethical perfection. Standards are associ-
ated with point three of the biblical covenant model.
Our problem is this: Whenever we look to other men as
imputers, we look to those who cannot know men’s hearts,
including their own. “The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
We begin to solve this problem only by adopting God’s Bi-
ble-revealed success indicators as our standards of judgment.
We must make determinations regarding other people’s
competence and reliability, as well as our own. Why? Because
we must cooperate with others in the division of labor. We
are better served and therefore made more productive when
we cooperatate with reliable people. Our search for objective
indicators of success in other people’s performance is legiti-
mate, because we cannot know each other’s hearts.
Eternal success is revealed by temporal success indicators
only in a loose and imperfect way—not in a way that is ju-
dicially binding on God. No one ever puts God in the wit-
ness chair, demanding that He explain Himself—a fact Job
learned, and we should learn from Job.
There is an imperfect working relationship between future
temporal success and the attainment of past success indica-
tors. Otherwise, we could not make reliable judgments about
objective performance: past and future, ours and others’. We
could not see the operation of ethical cause and effect in his-
tory. By God’s providence, there are meaningful temporal
success indicators. Jesus prefaced His warning about those
who cry “Lord, Lord” with this statement.
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of
thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth
good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good
tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring
forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is
hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye
shall know them (Matthew 7:16–20).
40 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

What is good fruit? This is every individual’s crucial

self-assessment question, and also every organization’s. Good
fruit is a success indicator. In searching for the supreme suc-
cess indicator in history, we find in the Bible one above all
others: a good name. “A good name is rather to be chosen
than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and
gold” (Proverbs 22:1). But who supplies it? On what terms?
Is it earned? Or is it granted by God’s grace?
The supreme example of a good name is Jesus Christ’s.
Peter declared:
Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by
the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom
God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here
before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of
you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither
is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name un-
der heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts
4:10–12).

Unlike all other people, Jesus earned His good name. His
good name was God the Father’s reward for Jesus’ successful
service. “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and
given him a name which is above every name” (Philippians
2:9).
This same success indicator is sought after by cove-
nant-breakers, as we read regarding the tower of Babel. “And
they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top
may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be
scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Genesis
11:4). Men seek to establish a legacy—a name—that will be
remembered. For what will someone be known? What will be
his reputation? Within which circles? For how long?
In the book of Ecclesiastes, the issue of being forgotten
appears repeatedly as a curse.
One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh:
but the earth abideth for ever (Ecclesiastes 1:4).
 Criteria/Objectivity 41

There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be

any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall
come after (Ecclesiastes 1:11)

For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool

for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be
forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool. Therefore
I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is
grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit (Eccle-
siastes 2:16–17).

Why is posthumous remembrance by others so important?

Dead men do not care. So, why do living men care? Why are
name and fame so important? Why do rich people pay pub-
licists to gain a better reputation? Why do they care what the
middle class or the poor think of them today or will think of
them in a century?
A good name is a success indicator. But it is not success. It
is a reward of temporal success. The New Testament is clear:
Temporal success is ethical conformity to God’s law by means of His
grace. The sanctions are separate. They may or may not reveal
to other men the degree of temporal success that a person has
achieved. The supreme success is favor with the King. “Hereby
perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life
for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren”
(1 John 3:16).
There are other success indicators besides name. Moses pro-
vided two lists of them: in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28.
And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto
the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his com-
mandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy
God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all
these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou
shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. Blessed shalt
thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field (Deu-
teronomy 28:1–3).

Moses then presented indicators of success and failure.

These were corporate sanctions for the nation of Israel, but
42 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

they become individual through participation in the cove-

nanted nation. Nowhere else in the Bible are there compara-
bly detailed discussions of success and failure.
The list of success indicators (vv. 1–14) is significantly
shorter than the list of failure indicators (vv. 15–68). The Bi-
ble does not tell us why.
There is a problem with this list. Moses stressed corporate
earthly blessings and curses. Jesus spent more time discussing
the treasures that lie beyond the individual’s grave than the
misery that also lies beyond the grave. He contrasted these fu-
ture individual treasures with individual treasures in history.
That is, He compared present treasure with future treasure,
not future treasure with future misery. Why? Why didn’t Jesus
spend more time comparing heaven—barely mentioned and
not described in detail—with hell (Luke 16:22–28), and the
new heaven and new earth (Rev. 21, 22) with the lake of fire
(Revelation 20:14–15)? Instead, He described present trea-
sures and post-grave treasures.
The New Testament mentions hell as a place of torment.
The Old Testament does not. The doctrine of hell is Jesus’
unique addition to Old Covenant theology: a wholly new
sanction for people to contend with emotionally. When it
comes to misery to avoid, hell is second on the list. The lake
of fire is number one: not just a tortured soul but a tortured
resurrected body and soul. This possibility should suffice
to focus men’s fear of pain. So, the New Testament focuses
on future blessings, comparing them with present blessings.
The Old Covenant focused on temporal curses to be avoided
more than temporal blessings to be pursued.
Blessings are marks of success. Cursings are marks of fail-
ure. In Jesus’ focus on success, nothing He said was more to
the point than this:
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and
lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his
soul? (Matthew 16:26)
 Criteria/Objectivity 43

This is not merely the heart of the matter. This is the heart,
mind, and soul of the matter. Having said this, Jesus went on
to discuss treasures in heaven.
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you
the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves
bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not,
where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Luke 12:32–34).

This was good advice for a newly formed church, which

was an outcast in society. The church in Jerusalem fled when
systematic persecution began. “And at that time there was a
great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem;
and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of
Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles” (Acts 8:1b).

A. Self-Government
What of a world of capital, of great institutions, of civiliza-
tion? What should be the attitude of a rich Christian toward
his personal wealth? This: a willingness to get rid of it when
asked to by God through one’s Bible-informed conscience
and the testimony of the Holy Spirit.
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-
minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who
giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they
be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communi-
cate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against
the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life (1 Timo-
thy 6:17–19).

Uncertain riches are readily marketable riches: “easy

come, easy go.” They are disposable. Then what of less un-
certain riches? Paul puts contentment at the top of the list.
Then come righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience,
and meekness.
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought
nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing
44 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and
into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruc-
tion and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil:
which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith,
and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou,
O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness (1 Timothy 6:6–11).

These are objective criteria, yet they are experienced subjec-

tively. But so is every other wealth criterion. All economic
value is subjective. The main difference between these cri-
teria and mammon’s is that the successes recommended by
God cannot be priced. They are not marketable. There is no
futures market for contentedness.
A famous saying by Oscar Wilde is this: “A cynic knows
the price of everything and the value of nothing.” It is a keen
insight. He who is ready to sell his honor for money is rightly
regarded by society as a fool. He who would sell his good
reputation for a bribe is considered a scoundrel and maybe
a criminal. Yet in our cynicism, we say: “Every man has his
price.” This statement is wrong, and the martyrdom of early
Christians, as well as deeply committed people of other
faiths, testifies to the falsity of that slogan. In fact, a good
way to learn a man’s true faith is to enquire what idea he is
so committed to that he would not renounce it on threat of
death. This is never easy to discover. The best way to find out
is to make the threat. This is not permitted by God, however.
Jesus said there are only two gods, God and mammon.
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the
one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and
despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Mat-
thew 6:24). Who is mammon? He is the god who offers this
to his followers: “More for me in history.” He is the god that
lured this man to destruction.
And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a cer-
tain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within
 Criteria/Objectivity 45

himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where

to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down
my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits
and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much
goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be
merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul
shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which
thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself,
and is not rich toward God (Luke 12:16–21).

B. Church Government
A covenant-keeper is bound by oath sign—baptism—to the
institutional church. This means you, Christian.
In your legal capacity as a publicly acknowledged bearer
of Christ’s name, you possess rights—legal guarantees—as
well as specific benefits. The crucial benefit is legal access to
the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11).
You also possess access to the church’s court system (1 Cor-
inthians 6).
With these as your foundation, you are entitled to partici-
pate in the life of the church, which is Christ’s bride.
You may be eligible for church office. Here, you are
granted authority—maybe over money, maybe over church
planning, maybe over church discipline (1 Timothy 3). Some
men regard it as a great benefit to be elected to high civil
office. Being elected or ordained to church office is a great
honor. This surely constitutes success.
Maybe you can become a teacher, shaping the thinking
and lives of others. This is the success of influence. It is much
sought after, especially by people who have attained financial
security. Paul wrote,
Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak
the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith
and verity (1 Timothy 2:7).

Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a

teacher of the Gentiles (2 Timothy 1:11).
46 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

There are many avenues of service in the church. Is serving

others a means of success? Paul said so, citing Jesus: “It is
more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35b).
There is a great division of labor in the church. “For as we
have many members in one body, and all members have not
the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ,
and every one members one of another” (Romans 12:4–5).
This means that you can demonstrate your skills before other
people. You can gain recognition, which is a blessing widely
sought after.
For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another
the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by
the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to an-
other discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to
another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that
one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he
will. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the
members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is
Christ (1 Corinthians 12:8–12).

There is something for everyone to succeed in. You don’t

have to be among the best and the brightest.
And those members of the body, which we think to be less hon-
ourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our
uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely
parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together,
having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked
(1 Corinthians 12:23–24).

In other words, you can attain what millions of people

have sought and not attained: membership in a significant
community—a special community hand-picked by God.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foun-
dation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame
before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of
 Criteria/Objectivity 47

children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good plea-

sure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he
hath made us accepted in the beloved (Ephesians 1:3–6).

C. Family Government
Success indicators in a family are many. One is peace. We
read this twice in Proverbs—the only proverb that achieved
this level of notoriety.
It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a
brawling woman in a wide house (Proverbs 21:9)

It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a

brawling woman and in a wide house (Proverbs 25:24).

Another success indicator is wealth. “And Abram was very

rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold” (Genesis 13:2). But it is
an uncertain indicator.
A more secure indicator is a good reputation. We know
this, not because of major examples in Scripture of families
that had good reputations, but rather through the negative
sanction of a bad reputation. Among these are the sons of
Aaron, whom God sent a fire to consume (Leviticus 10:2), the
sons of Eli the priest (1 Samuel 2:12–17, 22–25; 4:1), and the
sons of Samuel the prophet (1 Samuel 8:1–3).
Another success indicator is significance, such as Boaz
gained, for he graciously married Ruth, and his heirs were
David and Jesus (Matthew 1:5–6, 16). The apostles had sig-
nificance, yet none had wealth and some had great trouble.
Then what is success, as distinguised from a success indi-
cator? For fathers, success is the exercise of God-honoring
leadership. A father does the right thing. Yet sometimes, this
is insufficient. Children or wives rebel. So, a success can pro-
duce misleading indicators.
Visibly successful fatherhood is a success indicator used
by the church to screen its leaders: a pre-requisite for holding
church office. A success indicator in one area becomes a suc-
cess indicator for another area. Paul listed this as a criterion
48 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

for holding the office of elder. Such a person must be “One

that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjec-
tion with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his
own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)”
(1 Timothy 3:4–5). The same criterion applies to deacons.
“Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their
children and their own houses well” (1 Timothy 3:12).
A father represents God to his family. He is entitled to
respect.
Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives
be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your
wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for
it (Ephesians 5:24–25).

But this honor requires a reciprocal obligation: “Wives,

submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the
Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against
them” (Colossians 3:18–19).
As for children, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord:
for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is
the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well
with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth” (Ephesians
6:1–3).
As in the case of individual success and church success,
there are obligations involved. Success is the comprehensive ful-
filling of these obligations. “His lord said unto him, Well done,
thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over
a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter
thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:21).

D. Civil Government
The civil covenant establishes civil government. Its criteria of
success have to do with justice.
Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in
weight, or in measure. Just balances, just weights, a just ephah,
and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the Lord your God, which
 Criteria/Objectivity 49

brought you out of the land of Egypt. Therefore shall ye observe

all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the
Lord (Leviticus 19:35–37).

Success here is a good reputation for justice in lands not

under God’s covenant.
Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the
Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land
whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this
is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the na-
tions, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great
nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is
there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our
God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation
is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous
as all this law, which I set before you this day? (Deuteronomy
4:5–8)

Warriors are successful on the battlefield. David is the

great example in the Bible. But he paid a heavy price. God
did not allow him to build the temple.
Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me,
my brethren, and my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to
build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord,
and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the
building: But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house
for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed
blood (1 Chronicles 28:2–3).

This is what David forfeited through the incident with

Bathsheba. Word got out. Nathan the prophet told him,
“Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occa-
sion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also
that is born unto thee shall surely die” (2 Samuel 12:14).
There is a good reputation, which David lost. Solomon
had this for a time. Rulers came from other nations to see it
in action. Yet he married 700 wives, had 300 concubines, and
finally worshipped other gods. Power did him no good.
50 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

Conclusion
The criteria of success are different in each of the four cove-
nantal administrations. What is a valid sanction for one cov-
enant, such as great individual wealth, may not be valid in
another, such as in the church or the civil government.
The criteria of success have to do with building the king-
dom of God in history. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added
unto you” (Matthew 6:33). Any form of success for which
there is a ready market—mammon’s premier form of success—
is least in the kingdom of God.

Summary
Success is not the same as success indicators.

Success is imputed by God.

Men need success indicators to make judgments about

performance.

There is only an imperfect relationship between objective suc-

cess and visible success indicators.

The supreme success indicator is a good name.

Men seek to make a good name for themselves.

Only Jesus earned His good name. For all others, a good name
is God’s gift.

Remembrance is essential to significance.

Other success indicators are listed in Deuteronomy 28:1–14.

Failure indicators are listed in Deuteronomy 28:15–68.

Jesus discussed treasures: temporal and eternal.

Wealth is uncertain.

Success in church is open to all, for each person possesses skills

to use in service to others.

Church office is a special form of success.

 Criteria/Objectivity 51

Success in a family is tied to leadership and obedience to lawful

authority, which are manifested by service.

Success indicators relate to the building of the kingdom of God

in history.
 Performance/Imputation

PERFORMANCE / IMPUTATION

He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish
as a branch.
Proverbs 11:28

The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own
conceit.
Proverbs 18:11

Trust in God vs. trust in riches: This is the crucial decision

associated with success indicators.
Rich men mistakenly believe that they own their riches au-
tonomously. They prefer to assess their degree of success by
means of money, which is a numerical indicator and therefore
seems to be objective—also autonomous. Rich men appear to
be in control, for they own their riches. They do not own God,
so they do not feel comfortable when placing their trust in God.
They may not believe God exists. They may think He is distant
and unconcerned with what rich people do. They may think
He lacks power. Better to trust in riches, the rich man believes.
Riches will protect him. “You never can be sure about God.”
The fact that riches are fleeting may occur to him fleetingly, but
he prefers to trust what most other people also trust: money. In
short, he trusts their judgment. But their judgment is incorrect.

52
 Performance/Imputation 53

Poor people also trust what little they own, for the same
reason. They seem to be in charge here: owners. Rare in every
era are people like the poor widow with two small coins who
gave them away for the sake of God’s kingdom (Luke 21:2).
She understood that two coins could not protect her. The rich
man thinks that a lot of coins will protect him. She had a far
better understanding of her own vulnerability.
We are all in God’s hands. He owns us. Furthermore, we
only think we own our wealth. We are in fact God’s stewards.
He owns us. He therefore owns whatever we own.
Not only does God own whatever we own, He also pro-
vided it as a gift. The Bible says that God is the source of
every person’s gifts, which are assets. “Every good gift and ev-
ery perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Fa-
ther of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow
of turning” (James 1:17). Not everyone believes this. Even for
those who do believe it, there is a problem for the recipient,
especially a rich person: how to identify correctly the reasons
for whatever wealth he owns today.
Here is the first aspect of his problem: His possessions are
success indicators, not success itself. They are representative
of worldly success. But worldly success may be an illusion
regarding eternal success, and in fact usually is an illusion:
mammon’s illusion. Wealthy people may be successful in
men’s eyes, though not if they are known criminals or tyrants.
But what of success in God’s eyes?
Here is the second aspect of his problem: There is the ethi-
cal question of his personal motivation. Different motivations
can result in the same success indicators. Example: Two men
go to work each day. They do the same kind of work. They
are equally gifted. They both work hard. They both seek to
improve their skills in their occupation. Their work is equally
satisfactory to their employer. They both receive the same
wage. One of them seeks great personal wealth but does not
believe in God. The other seeks wealth because he gives away
money to Christian causes. Their goals are different, but
54 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

their work ethic is the same. Their performance standard is

the same. Yet God regards them very differently. His sanc-
tions will be different on the day of judgment. “Now if any
man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones,
wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made mani-
fest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed
by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it
is” (1 Corinthians 3:12–13).
Sanctions are associated with point four of the biblical
covenant model. There are positive and negative sanctions.
There are sanctions in history because there are sanctions in
eternity. The difference between eternity and history with re-
spect to sanctions is the degree of conformity between per-
formance and sanctions. In heaven (Luke 16:22), which is
temporary, as in the new heaven and new earth after the gen-
eral resurrection (Revelation 21), which will be permanent,
there will be one-to-one correspondence between what cove-
nant-keepers do for God and the positive sanctions they will
receive. Similarly, in hell (Luke 16:23), which is temporary, as
in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14–15), which will be perma-
nent, there will be one-to-one correspondence between the
evil that people did in history and the degree of pain imposed.
And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not
himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with
many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things wor-
thy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomso-
ever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom
men have committed much, of him they will ask the more (Luke
12:47–48).

There will be another crucial difference in their respective

conditions, however. Those in the new heaven and new earth
will continue to exercise dominion. They will continue to gain
positive sanctions in terms of their productivity in the king-
dom of God. They will be future-oriented. In contrast, those
in the lake of fire will have their ability to exercise dominion
removed. They will be governed exclusively by their personal
 Performance/Imputation 55

histories. They will be past-oriented. Here is a picture of the

two conditions:
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God,
and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers,
and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death (Rev-
elation 21:7–8).

There is perfect judicial continuity between history and

eternity. Whatever men think and do in history produces re-
sults in both history and eternity. But there are fundamental
differences between the two eternal environments. The cov-
enant-breaker will have all grace removed: all positive sanc-
tions. There will only be varying degrees of negative sanc-
tions, reflecting the degree of evil committed by each person
in history. This will be a continuity of cursing. In contrast,
the covenant-keeper will have all curses removed: all nega-
tive sanctions. There will only be varying degrees of positive
sanctions, reflecting the degree of good performed by each
person in history. This will be a continuity of blessing. This
condition will be an extension of God’s grant of eternal life
to covenant-keepers in history, a process of forgiveness that
has already begun.
He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us accord-
ing to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth,
so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east
is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from
us (Psalm 103:10–12).

Paul taught that even a totally unproductive covenant-­

keeper will enter heaven. There will be no trace of the evil
that he committed or that Adam committed on his behalf.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Je-
sus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, sil-
ver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall
be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be
56 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what
sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon,
he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he
shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire
(1 Corinthians 3:11–15).

The good that a covenant-keeper does in history will be

rewarded in eternity, which will serve as his initial founda-
tion for eternity’s phase of the dominion covenant, which will
still define redeemed mankind. We can think of this stored-up
legacy as each person’s intitial capital base for eternity—the
larger, the better. Therefore, Jesus declared:
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth
nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through
nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also
(Matthew 6:19–21).

In history, unlike eternity, there is no exact correspon-

dence between covenant-keeping and prosperity or between
covenant-breaking and poverty. No text reveals this more
clearly than Psalm 73.
For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the
wicked. For there are no bands in their death: but their strength
is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they
plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth them about
as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment (Psalm 73:3–6).

This fact distressed the psalmist until he thought through

the implications of God’s positive historical sanctions and the
discontinuity that will be experienced by covenant-breakers.
When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; Until
I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them
down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation,
as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors (Psalm
73:16–19).
 Performance/Imputation 57

The covenant-breaker’s success indicators are a snare to

him. They are the beginning of a slide down slippery places.
Because of Jesus’ teaching on hell and John’s teaching on the
lake of fire, we know that even if a covenant-breaker avoids
slipping on the slippery slopes of life, what appear to be
positive sanctions are for him negative sanctions: illusory
successes that are lost in a moment and will be lost after his
death. He receives no warning from his success indicators.
His economic condition in history does not testify to his ju-
dicial condition in history and eternity. His judicial condition
will prevail. “An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the be-
ginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed” (Proverbs
20:21). “For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the can-
dle of the wicked shall be put out” (Proverbs 24:20).

A. Self-Government
Our names are associated with our deeds. To have a good
name is to have a good reputation. “A good name is rather
to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than
silver and gold” (Proverbs 22:1). “The memory of the just is
blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot” (Proverbs 10:7).
Yet we consciously remember only a tiny percentage of all
the past events in our own lives. As for anyone’s memory of
us a century in the future, there will be nothing, unless we
are famous—and even then, only a few details will persist in a
few people’s minds. Those who remember a man’s deeds will
die, one by one. With them dies the memory of every person’s
name. Hardly anyone worries about this. It does no good to
worry about it.
For a tiny handful of people—almost always males—bits
and pieces of their stories have survived if (1) they were part
of a literate culture; (2) someone wrote down their stories;
(3) these written documents survived physically; (4) some-
one discovered them; (5) they were translated; (6) someone
thought the information was worth remembering. This means
that just about nobody gets remembered.
58 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

The fact is, prior to the Greek city-states of the eighth cen-
tury B.C., only the Old Testament survived in anything like
historical order. There are inscriptions of Egyptian monarchs
or other high officials in ancient kingdoms, but nothing like
what the Old Testament provides: chronologically ordered,
detailed stories of people other than civil rulers.
Then why does a person’s name matter to him? That is,
why does his reputation matter? It will not survive in history.
Everyone knows this from an early age. Yet they ignore it.
They should ignore it. There is a record. It will be remem-
bered—not in history, but in eternity.
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment;
and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I
will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels
(Revelation 3:5).

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the
books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the
book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which
were written in the books, according to their works (Revelation
20:12).

God remembers everything. He will impute—publicly de-

clare—each person’s judicial standing retroactively on the last
day. That declaration will be perfect. There will be a flaw-
less one-to-one correlation among deeds, God’s evaluation,
and His sanctions. “Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord
imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile”
(Psalm 32:2).
For most people, temporal wealth matters. It is tangible.
It has value because other people impute value to it. It distin-
guishes its owner from non-owners. No one says that he really
believes the T-shirt slogan, “He who dies with the most toys
wins.” Yet most people do believe it, if we are judge what they
believe by what they do.
Who imputes success to any person’s actions? The list is
long. It includes consumers, investors, employers, and neigh-
 Performance/Imputation 59

bors. There are many judges who have many standards. But
one standard has become the universal success indicator:
money. Why? Because money is the most marketable com-
modity. This characteristic is what defines it.
Jesus identified mammon as the rival god that matters.
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the
one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and
despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Mat-
thew 6:24). Mammon is associated with money.
Money proves nothing by itself. It is an objective success
indicator, but only because men subjectively impute value to
it. They judge money as a mark of success. But success is in
the eye of the beholder. Who is the beholder whose evalua-
tion counts? God or man? And when we say “man,” we must
ask: Which man? Which representative of mankind? Most
people believe that money best represents all mankind. Jesus
fully understood this. So did Paul.
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and
into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruc-
tion and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil:
which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith,
and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (1 Timothy
6:9–10).

The error here is monumental. Men impute value to their

own money because other men impute value to money in
general. Men trust the judgment of other mortals. But how
reliable are they? How good is their judgment? Should a man
bet his eternal future on the judgment of fallen men? Fallen
men think so.
That which can be sold for money is, by God’s definition,
not the greatest success indicator. Success indicators that are
not marketable are of far greater value as evidence of success
than money is: reputation, influence, and significance—in
short, one’s name.
60 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

B. Church Government
John described the church’s eternal success. “And I John saw
the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of
heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Reve-
lation 21:2). But what about temporal success? Here, the suc-
cess indicator is straightforward: to live in peace.
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, inter-
cessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings,
and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and
peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and
acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour (1 Timothy 2:1–3).

Why is being a peacemaker a mark of success? Because

Jesus so designated it. “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they
shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9).
One foundation of church peace is justice. This is why
covenant-keepers are required to settle their differences in a
church court, where God supplies both the standard of jus-
tice and the sanctions of justice (1 Corinthians 6).
Peacemaking and rendering justice are aspects of judg-
ment. Just as God renders honest judgment, so should
churches.
The church also administers the sacraments. These are
oath signs. They are sanctions. Through baptism, the covenant
between man and God is established publicly. Through the
Lord’s Supper, the covenant is renewed publicly.

C. Family Government
A major positive sanction is a large family. God is the source
of this success indicator.
Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the
womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man;
so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his
quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall
speak with the enemies in the gate (Psalm 127:3–5).
 Performance/Imputation 61

This is clearly an aspect of dominion: being fruitful and

multiplying.
Then there is the success indicator of a wise son. A wise
son is someone who understands God’s law and applies this
knowledge successfully in his life. In contrast, a foolish son is
a failure indicator.
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a
foolish son is the heaviness of his mother (Proverbs 10:1).

A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that

bare him (Proverbs 17:25).

A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of

a wife are a continual dropping (Proverbs 19:13).

Why is there a connection between a father’s success and

his son’s wisdom? Because of ethical cause and effect in his-
tory. This applies in the family. “Train up a child in the way
he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it”
(Proverbs 22:6).
This is why one criterion for being a church officer is suc-
cessful ruler over his family: “One that ruleth well his own
house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For
if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he
take care of the church of God?)” (1 Timothy 3:4–5). We gain
important information about future performance from oth-
ers’ past performance. We can draw valid preliminary conclu-
sions regarding someone’s future performance by means of
applying God’s law to his past performance.

D. Civil Government
The institutional goal of civil government is to raise the cost
of crime to criminals by imposing negative sanctions.
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt
thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and
thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God
to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for
62 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God,

a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil (Romans
13:3–4).

A covenant-keeping civil government’s means of accom-

plishing this goal is to discover God’s laws for civil society
and then enforce these standards by the imposition of those
specific negative sanctions that are mandated by God.
Law enforcement is accomplished through a judicial pro-
cess that results in a formal, public declaration: guilty or not
guilty. Then the magistrates impose appropriate negative
sanctions. This is how civil government represents God’s gov-
ernment. What civil government does temporally, God will
do eternally: render judgment.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the
books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the
book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which
were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea
gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered
up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man
according to their works (Revelation 20:12–13).

Should you ever become a civil magistrate, you can

gain a good reputation by providing wise judgment. Sol-
omon did (1 Kings 10:1–9). This becomes a testimony to
covenant-breakers.
Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the
Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land
whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this
is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the na-
tions, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great
nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is
there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our
God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation
is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous
as all this law, which I set before you this day? (Deuteronomy
4:5–8)
 Performance/Imputation 63

Conclusion
There are positive and negative sanctions in history. These
point to the positive and negative sanctions in eternity. His-
torical sanctions are less clear than eternal sanctions with re-
spect to God’s validation of the deeds that resulted in them.
Jesus warned:
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not proph-
esied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in
thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess
unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniq-
uity (Matthew 7:22–23).

What looks like success in history may turn out to

have been a monumental failure. This is why wisdom is so
important.
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all
thy getting get understanding (Proverbs 4:7).

How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get under-
standing rather to be chosen than silver! (Proverbs 16:16).

Wisdom is the ability to distinguish right from wrong, rel-

evance from irrelevance. It is the ability to judge correctly. It
begins with God’s judgment. It then extends to self-judgment
that is in conformity to God’s judgment.

Summary
Rich people trust in their possessions rather than trust in God.

Poor people trust in their possessions rather than trust in God.

Great possessions may not be indicative of God’s saving grace.

In the afterlife, sanctions will perfectly match each individual’s

performance in history.

For covenant-keepers, negative sanctions will be removed.

For covenant-breakers, positive sanctions will be removed.

We are to lay up heavenly treasures in history.

64 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

In history, there is no exact correlation between performance

and sanctions.

The supreme earthly reward for good performance is a good

name.

God will remember every good name.

Temporal successes are uncertain.

The god of exclusively temporal success is uncertain: mammon.

What matters most is who imputes value to what we do: God or

men.
 Inheritance/Compounding

INHERITANCE /COMPOUNDING

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heav-
en is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in
his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it
is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the
air come and lodge in the branches thereof. Another parable spake he
unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman
took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
Matthew 13:31–33

Jesus was clear about the nature of the kingdom. It begins

small, but it has comprehensive effects over time. It requires
work at the beginning— planting, baking—but it produces a
reward at the end of the process. In between, there is visible
growth. God’s kingdom does not attain visible success as a
surprise event at the end of the process of development. Its
success is not an overnight success. It is the success of a long
process of growth.
God was the inaugurator of the kingdom. In His descrip-
tion of the final judgment, Jesus said: “Then shall the King say
unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world” (Matthew 25:34). Yet the inheritor is Christ. Paul
described the kingdom’s hierarchy: Father to Son. Jesus Christ
will extend His personal reign in history on behalf of the Father.

65
66 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the king-
dom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all
rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath
put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be de-
stroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But
when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he
is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all
things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself
be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may
be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:24–28).

This will be the fulfillment of Psalm 110.

A Psalm of David. The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my
right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord
shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the
midst of thine enemies (Psalm 110:1–2).

This process has already begun.

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given
unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway,
even unto the end of the world. Amen (Matthew 28:18–20).

The kingdom of God is an expanding kingdom in history.

This expansion is visible. The defeat of Christ’s enemies is
visible. Put a different way, the kingdom of God in history is
institutional. It includes all three covenantal administrations:
church, family, and state. Christ’s kingdom is not limited to
the hearts of covenant-keepers, where it would remain invisi-
ble. Christ’s kingdom is a civilization. The gospel offers com-
prehensive redemption. It leaves no sinful stone unturned.
Therefore, wherever sin visibly reigns through Satan’s human
agents, Christ is to reign visibly through His human agents.
Men participate in this expansion either as covenant-keep-
ers or as covenant-breakers. The former will inherit both in
history and in eternity.
 Inheritance/Compounding 67

What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the
way that he shall choose. His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed
shall inherit the earth (Psalm 25:12–13).

For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord,
they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked
shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and
it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall
delight themselves in the abundance of peace (Psalm 37:9–11).

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew
5:5).

The essence of success is to be a part of this kingdom in-

heritance in both history and in eternity. This principle of
success applies to collectives as well as individuals. “Blessed
is the nation whose God is the Lord: and the people whom
he hath chosen for his own inheritance” (Psalm 33:12). It also
applies to individuals. “For such as be blessed of him shall
inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut
off” (Psalm 37:22).
Inheritance is associated with point five of the biblical
covenant model. Inheritance is governed by the law of God.
An inheritance will not persevere in history through the op-
eration of evil. “An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the
beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed” (Prov-
erbs 20:21).
Isaiah called God’s kingdom the new heaven and new
earth. He described it as operational in history, for there is
no death or sin beyond the grave. It progresses over time,
resulting in an era of rejoicing.
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the for-
mer shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye
glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I cre-
ate Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice
in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping
shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There
shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that
hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years
68 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed
(Isaiah 65:17–20).

Clearly, this era has not yet arrived, but it will. We look
forward to the fulfillment of this prophecy in history—any-
way, we should. Success in history is marked by these fea-
tures: rejoicing, long life, and avoidance of the curses associ-
ated with sin.
When the terms of the covenant are obeyed, the covenant is
self-reinforcing: from victory unto victory. “But thou shalt re-
member the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power
to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he
sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 8:18).
One form of confirmation of God’s covenant is greater wealth,
which is in turn supposed to persuade the beneficiaries to
obey God with greater confidence. This is a system of positive
feedback. It leads to expansion over time: the process we call
compound growth. If maintained, this growth process eventu-
ally will fill the earth. What is growing? The kingdom of God.
Should this growth be accompanied by economic growth?
The text says yes. So does Deuteronomy 28:1–14. Economic
growth is therefore a legitimate social goal. But the motive is
not wealth’s visible confirmation of the kingdom of man but
rather the kingdom of God.

A. Self-Government
Jesus announced: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and
his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto
you” (Matthew 6:33). He was clear in His challenge to the
lusts of the heart. He knew what the contest was about: al-
legiance to God. “No man can serve two masters: for either
he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold
to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and
mammon” (Matthew 6:24).
With respect to the question of success, the issue of inheri-
tance and continuity through history is crucial. A person who
 Inheritance/Compounding 69

believes that he will leave no legacy beyond his death adopts

a short-run view of his efforts. In contrast, Christ called men
to the longest run possible view: eternity.
And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither
be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of
the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need
of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all
these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for
it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell
that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax
not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief
approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure
is, there will your heart be also (Luke 12:29–34).

Christ said that a person can inherit treasure in eternity if

he surrenders what other people accumulate in history. The
kingdom of God is the covenant-keeper’s inheritance. This
inheritance extends into eternity. “And every one that hath
forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother,
or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive
an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life” (Matthew
19:29). Christ could not have been any clearer. It is not that
His disciples do not understand Him. They just do not be-
lieve Him.
As an individual, each person is as a blade of grass: tem-
porary. This includes the rich. “For the sun is no sooner risen
with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower
thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so
also shall the rich man fade away in his ways” (James 1:11).
This places the rich man alongside the poor man.
As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he
flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the
place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the Lord
is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and
his righteousness unto children’s children; To such as keep his
covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do
them (Psalm 103:15–18).
70 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

The central issue is the covenant. This means that the cen-
tral issue of inheritance, as in all else, is ethical: the command-
ments of God. Membership in the kingdom of God, not the in-
ventory of possessions, is the supreme manifestation of success
in life. What each person should seek is favor with the King.

B. Church Government
Inheritance is by covenant. Orthodox confession is more im-
portant for maintaining the inheritance than is blood, mean-
ing the family name.
Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well
with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God
of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with
milk and honey. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord
(Deuteronomy 6:3–4).

Jesus made it plain that discipleship is more fundamental

than family membership.
While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his
brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. Then one
said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand with-
out, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto
him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said,
Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the
will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and
sister, and mother (Matthew 12:46–50).

The institutional church is God’s designated agency of

discipleship: the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18–20). To
the institutional church God has granted lawful control over
the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11). This is
very important, for this continuity is the single most import-
ant inheritance in history. Similarly, God has granted to the
institutional church the keys of the kingdom.
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock
I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail
 Inheritance/Compounding 71

against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of
heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound
in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven (Matthew 16:18–19).

This has to do with church discipline (Matthew 18:16–18).

C. Family Government
The heart of inheritance is this: “A good man leaveth an inher-
itance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is
laid up for the just” (Proverbs 13:22). There is continuity be-
tween covenant-keeping and historical inheritance. This neces-
sarily involves the disinheritance of covenant-breakers in history.
There is supposed to be an increase of wealth in history—a
build-up of capital—generation after generation. The familiar
story of rags to riches to rags in three generations is not sup-
posed to apply to covenant-keeping families.
The family is the training ground for success. This training is
supposed to be covenantal. What begins in youth will extend to
old age. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he
is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his stat-
utes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and
thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy
days may be prolonged. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe
to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase
mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in
the land that floweth with milk and honey (Deuteronomy 6:2–3).

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in

thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy chil-
dren, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and
when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and
when thou risest up (Deuteronomy 6:6–7).

Success is seen in the ethical performance of one’s children.

The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a
foolish son is the heaviness of his mother (Proverbs 10:1).
72 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in

harvest is a son that causeth shame (Proverbs 10:5).

A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his
mother (Proverbs 15:20).

The inheritance is primarily ethical. The wisdom of an

heir indicates that the inheritance has been successfully
transferred.

D. Civil Government
Success in civil government is the administration of justice.
By what standard? The answer has to be: God’s standard.
Where do we find this standard? In the Bible.
The kingdom goal of covenant-keeping civil government
is continuity. Specifically, the following must be avoided.
And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and
walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I tes-
tify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations
which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish;
because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord
your God (Deuteronomy 8:19–20).

The discontinuity of Canaan’s tribes is what every society

should seek to avoid. God removed them from control over
Canaan. God disinherited the Canaanites.
I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to
whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their
backs unto thee. And I will send hornets before thee, which shall
drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before
thee. I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the
land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against
thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee,
until thou be increased, and inherit the land (Exodus 23:27–30).

The continuity of stable government in all four areas of

covenantal life is the goal. Ministers of the civil government
are supposed to perform their services to God and men with
this goal in mind.
 Inheritance/Compounding 73

Civil government is not to promote the kingdom of God

by discriminatory legislation favoring Christians. It is to pro-
mote the kingdom of God by enforcing the Bible-revealed
law-order on all convicted law-breakers. Under such condi-
tions, the kingdom of God will replace the kingdom of mam-
mon in society.

Conclusion
The biblical covenant model teaches a system of compound
growth. It teaches that covenantal faithfulness produces vis-
ible blessings in history. The proper use of these blessings in
history will produce blessings in eternity.
Blessings are marks of success. This is why covenant-keep-
ers should expect the long-term accumulation of blessings in
history. These blessings include wealth, but are not limited
to wealth. Also involved are population growth for cove-
nant-keepers, the growth of the institutional church, greater
obedience by members of this church, and greater justice in
every area of covenantal government.

Summary
The kingdom of God grows visibly over time.

Christ acts on behalf of God the Father.

Christ will reign in history until His enemies are defeated

(footstool).

Covenant-keepers will inherit the earth.

One sign of the kingdom’s expansion is economic growth.

Covenant-keepers inherit wealth in history and eternity.

Kingdom membership is the supreme manifestation of success

in history.

Inheritance is by covenant.

Inheritance is accompanied by disinheritance.

74 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

Being covenantal, the inheritance is primarily ethical.

Civil government is supposed to enforce God’s law impartially.

This will facilitate inheritance by the righteous in history.

 Conclusion to Part 1

CONCLUSION TO PART 1

It is legitimate to pursue personal success. Jesus recom-

mended that you do this. So did Moses. The question is:
What constitutes success?
There are additional questions. What constitutes the mean-
ing of “personal”? Does this include your family? Most peo-
ple think so. Then what about your church? Church members
think so. But do they think so enough to tithe to their local
church? All of a sudden, fewer church members think so.
Then there is civil government. To what extent is a per-
son’s personal success linked to, dependent on, or threatened
by civil government? This question divides Christians, just
as it divides non-Christians. What we rarely see is Christians
discussing this question from the point of view of the Bible.
Instead, they adopt arguments presented by covenant-break-
ers. Christians therefore remain on the sidelines of society,
cheering for one group of covenant-breakers and booing an-
other. This is appropriate behavior for a captive people. It
is not appropriate for covenant-keepers who are not living
under bondage as part of God’s temporary imposition of neg-
ative sanctions.
In Part 2, I shall deal more with covenant-breakers’ argu-
ments regarding success in general. Their conclusions are dif-
ferent from what the Bible teaches.
The Bible is clear: all of creation is personal, for it was
created by a Creator God. It is sustained by this God. So,
nothing is impersonal.

75
76 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

Everything that men do is covenantal. This does not mean

that one of the three institutional covenantal administrations
is solely responsible for any area of life. It means the opposite:
none of them is solely responsible. But each man is responsi-
ble for that lawfully bounded zone of personal responsibility
over which God has placed him. Every man is a covenantal
agent of God. The dominion covenant defines him.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:
and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the
fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and
over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God
created man in his own image, in the image of God created he
him; male and female created he them (Genesis 1:26–27).

God has established a system of institutional hierarchies,

a system of laws, and a system of sanctions in history to en-
able covenant-keepers in general to fulfill the terms of this
covenant. He has established an integrated set of criteria by
which individuals can and should judge their personal suc-
cess in fulfilling their God-given assignments in this compre-
hensive corporate covenant. These criteria are encapsulated
in one phrase: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”
(Matthew 6:33)
 Part 2: Conflicting Views of Success

PART 2

CONFLICTING VIEWS OF SUCCESS

 Introduction to Part 2

INTRODUCTION TO PART 2

Success should always be defined covenantally. Success has

to do with the dominion covenant.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:
and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the
fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and
over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God
created man in his own image, in the image of God created he
him; male and female created he them (Genesis 1:26–27).

This is why the structure of success parallels the five points

of the biblical covenant model. I have presented the five pil-
lars of covenantal success in Part 1.
If I am correct in my conclusion that a five-point biblical
covenant structure governs the biblical concept of success,
then there should be a parallel structure governing non-bib-
lical concepts of success. This is because a parallel five point
structure governs all non-biblical covenants.1
In Part 2, I survey the conflict between Christianity and
Darwinism. This includes both forms of Darwinian social the-
ory: the top-down Darwinism of state central planning and
the bottom-up Darwinism of free market economic planning.
There is an irreconcilable conflict between Christianity and
Darwinism. There is also an irreconcilable conflict between
the two forms of Darwinism.

1. Gary North, God’s Covenants (Dallas, GA: Point Five Press, 2020), Part 2.
You can download it here: [Link]/[Link].

79
 God vs. Mammon

GOD VS. MAMMON

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love
the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot
serve God and mammon.
Matthew 6:24

Point one of the biblical covenant model is transcendence/

presence. The God of the Bible created the universe, and
therefore is distinct from it, yet He also cares for His creation
and is present with it. Every rival god to the God of the Bi-
ble is part of the creation. It therefore cannot exercise sover-
eignty over the creation. It is part of the creation.
Jesus here did not identify Satan as the rival god. He iden-
tified mammon. What is mammon? The context reveals the
answer.
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye
shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye
shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than
raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do
they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feed-
eth them. Are ye not much better than they? (Matthew 6:25–26)

Whatever a society believes is the source of its success is the

god of that society. Every society asks: What is the source of
success? Jesus said there are only two possible answers: either

81
82 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

God or mammon. Jesus made the correct answer clear: God.

What other sources do men identify as the source of their
wealth? That other source, whatever it is called, is mammon.
Jesus asked a rhetorical question: “Is not the life more
than meat, and the body than raiment?” But for some peo-
ple, this is not a rhetorical question. When they think “more
than,” they do not think of personal contentment or a good
reputation or wisdom. They think of more things to own—
things that are offered for sale in some market. This is the
heart of mammon’s religion: marketable wealth. Mammon is
the great god of more. Its adherents have a confession: “More
for me in history.”
Mammon is the god of this world. Jesus asked another
rhetorical question about this god’s religion. “For what shall
it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his
own soul?” (Mark 8:36). If gaining the whole world in ex-
change for one’s soul is a poor bargain, how much more fool-
ish is it to gain less than the whole world?
The delights of this world dazzle men. The book of Eccle-
siastes is an account of a man’s samplings of this world’s de-
lights. The conclusion is always the same, delight by delight:
vanity, vanity, all is vanity.
I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of
kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women
singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instru-
ments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more
than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom re-
mained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not
from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart
rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my la-
bour. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought,
and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was
vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the
sun (Ecclesiastes 2:8–11).

Jesus had this as background material when He spoke to

the people of Israel. They already knew all this, but, like most
 God vs. Mammon 83

people, they had forgotten. Or perhaps they had never really

believed it. The book’s conclusion covered the basics of bib-
lical religion.
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and
keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For
God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret
thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil (Ecclesiastes
12:13–14).

The idea behind the Preacher’s conclusion is the compre-

hensive judgment of God. This idea presumes the omniscience
of God. He sees everything, evaluates everything, and reveals
everything. Nothing is hidden to Him. “If we have forgotten
the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange
god; Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the se-
crets of the heart” (Psalm 44:20–21). Conclusion: “Woe unto
them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and
their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and
who knoweth us?” (Isaiah 29:15). No other god is omniscient.

I. Christian Covenantalism:
The Blessings of God
Sovereignty. The source of life’s blessings is a person’s true
god. This is the god worshipped by men. The Bible identifies
the source of all blessings: God. “Every good gift and every
perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father
of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning” (James 1:17). If every blessing is a gift, then God’s
grace is the basis of all blessings.
God gave life to Adam and Eve. He gave them a garden.
He gave them authority over the creation. None of this was
earned. All was based on grace. Conclusion: grace precedes law.
The relationship between God and man precludes repay-
ment by men to God for benefits received. Even before sin,
this was true. It is far more true after sin. What can man offer
to God that God does not already own? God declares:
84 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thou-
sand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild
beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee:
for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof (Psalm 50:10–12).

Yet God demands payment from men for the sin committed
in Adam, and also for the sins that they commit on their own au-
thority. Payment has been made on man’s behalf by Jesus Christ.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now jus-
tified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the
death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved
by his life (Romans 5:8–10).

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your

body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (1 Corinthians 6:20)

Authority. Men have received a task from God: to sub-

due the earth on His behalf (Genesis 1:26–27). This requires
tools. These tools include knowledge, wisdom, and law. They
come directly from God.
Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted
man, in whom the Lord put wisdom and understanding to know
how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary,
according to all that the Lord had commanded (Exodus 36:1).

And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding

much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea
shore (1 Kings 4:29).

Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall

observe it with my whole heart (Psalm 119:34).

God’s gifts are designed by God to further men’s assign-

ments before God, “having then gifts differing according to
the grace that is given to us” (Romans 12:6a). The greater the
gift, the greater the degree of personal responsibility.
And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not
himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with
 God vs. Mammon 85

many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things wor-
thy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomso-
ever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom
men have committed much, of him they will ask the more (Luke
12:47–48).

Law. There is an obligation on each man’s part to put his

gifts to God’s use. First comes the gift.
And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both
riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the
kings like unto thee all thy days (1 Kings 3:13).

Then comes responsibility: obedience.

And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and
my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will
lengthen thy days (1 Kings 3:14).

In short, grace precedes law.

Judgment. God sometimes intervenes directly in history
to grant success to men or groups. This is why people pray to
God. They expect His special intervention.
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I
say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall
say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it
shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you (Mat-
thew 17:20).

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye

shall receive (Matthew 21:22).

God also uses men to implement His judgments in history.

This is why He sets up governments. When societies obey His
laws, they receive predictable blessings. God’s judgments in
history guarantee corporate success.
And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto
the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his com-
mandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy
God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all
these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou
86 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. (Deuteron-
omy 28:1–2).

Inheritance. God’s gift to covenant-keepers is that they

get to participate in God’s kingdom as workers of righteous-
ness. Membership in His kingdom is a gift. So is righteous-
ness. Righteousness cannot be purchased with the goods of
this world. It is inherently nonmarketable. This, rich men do
not understand.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That
a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And
again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the
eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of
God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed,
saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said
unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things
are possible (Matthew 19:23–26).

The belief that God’s righteous kingdom is open to the

highest bidder is a mistake common to the religion of mam-
mon, which is the religion of quid pro quo. God’s religion
is the religion of the open hand, both for God and for His
disciples.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and
it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth;
and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be
opened (Matthew 7:7–8).

And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils:
freely ye have received, freely give (Matthew 10:7–8).

Conclusion. Here is the essence of all the gifts of God:

They cannot be purchased by the recipient. There is no mar-
ket for biblical success. There is no buying and selling this
success. Gifts come from a sovereign God. They are a free gift
from this God. He initiates the relationship with man and
nature through grace. This is what distinguishes biblical suc-
cess from mammon’s success. Both ask something in return,
 God vs. Mammon 87

but God asks only after the fact of the gift. Mammon seeks
payment in advance. With God, men look backward to gifts
received and forward to additional manifestations of God’s
grace. With mammon, men look forward to payment owed,
for mammon’s religion is a religion of permanent debt. “For
what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world,
and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange
for his soul?” (Mark 8:36–37)

II. Non-Christian Covenantalism:

The Blessings of Mammon
Sovereignty. The source of life’s blessings is a person’s true
god. This is the god worshipped by men. Mammon offers
divinity to men. “Ye shall be as gods” (Genesis 3:5). This is
a false offer. Mammon cannot deliver what he promises. He
delivers only trinkets: things confined to this world.
Covenant-breaking men believe that the works of their
hands are the source of their wealth. Moses warned against
this sin: to say in one’s heart, “My power and the might of
mine hand hath gotten me this wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:17).
Satan wants to get man to worship him. Satan’s tempta-
tion of Jesus is indicative.
Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain,
and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of
them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou
wilt fall down and worship me. (Matthew 4:8–9).

Nevertheless, Satan is satisfied with man’s worship of any-

thing else but God. Man’s worship of man will be sufficient.
Because of original sin, such worship is sufficient to keep
men locked outside the kingdom of God.
Authority. Men are born under Adam’s implicit covenant
with Satan. Jesus said of faith in God, “He that believeth
on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is con-
demned already, because he hath not believed in the name
of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). The words,
88 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

“condemned already,” testify to man’s spiritual condition, his

“default setting.”
Every gift proceeds from God, but covenant-breaking man
is unwilling to give thanks to God. This would acknowledge
his existing debt to God and his subordination to God. He
refuses to acknowledge this, for this would imply that he is
incapable of paying off his debt on his own authority, without
representation by someone with assets sufficient to pay off
this debt.
Man seeks to gain success at the lowest possible price. He
bargains. He deceives. “It is naught, it is naught, saith the
buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth” (Prov-
erbs 20:14). He seeks to get a better deal from the devil than
God offers as a free gift. “For the wages of sin is death; but
the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”
(Romans 6:23). He would rather not attain eternal life than
to receive it as a free gift on God’s terms, for a free gift would
show subordination to one whose grace is not for sale, who
does not need man or the fruits of man’s labor.
Law. There are standards of mammon’s success. The famil-
iar ones are money, sex, and power. These are positive sanc-
tions that are thought to be worth pursuing, worth sacrificing
for. Others are added: fame, influence, and good looks. But
money, sex, and power are central, because there is a ready
market for them. It is the existence of ready markets that marks
mammon’s most desirable successes.
Men believe that they can buy security with these assets.
These are the currency units for buying security. But they cannot
buy life eternal, and only rarely can they buy additional time.
And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a cer-
tain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within
himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where
to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down
my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits
and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much
goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be
 God vs. Mammon 89

merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul
shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which
thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself,
and is not rich toward God (Luke 12:16–21).

The primary mark of mammon’s success is money, which

is the most marketable commodity. With money, men believe
they can buy all of the other marks of success, or at least com-
pensate for non-marketable defects, such as a lack of good
looks. Mammon’s success is marked by markets. Mammon prom-
ises man access to these markets at some price—a price that
each man can afford, either alone or through debt: the loss of
his soul. But a man’s affirmation of this confession of faith is
evidence that his soul is already lost.
Wealth in general is widely respected. Free market econo-
mists attribute wealth to the private property system. Those
defending socialism have become rare ever since the collapse
of the Soviet Union in 1991. They attribute socialism’s suc-
cesses—difficult to identify—to scientific planning by elite
experts. Defenders of the mixed economy attribute success to
an ever-shifting combination of profit-seeking entrepreneur-
ship and wise planning of aggregates: taxes, monetary policy,
ecology legislation. In all three cases, man and man’s material
environment are seen as the dual sources of all wealth.
Judgment. Men want to execute their judgments autono-
mously. This means that they must become the sources of suc-
cess. They must do this collectively, either for money’s sake or
power’s sake. Yet each man wants his say in the judgmental
process. Men seek a resolution to this age-old problem: the
one and the many, corporatism and individualism. An indi-
vidual brings judgments in modern society in two ways: as a
consumer in the marketplace and as a voter in a voting booth.
This means that modern society identifies mammon as a com-
bination of two institutions: the free market and the state.
Modern man believes that there is an elusive proportional
mixture of the free market and the state that will maximize
mankind’s economic blessings, which modern man regards
90 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

as the main success indicators. Free market sovereignty and

state power are modern man’s versions of “My power and the
might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.”
Success is defined by man, both individually and collec-
tively. There is no higher source of better judgment than man,
man believes. There is no higher court of appeal. Man pro-
poses, and man disposes. Then man evaluates the work of his
hands: “It is good.” Anyone who thinks otherwise must then
either accept the prevailing judgment or seek to overturn it.
If he wants to overturn it, he must amass the tools of judicial
transformation: money and power. If he is consistent with his
worldview, he will not pray to God for deliverance.
Inheritance. Covenant-breakers seek their inheritance as
members of an autonomous kingdom. The kingdom of man
is marked by its autonomy from God. It answers to no one
or no thing. It is autonomous man’s arena of dominion. It is
temporally limited by the survival of man as a species. But
this is thought to be a very long time. Autonomous man dis-
counts the future: the future beyond the grave and the future
of mankind in a world that is moving toward extinction be-
cause of the second law of thermodynamics. In between then
and now, men seek to establish a kingdom. Daniel warned
king Nebuchadnezzar against this.
It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy
greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion
to the end of the earth. And whereas the king saw a watcher and
an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree
down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in
the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass
of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his
portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over
him (Daniel 4:22–23).

Men seek both meaning and purpose through their par-

ticipation in one or another kingdom. Yet final meaning
and purpose are imputed by God, not by men. He imputes
meaning to men’s kingdoms. The end is the same for all of
 God vs. Mammon 91

them. “And this is the writing that was written, Mene, Mene,
Tekel, Upharsin. This is the interpretation of the thing:
Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it”
(Daniel 5:25–26). Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar what the end
of the fourth kingdom would be.
Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which
smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and
brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the
silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like
the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried
them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that
smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole
earth (Daniel 2:34–35).

The kingdom of God’s own Son has replaced all pretender

kingdoms.
Conclusion. Mammon offers success in history, but only
in history. Success is offered for sale in two well-organized
markets: economic and political. Success is imparted by a
contract to buy or sell: money. It is imparted by an electoral
victory: votes.
Adherents of the religion of mammon assume that every-
thing has a price because every participant has his price. In-
tegrity, honor, faithfulness, and a good reputation are all for
sale, at some price. This is the operational faith of mammon.
Its adherents do not ask themselves this question: “For what
shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose
his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).

Conclusion
God offers success as part of His grace to man. He offers
success for obedience to His law (Deuteronomy 28:1, 14). He
does this in order to confirm His covenant. “But thou shalt re-
member the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power
to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he
sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 8:18).
Yet even the ability to obey is a gift from God.
92 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it
unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law;
yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me to go in
the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight (Psalm
119:33, 35).

Mammon offers success as part of a market. Man can pur-

chase success at a price. That which cannot be purchased is
suspect, for it announces that something is not for sale. This
is blasphemy. Mammon asserts that every man has his price,
that nothing is sacred. Mammon tells man that man deserves
whatever he can purchase. In some religions of mammon,
men believe that they can lawfully steal anything they cannot
purchase, even if they must re-write the law to do this.
God offers success on the legal basis of payment already
rendered by a representative. Success is not earned; it is
awarded by grace. Success follows good performance, not as
a payment for services rendered, but to help the worker trust
in God’s future grace in history.

Summary
The source of blessings is the god of a society.

Anything other than God that offers man blessings is mammon.

Marketable wealth is mammon’s religion.

Mammon is therefore the god of the covenant-breaking world.

Ecclesiastes identifies all autonomous success as vanity.

The Bible says to obey God, who judges all things.

God gives men creativity and wisdom, then assignments.

Grace precedes law.

Righteousness is non-marketable.

There is no organized market for biblical success.

Mammon promises more than it can deliver.

 God vs. Mammon 93

Mammon offers money, sex, power, and fame.

Men believe that these can buy security.

Men claim the authority to reward obedience with wealth.

Mammon’s kingdom announces autonomy from God.

Mammon’s success can be purchased: works, not grace.

 Dominion vs. Power

DOMINION VS. POWER

But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they
which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over
them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it
not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your
minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of
all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to
minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Mark 10:42–45

There are three main varieties of religion: dominion religion,

which is biblical and judicial; power religion, which is activist
and most closely mimics dominion religion; and escape reli-
gion, which is passive and mystical. Each has its own unique
definitions of success and also the success indicators that rep-
resent success.
Every religion has a covenantal framework. They all ad-
here to some version of the covenant’s five points. They offer
different implementations of the five points. They offer dif-
ferent justifications for accepting the five points. But they all
are structured in terms of the same five points. The five-point
covenant model is an inescapable concept.
The Bible’s dominion religion requires men to subordi-
nate themselves to God through formal oaths: individual, ec-
clesiastical, marital, and civil. Covenant-keepers are required

94
 Dominion vs. Power 95

by God to extend their authority in God’s name over the

creation by lawful means. The law-order that God requires
them to use as their tool of dominion is Bible-revealed law.
The attempt to substitute any rival law-order seeks to usurp
God’s authority, thereby transforming dominion religion into
power religion: from obedience to God to obedience to men.
Dominion religion defines success as attaining the special
grace of salvation and membership in the kingdom of God.
It warns against the pursuit of money, the pursuit of power,
and the pursuit of sex outside of marriage. It asserts that the
only success indicators worth attaining in this life are those
that flow both supernaturally and naturally to people who do
not pursue them for their own sake, but who instead pursue
opportunities for service.
Power religion is a perverse imitation of biblical religion.
It operates in terms of a rival god, a rival hierarchical sys-
tem, and a rival law-order. Success for power religion is easy
to summarize: “Ye shall be as gods, knowing [determining]
good and evil.” Power religionists seek to imitate God by dis-
playing their own autonomous power. This is the religion of
the tower of Babel. For power religion, the most prominent
success indicators are money, sex, and power. The supreme
manifestation of power religion in the twentieth century was
Communism, a religion of revolution that created a culture
of bureaucracy.
Escape religion attempts to avoid any confrontation with
power. It also attempts to escape responsibility for extending
authority over the creation. It offers spiritual transformation
to the individual through techniques of physical self-disci-
pline leading to mystical illumination, or through emotional
celebration in isolation from the general culture. It professes
unconcern with the details of social and civil law, as long as
society allows the specific escape religion to remain auton-
omous from the general culture. Its supreme success is the
attainment of individual spiritual autonomy—an imitation of
God. This goal requires varying degrees of unconcern with
96 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

the division of labor, which involves dependence on others.

Buddhists are escape religionists. So are the Amish. Escape
religion distrusts the money economy, avoids politics alto-
gether, and often avoids sex (though not the Amish).
Power religion emphasizes point two of the biblical cov-
enant model: hierarchy. Power religion entrusts power to an
elite that imposes sanctions on all those lower in the hierar-
chy. This is a top-down system of administration. Members
of the elite do not see themselves as specialized civil judges
whose main task is to settle disputes that arise lower in the so-
cial pyramid. They see themselves as members of an initiating
elite that provides much-needed direction to those who are
lower in the social pyramid. The most obvious manifestation
of the power religion is empire (Daniel 2:37–45). The dream
of empire lures power religionists into extending their power
across national borders.
Power religionists seek power for the sake of their names—
not necessarily a good name, but a famous name. These are
self-conscious power religionists. Power for them is a success
indicator, not success itself. But power is seen as the main
success indicator in this life. All rival success indicators must
be sacrificed to power. Power is therefore an idol: a represen-
tative of the true god, which is autonomous man.
Other men seek power for the sake of gaining money. This
is not common. There are easier ways to make money—also
safer. Money is more commonly seen by power-seekers as an
indicator of success in politics—a fringe benefit. So is sex.
Sex is always available to men who possess lots of money or
lots of power, which is a major incentive to accumulate both.
But sex is rarely regarded as something to be pursued for its
own sake, except by addicts. Sex is merely a success indicator:
representative of success in other areas of life. It must not be
paid for directly. Any man who must resort to prostitutes is
regarded as a loser in all societies.
All forms of power religion rest on a single strategy with
three components, each of which encourages other men’s ac-
 Dominion vs. Power 97

ceptance of the ruling elite’s judicial claim of the right to ex-

ercise power. First, men must be persuaded to attribute legit-
imacy to a powerful institution or person, and therefore obey.
Second, men must be encouraged to seek favors (positive
sanctions) from the powerful, and therefore obey. Third, they
must fear an institution’s negative sanctions, and therefore
obey. He who seeks to exercise power is wise to seek legiti-
macy first, so that he will not have to spend so much money
on extending favors or purchasing the implements of fear.
Dominion religion asserts the fear of God as the foremost
principle of all government. Jethro told Moses, “Moreover
thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as
fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such
over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds,
rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens” (Exodus 18:21). Power re-
ligion asserts the fear of man as its foundational principle.
Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest
thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to
release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at
all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he
that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin (John 19:10–11).

Some men seek to obtain power for themselves through

political manipulation or revolution: to replace the prevailing
elite. Others, having no taste for power or skills of power,
seek escape. Some seek escape through drugs. Some seek es-
cape through mysticism. Some seek it through a retreat from
the affairs of this world: the monastic response or the Amish
response.
The biblical goal is to replace the power religion, not just
replace the power elite. The biblical strategy of replacement
is service to others.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a
tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but
whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the
other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away
thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall com-
98 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

pel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh
thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away
(Matthew 5:38–42).

The Mosaic law established the judicial principle of an eye

for an eye (Exodus 21:24). We know this principle by a differ-
ent slogan: “The punishment must fit the crime.” This princi-
ple of civil law restricts judges, who might otherwise impose
punishments that do not fit the crime.
Did Jesus abandon this principle? He did not abandon
it for judges. This principle of justice never did apply to in-
dividuals; it applied only to civil magistrates. Jesus’ advice
was directed to victims of power religion: Jews living under
the Roman Empire. Jesus preached the principle of non-vio-
lence and cooperation in the face of systematic state coercion:
power religion.
Members of the power religion’s elite seek public obedi-
ence. They impose negative sanctions on those who resist.
So, the correct tactic in the strategy of replacement is to give
no offense. The elite possesses only a limited supply of re-
sources for the enforcer of its power. The elite must spend
resources on suppressing visible dissenters. Meanwhile, cov-
enant-keepers can go about their business of extending the
kingdom of God. This process of kingdom-building begins
with self-government under God’s law. The manifestation of
self-government under God is service to others. Such a reli-
gion is attractive to peace-seeking victims of power. It over-
comes organized resistance.
Paul fully understood this principle of not giving offense.
He wrote to Timothy:
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, inter-
cessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings,
and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and
peaceable life in all godliness and honesty (1 Timothy 2:1–2).

Dominion religion does not seek to replace civil rulers in a

society governed by power religionists, as the Roman Empire
 Dominion vs. Power 99

was. Instead, covenant-keepers are to work to replace power

religion. Dominion religion seeks neither a revolution nor a
coup. It seeks self-government under biblical law. Self-gov-
ernment under God, said Jesus, must manifest itself through
service to God by service to others.
There is no better example of this in history than the vic-
tory of Christianity over Rome’s power religion. This took
almost three centuries. Christians peacefully withstood perse-
cution, discrimination, and taxation. Rome’s power religion
visibly went morally bankrupt, then economically bankrupt,
then fell. This was repeated in the Soviet Union, 1917 to 1991.

I. Christian Covenantalism:
Dominion Religion
Sovereignty. God is the source of all success in history. So,
He is the true God. The supreme form of success is eternal
life. God grants grace to those whom He has chosen. God’s
selection of beneficiaries is arbitrary from man’s point of view.
This is God’s favor. The supreme benefit in life is finding fa-
vor with the King. God is wholly sovereign is this matter.
For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have
mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have com-
passion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that
runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith
unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up,
that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might
be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy
on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth
(Romans 9:15–18).

God is in complete control over the affairs of this life. He

has issued a decree, and none can reverse it. “And all the in-
habitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth
according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the
inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say
unto him, What doest thou?” (Daniel 4:35).
Because He is the master of the universe, He possesses legit-
100 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

imacy. Nothing else does except as an extension of His decree.

This enables those under His covenant to rest in His sov-
ereignty. God is in complete control. Man is not. Therefore,
His people can safely place their trust in Him. They can safely
rest. This is an internal mark of success.
Authority. God delegates authority to men, who represent
Him in history. He who lawfully represents God has achieved
success in history. He is part of the kingdom of God.
Success as a ruler is based on success as a servant. If anyone
ceases to rule according to God’s law, he becomes a usurper.
He has substituted power for dominion. One mark of corrupt
rule is seeking after bribes. Samuel the prophet, under the
inspiration of God, condemned his own sons. “And his sons
walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took
bribes, and perverted judgment” (1 Samuel 8:3). Bribes are
illegitimate success indicators. So are the trappings of power,
if sought for their own sake.
When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down
in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be
bidden of him; And he that bade thee and him come and say to
thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the
lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the
lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say
unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship
in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever
exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself
shall be exalted (Luke 14:8–11).

This follows Christ’s example.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who,
being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And be-
ing found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God
also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is
above every name (Philippians 2:5–9).
 Dominion vs. Power 101

Elevation to the highest room, like Christ’s elevation above all

other names, is a gift of God. Both are rewards for lowly service.
Law. There is no law of success for recipients of eternal
life. Eternal life is granted by God as a gift. “For by grace are
ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift
of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians
2:8–9). This reflects the supreme law of success: It cannot be
purchased by fallen men.
This law of success also governs the law of success indica-
tors. They cannot be earned, either. Man cannot buy God’s
favor. He possesses nothing of value to offer God. Man can-
not bind God to some contract in which he has equal status.
This is the message of the book of Job. Success indicators are
given by God to His subordinates as a way to confirm His
covenant, to show them that He can be trusted. Moses was
clear on this: “. . . it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth,
that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy
fathers, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 8:18b). Success indica-
tors, like success, flow downward from God. There is no mar-
ket for covenantally valid success indicators. They are all of
grace. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17).
Judgment. Biblical judging involves evaluating perfor-
mance and then awarding appropriate rewards for services
rendered. This is what God the Father did with Jesus Christ.
God announced: “Behold my servant, whom I have chosen;
my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my
spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles”
(Matthew 12:18). It is on this basis that God rewards Christ’s
servants for services rendered—not their services but Christ’s.
Only for Christ was any reward a transaction between equal
partners, yet He affirmed His subordination in the relation-
ship. “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge:
and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will,
but the will of the Father which hath sent me” (John 5:30).
102 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

The parable of the talents/pounds reveals that there are

performance standards and rewards consistent with perfor-
mance. But note: The owner gives the initial capital to his
stewards. They own nothing on their own. So, when he re-
turns, demands an accounting, and distributes appropriate
rewards, he does so out of his own capital. The stewards do
not purchase favor with their multiplied capital. Their re-
wards far exceed their multiplied capital. They return a few
coins. They receive cities. “And he said unto him, Well, thou
good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little,
have thou authority over ten cities” (Luke 19:17). The reward
is proportional to performance, but on a magnified scale. This
is not a purchase. What is the nature of the reward? Greater
authority—more opportunities to serve God and men.
There are many forms of earthly success. They are all
gained by God’s grace for services rendered by Christ. The
services are rendered representatively: by Christ first, then by
His stewards on Christ’s behalf: hierarchy. These successes
are awarded by God so that they might lead to even greater
blessings. The more we give, the more we receive. But the pri-
mary blessing is in the giving, not the rewards. Paul wrote: “I have
shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to sup-
port the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus,
how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts
20:35). Conclusion: Giving is its own reward. The payment
from God—success indicators—affirms that God is fair and
reliable, and that He wants us to increase our giving. What is
the success that is indicated by the success indicators? The act
of giving. This is a system of positive feedback.
Inheritance. This system of positive feedback extends
God’s visible kingdom in history. This is the extension of
God’s system of service.
What is the supreme mark of God’s kingdom? Peace:
swords into ploughshares.
And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to
the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob;
 Dominion vs. Power 103

and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths:
for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord
from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and
rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords
into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall
not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any
more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his
fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the
Lord of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one
in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord
our God for ever and ever (Micah 4:2–5).

Peace under the rule of God’s law is the supreme visible

success indicator associated with the fulfillment of the do-
minion covenant. It is a legitimate social goal. It is the histor-
ical inheritance of the righteous.
Conclusion. God’s kingdom is extended in history by
God through His specially chosen people. They rule through
positions of authority. These positions are gained through
service to others: upward service to God vertically; service
horizontally to our equals; and downward service vertically
to those who cannot repay us, just as we cannot repay God
for His mercy. The fulfillment of the dominion covenant is
manifested by the kingdom of peace. This is an inheritance,
a subordinate goal.

II. Non-Christian Covenantalism:

Power Religion
Sovereignty. Man is identified as the source of men’s success
in history. Sovereignty is attributed to the People. Democracy
affirms this god. But the People are an insecure god.
This god is not unified. There are competing sovereign-
ties, meaning competing gods.
This god is not omnipotent. It cannot guarantee success—
not for itself and not for those who affirm the sovereignty of
the People.
This god is overwhelmingly political. It extends its rule
104 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

primarily through politics. A few social thinkers would sub-

stitute the free market for the state, but their numbers are
small and their influence is marginal.
Ultimately, this god is hypothetical. It does not speak for
itself and never has. It does not reveal an unchanging written
word. It speaks only through its representatives. There is great
competition among men to become its sole representative.
Authority. The authority speaks on behalf of the sovereign
People. There are multiple authorities. But in centralized ty-
rannical systems, there are few authorities. He who speaks
for the civil government is generally the highest voice of au-
thority. This authority is the state, which can grant rewards to
followers and impose penalties on resisters.
Politics is mostly negative sanctions. Therefore, political
authority is based primarily on fear. Men are taught to be-
lieve that there is no chain of appeals courts beyond civil gov-
ernment. Politics is supreme. The People do not speak except
through the existing authorities. So, revolutionaries seek to
overthrow the prevailing system of ordination.
The rule of non-Christian authority is based on the exer-
cise of power. “They which are accounted to rule over the
Gentiles exercise lordship over them.” This exercise of power
over others creates resistance. Power is always insecure.
Lord Acton wrote in a letter in 1887, “All power tends to
corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This is true
of men, but not of God. The more success indicators that the
state can grant because of its growing power, the more cor-
rupt politics becomes.
Corruption creates resistance to the state. Resistance can
lead to revolution or organized political action to replace the
rulers. Success in such a system is precarious. Those who are
successful dare not rest in their successes. Alertness to one’s
potential replacement as a ruler is mandatory.
Law. The law of success in non-Christian religions is that
man can either purchase success or steal it. In Darwinian hu-
manism, cosmically autonomous men can purchase success
 Dominion vs. Power 105

from other men, or steal it from other men, or extract it from

impersonal nature.
In power religion, the state is sovereign. Men can buy suc-
cess from the state through bribes. They can buy it through
political action committees: legal replacement of the exist-
ing political elite. They can buy it through revolutionary vi-
olence: replacement of the existing elite. But control of the
state is the key to success in power religion.
Power religion is works religion. Men are always working
to gain success. They see their own efforts as the basis of their
success. If success is granted by others, then they must be
bought off continually. When power religion grants its re-
wards through the state, the state must steal from taxpayers.
When civil law is used to grant success indicators to specially
favored people or groups, the law becomes an instrument of
plunder: immoral. This undermines men’s confidence in the
civil law.
When the state becomes the source of rewards, there is
always the possibility of corruption. Corruption is a univer-
sal feature of civil government. The power to grant favors
creates opportunities for corruption: false judgment. This is
described in the Bible as false weights and measures. “Just
balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye
have: I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the
land of Egypt” (Leviticus 19:36). This involves an assault on
equality before the law.
Judgment. Success in the power religion is granted by
those who possess resources or the power to get resources.
How reliable are authorities who use the state’s power to
amass resources for rewarding those under their jurisdiction?
Not very.
This places all those who want success in life, including
success indicators, at the mercy or the favor of corrupt rulers.
If men believe they can buy success, then in power religion,
they must buy justice. But purchased justice is unjust. So,
power religion is self-defeating.
106 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

In works religion, everything in principle is up for sale.

“Every man has his price.” This outlook undermines men’s
confidence in the judicial system, which is ruled by politics.
In humanism, there is no appeal beyond the state. This is the
doctrine of the divine right of the state. It leads to tyranny
interspersed by bloody revolutions.
Inheritance. The supreme manifestation of power is em-
pire. The divided sovereignty of the People must be unified.
Authorities seek empire in order to declare a unified kingdom
of man. This is the great inheritance.
Instead of peace comes war. This converts ploughshares
into swords. The costs of war escalate. The costs of victori-
ous occupation escalate. The old description is true of em-
pire. “We are not ambitious. All we want is control over every
country on our borders.”
Benefits to the few are great: contracts with the govern-
ment, special trading rights, and residence in the seats of
power. But for the people, there is taxation and insecurity.
Conclusion. The power religion substitutes the inculca-
tion of fear for service. It offers temporary success to masters
of politics. But it can offer no rest. The resistance created by
the exercise of power threatens the present occupants of the
seats of power. It also threatens the system of rewards and
punishments that always accompanies the power religion. All
power creates resistance. Absolute power is an incommunica-
ble attribute of God.

Conclusion
Dominion is by service and by God-revealed law. It is exer-
cised in a decentralized fashion by multiple hierarchies. No
one hierarchy has been granted undisputed authority. Politics
is inherently subordinate to individual authority and family
authority, which jointly provide the productivity necessary to
support the civil government. Success is easily defined: favor
with the King of kings.
Power is achieved mainly through politics. It is based on
 Dominion vs. Power 107

sanctions: fear of the state and rewards to favorites. Resis-

tance to power grows as the state expands its jurisdiction.
Success is easily defined: favor with the state.
Power is inherently limited. It creates resistance. In con-
trast, service overcomes resistance. It invokes the law of at-
traction. But it is difficult to implement (Matthew 5:43–48).

Summary
There are three religions: dominion religion, power religion,
and escape religion.

Biblical authority is obtained by grace through service.

All meaningful success indicators flow by grace to servants.

Success cannot be purchased.

Power religion is a top-down religion.

It seeks a name for autonomous man.

The primary tool of power religion is fear of man.

Dominion religion seeks to replace power religion by service.

God grants success to His servants.

Success indicators must not be pursued for their own sake.

God’s rewards are all of grace and exceed services rendered.

The reward for giving is gaining more to give.

Peace is the kingdom’s supreme benefit.

The People is democracy’s false god.

Power tends to corrupt autonomous man.

Covenant-breaking men believe they can buy or steal success.

This faith produces corruption, which undermines the state.

Empire is the goal of power religion.

 Giving vs. Receiving

GIVING VS. RECEIVING

I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support
the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It
is more blessed to give than to receive.
Acts 20:35

This is a fundamental biblical principle of earthly success. The

best business success books begin with a version of this prin-
ciple. Serve the consumer, we are told. But in these books, the
primary goal for each individual is always mammon’s guiding
principle: “more for me in history.” The Bible’s primary goal
for each individual is different. “But seek ye first the kingdom
of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be
added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).
“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” This is the only
direct citation of Jesus’ words outside of the four Gospels.
Paul reminded his listeners of the nature of positive sanctions
in God’s kingdom. The sanctions begin with giving. This
model began with God’s gift of life and land to Adam and
Eve. It was manifested in history by Christ’s surrender of ben-
efits on behalf of mankind.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who,
being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the

108
 Giving vs. Receiving 109

form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And be-
ing found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God
also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is
above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under
the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:5–11).

It is not that Jesus Christ has not received exaltation or

will not receive even greater exaltation. But the process of His
exaltation began with His subordination to God the Father
and to men. God gives. Man receives. Man then repays, but
never on a scale comparable to the original gift. Whatever
man repays to God is a mere token of subordination. This is
illustrated by the principle of the tithe. Man keeps 90 percent.
He returns 10 percent as a token payment of subordination.
The church receives, then gives, and is exalted. “And I
John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from
God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her hus-
band” (Revelation 21:2).
No one can buy his way into the kingdom of heaven. An
outflow of money or time from man’s tiny reserves will not
gain the benefits of kingdom membership. It is an illusion to
believe that anyone can buy his way into God’s kingdom—the
most fearful illusion in man’s post-Fall history. This illusion
lured Simon the magician into an enormous mistake.
And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’
hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Say-
ing, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he
may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money
perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God
may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in
this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent
therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the
thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that
thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity (Acts
8:18–23).
110 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

Down through the ages, covenant-breakers have comforted

themselves with the illusion that they have bought their way
into the kingdom. Christ disabused them of this illusion.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father
which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast
out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And
then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me,
ye that work iniquity (Matthew 7:21–23).

To redeem something means to buy it back from its lawful

owner. There is a price to be paid. The question is: Who has
paid it? “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law,
being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one
that hangeth on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). Christ has bought
His people out from under the curse of God the Father. “For
there is one God, and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to
be testified in due time” (1 Timothy 2:5–6).
The great divergence between the kingdom of God and
the kingdom of mammon is its required means of payment.
The kingdom of God rests on a completed transaction: the
payment made by Christ representatively on behalf of His
people. Christ bought our way into the good graces of the
true sovereign. The kingdom of mammon rests on a suicidal
transaction: buying one’s way into the good graces of a false
sovereign.
The supreme individual issue in this life is one’s judicial
status: guilty or not guilty. Any legal status that can be pur-
chased by the accused is offered by a corrupt court. The offer
is therefore inherently mammonistic. Both the judge and the
accused are guilty as charged. They stand condemned.
There is a common phrase in English, “the currency of the
realm.” It is a very useful phrase. It identifies the premier suc-
cess indicator of a particular society or group. The currency
of a realm reflects the judicial status of that society or group.
 Giving vs. Receiving 111

It identifies what kind of realm it is: its sovereignty, authority,

law, sanctions, and future.
With this in mind, let us examine the currencies of two
realms.

I. Christian Covenantalism:
The Currency of God’s Realm
Sovereignty. The God of the Bible is a God of grace as well as
wrath. “For if ye turn again unto the Lord, your brethren and
your children shall find compassion before them that lead
them captive, so that they shall come again into this land:
for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not
turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him” (2 Chron-
icles 30:9). God is in a position to grant His grace to anyone.
He is wholly sovereign in this capacity.
For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have
mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compas-
sion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that run-
neth, but of God that sheweth mercy (Romans 9:15–16).

This grace is twofold. First, common grace, which is of-

fered to all: life, power, knowledge, and any other unearned
blessing in life, “for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and
on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust”
(Matthew 5:45b). Recipients of common grace are responsi-
ble for the God-honoring use of this grace.
And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not
himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with
many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things wor-
thy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomso-
ever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom
men have committed much, of him they will ask the more (Luke
12:47–48).

Second, He offers special grace: the grace of eternal life.

For this, a token repayment is expected: productive work.
And from productive work comes posthumous grace.
112 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious
stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made man-
ifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by
fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If
any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall re-
ceive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer
loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire (1 Corinthians
3:12–15).

Authority. God grants the special grace of eternal mercy

to recipients through means. The primary means is preaching.
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of
God” (Romans 10:17). This is not limited to the institutional
church. But mobilization for evangelism comes from the in-
stitutional church, for outside the church, there are no valid
sacraments. There is therefore an ecclesiastical hierarchy in-
volved in the extension of saving grace. It provides training,
counsel, guidance, opportunities for service, and the other
implements associated with an army of spiritual conquest.
This is not a system of initiation, either upward into a hier-
archy of illumination or inward toward an inner circle. There
are only two judicial conditions: saved and lost. These condi-
tions are not matters of personal performance.
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be
born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which
is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye
must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou
hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh,
and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit
(John 3:5–8).

Then what are the representative success indicators, the

evidence of one’s judicial status as redeemed? There are but
three: public confession (Romans 10:9–10), baptism, a defini-
tive oath sign (Acts 16:30–31), and outward obedience to His
commandments (1 John 2:2–4). This obedience includes par-
ticipation in another, continuing oath sign. “After the same
 Giving vs. Receiving 113

manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying,

This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft
as ye drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:25).
These success indicators do not save. They are not sav-
ing works. They manifest publicly that salvation has been
imparted by God apart from any transaction involving the
recipient’s currency. The recipient owned no marketable cur-
rency. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righ-
teousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf;
and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah
64:6).
Law. God’s commandments impose a system of contin-
uous outflow. God’s covenantal system is based on service.
This is personal service upward to God, outward to men, and
downward to the creation. But this service is also corporate,
for God is plural. Institutions are responsible to God.
Wealth in God’s kingdom is measured by what cove-
nant-keepers give away. Service requires lawfully owned as-
sets: time, money, and assets that can be exchanged for time
and money. The stewardship of these assets is what the do-
minion covenant is all about (Genesis 1:26–27). It defines
mankind.
There must be a replenishing of capital in this process.
This is why the accumulation of marketable wealth is a legit-
imate goal, as legitimate as conserving marketable time. But
it is far easier to accumulate marketable wealth than to gain
marketable time. Time is the unit of measurement for budget-
ing the allocation of marketable wealth in ways that serve oth-
ers. Life expectancy statistically is relatively fixed. “The days
of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of
strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour
and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Psalm
90:10). Time is the universal currency of the realm of history,
pursued equally by commoners and kings. But it can be spent
only in history. It cannot be laid up for our heirs.
There is risk of loss in history. A man’s heart is tied most
114 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

closely to that which he fears losing more than any other

thing. Yet if this thing is exclusively temporal, it must be lost
when life is lost. As the post-obituary refrain goes: “How
much did he leave behind?” “All of it!” Jesus warned: “For
what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world,
and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).
“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and
loving favour rather than silver and gold” (Proverbs 22:1).
As men grow richer and older, they often seek to exchange
the accumulation of money for the attainment of significance,
which can be purchased, unlike a good name. Significance
can often be gained by either the outflow or forfeiture of time
and money. It can also be gained in non-marketable ways,
such as by courage in wartime or by good judgment that is
not for sale.
In all the Bible, the exchange of money for significance is
best seen in the call of Levi/Matthew by Jesus. Levi was a tax
collector. Jesus called him to a life of service. “And after these
things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting
at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.
And he left all, rose up, and followed him” (Luke 5:27–28).
Levi did not hesitate. He did not delay. He left it all behind:
his bag of money, his career, everything. He later wrote the
gospel of Matthew, helping to change the course of history as
few men ever have. He gained both significance and a good
name.
Judgment. The supreme success is the final assessment
of life: “Not guilty.” This declaration cannot be purchased.
There is no marketplace of the soul. The supreme currency
of God’s realm flows downward, not upward. It does so only
once.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation,
or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or
sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day
long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved
 Giving vs. Receiving 115

us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to
come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be
able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord (Romans 8:35–39).

There are negative sanctions in history, as Paul listed here.

These should be counted as nothing. So should the forfeited
positive sanctions of this life, the ones for which there are
common markets.
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency
of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suf-
fered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that
I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own
righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the
faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith (Phi-
lippians 3:8–9).

Inheritance. Covenant-keepers should seek an inheritance

as the capstone of their service: a secondary confirmation, not
a primary goal. The visible inheritance of the whole earth is
the ultimate inheritance in history. But there is more to this
inheritance than history. The kingdom of God encompasses
time and eternity. So, a covenant-keeper’s work must encom-
pass time and eternity. This provides many opportunities for
service—infinite, in fact. The outflow can continue forever.
The blessings of giving can accumulate.
But how? Because the capital is replaced through God’s
grace. “But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is
he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish
his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day”
(Deuteronomy 8:18). The dominion covenant is reconfirmed
every time that capital is replenished. This is a system of positive
feedback. This process is not just individual. It is equally cor-
porate. God is one and many. So is his covenant.
Conclusion. The currency of God’s realm is God’s out-
flow. It begins with Christ’s incomparable outflow. This out-
flow subsequently produced incomparable inflow. This was
116 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

true for Christ. It is also true for His church. This inflow is
acknowledged by subsequent token outflow.
He lost His reputation, but not for long. He suffered for
the sake of others, but not for long. He is patient with cove-
nant-breakers, but not for long.

II. Non-Christian Covenantalism:

The Currency of Mammon’s Realm
Sovereignty. Moses identified mammon’s concept of sover-
eignty: “My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten
me this wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:17). Autonomy is mammon’s
confession. Power and wealth are its currency.
Most Western versions of mammon’s covenant identify the
autonomous individual as the original sovereign. In non-an-
archist versions of Western political philosophy, individuals
are said to have surrendered sovereignty to the state at some
point in history—a hypothetical but intellectually necessary
historical event. A few conservatives lodge original sover-
eignty in the family. This view has not been widely accepted
since the late seventeenth century.
There is a battle for the office of supreme sovereign: the
free market vs. the state. Neither can establish final sover-
eignty. The free market offers efficiency. The state offers
power. The free market decentralizes. The state centralizes.
Mankind as a hoped-for coherent unity of the voluntarily coop-
erating many comes in the name of liberty and individual eth-
ics. Mankind as a hoped-for coherent unity of the coercively
unified many comes in the name of power and unified ethics.
In philosophical terms, the free market comes in the name of
nominalism, and the state comes in the name of realism.
Authority. In both the free market and democratic poli-
tics, men’s institutions are said to serve mankind. The prob-
lem is in deciding whether mankind is essentially multiple or
essentially unified. Each social order reflects its confession of
faith regarding the plurality or unity of man.
The free market proclaims the essential plurality of man.
 Giving vs. Receiving 117

The free market therefore offers a hierarchy of riches. Each

person can become rich through competitive service to con-
sumers. Consumers impose their individual wills on produc-
ers by spending their money. They outbid rival consumers.
Money is the currency of the free market’s realm. Success and fail-
ure are measured by the inflow of money: profit vs. loss.
The state proclaims the essential unity of man. The state
therefore offers a hierarchy of power. In democracy, each per-
son can become more powerful through competitive service
to voters. Voters impose their collective will on politicians by
voting individually. They defeat their political competitors by
outvoting them. Votes are the currency of democracy’s realm. Suc-
cess and failure are measured by the inflow of votes: victory
vs. defeat.
The free market’s success indicator is money. The demo-
cratic political order’s success indicator is votes. Each indica-
tor represents success: either consumer service or public ser-
vice. Each indicator readily becomes a snare and a delusion
in itself: an idol. An idol impersonally represents a would-be
god. A success indicator impersonally represents success. An
idol is not a god. A success indicator is not success. In each
case, the representative is a means to an end. It is not the end
itself. But men forget this. They confuse means and ends.
Law. The free market rests on the ethics of individual
responsibility. Democracy rests on the ethics of corporate
responsibility.
The free market allows all men to make offers to buy or
sell. Its supreme legal right is the right to bid. Money is the
currency of the free market’s realm. The democratic state’s
supreme legal right is the right to vote. Votes are the currency
of democracy’s realm.
The free market takes a principled stand in favor of equal-
ity before the civil law. It therefore takes a principled stand
against the doctrine of economic equality. There is no indi-
vidual equality: not of skills, not of ambition, not of hope.
Applying the law equally will lead to different economic out-
118 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

comes. Socialism takes an official stand favoring the equality

of economic outcomes. But to achieve this equality of out-
comes, the state must apply the civil law in an unequal way,
beginning with graduated income taxation.
Judgment. The free market’s positive institutional sanc-
tion is wealth. The free market offers great wealth to the eco-
nomically efficient. Its supreme offers are security and auton-
omy. “The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and as an high
wall in his own conceit” (Proverbs 18:11).
Politics’ positive institutional sanction is power. It offers
great power to the politically efficient. Its supreme offers are
greatness and majesty. “The king spake, and said, Is not this
great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom
by the might of my power, and for the honour of my maj-
esty?” (Daniel 4:30).
The free market’s supreme negative institutional sanction
is poverty. The free market imposes poverty on the econom-
ically inefficient. Politics’ supreme negative institutional
sanction is defeat. It imposes weakness on the politically
inefficient.
Inheritance. Both the free market social order and the
democratic social order are limited by time. Time is the great
enemy of both. Time imposes decay on both. Each must seek
to overcome time. Inheritance in the free market is through
the accumulation of wealth. But skills vary, father to son. For-
tunes made by one generation are consumed by the following
generation. The corporation is the free market’s attempted
solution. A corporation survives the death of its sharehold-
ers and managers. But successful corporations grow lethargic
and bureaucratic. They are replaced by newer, more aggres-
sive corporations.
Inheritance for the democratic order is through party
structures. Unlike money, votes cannot be accumulated. But
political parties survive far longer than corporations. Party
loyalty remains constant through generations. Brand loy-
alty is not equally long-lived, although it does exist in rare
 Giving vs. Receiving 119

instances, generally only for products and services deemed

by consumers as not being worth the effort to switch. (In the
United States, I offer this as the supreme example: Arm and
Hammer Baking Soda, which has controlled at least 90% of
the market for a century. It does this because consumers do
not care enough about baking soda to switch brands. It is
loyalty through apathy. This is every businessman’s dream.)
There is no security in economic inheritance. The legacy
is always at risk.
Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: be-
cause I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. And
who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall
he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and
wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also
vanity (Ecclesiastes 2:18–19).

There is also no security in political inheritance. The leg-

acy is always at risk.
Thus saith the Lord God; Remove the diadem, and take off the
crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase
him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it
shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give
it him (Ezekiel 21:26–27).

Conclusion. The currency of God’s realm is grace. The

kingdom of mammon is the kingdom of autonomous man,
either individual man or collective man. Man believes that he
can attain entrance to God’s kingdom on his terms, either by
purchase—money or good works—or by legal right of inheri-
tance. He seeks to leave a lasting legacy to his heirs. But man
cannot guarantee his own success or the success of his heirs.
He is not God.
The currency of man’s realm is money, power, or a com-
bination of the two. Some men believe they can gain power
with money. Others believe they can gain money with power.
Neither believes that he can gain both through service: to
God first and then to men.
120 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

Conclusion
Men seek success. It comes only by God’s grace, on God’s
terms. Maintaining success requires covenantal faithfulness.
Success begins with a gift: first from God (inflow), then to
others (outflow). The successful man is to become a middle-
man of God’s grace. What flows in should then flow out. That
which flows out is then replaced by even more. This process
is marked by positive feedback: growth. “But thou shalt re-
member the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power
to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he
sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 8:18).
In contrast is the kingdom of mammon: “More for me in
history.” It begins with faith in man’s sovereignty: “My power
and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth” (Deu-
teronomy 8:17b). Faith in man is always a works religion. The
goal is self-aggrandizement through accumulation. Some
men pursue wealth, with which they hope to gain power. Oth-
ers pursue power, with which they hope to gain wealth. But
neither wealth nor power can save men, either individually or
corporately. Jesus provided the solution. “But seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things
shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

Summary
It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Mammon’s offer to man is to receive more.

Jesus gave, then was exalted.

The church receives, then gives, and is then exalted.

We cannot buy our way into God’s kingdom.

Simon the magician tried.

We cannot purchase God’s declaration of “Not guilty.”

Grace should produce productive works.

 Giving vs. Receiving 121

There are three success indicators of salvation: confession, sac-

raments, and obedience.

God’s covenantal system is based on service.

Kingdom wealth is measured by what is given away.

Capital replenishment requires a system of positive feedback.

Choose a good name over money.

Levi is a good example: career change.

God’s currency flows downward and outward.

Mammon’s currency is inflow: power and wealth.

Its sovereign: free market or state.

Success indicators: money or votes.

Biblical success: grace (inflow) then grace (outflow).

 Values vs. Value

VALUES VS. VALUE

And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said,
Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for
am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me;
but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save
much people alive.
Genesis 50:18–20

Joseph announced this to his brothers, who had fled a fam-

ine in Canaan to seek food in Egypt, which had food to sell.
They had not recognized him, for he was the administrator of
Egypt’s food supplies. They had sold him into slavery many
years before. Now their father was dead. Would there be re-
prisals? They expected him to impute their economic value
to him in terms of their ethical values: envy. He imputed their
economic value to him in terms of God’s values: mercy.
Joseph as a young man had possessed a family success in-
dicator: a coat of many colors. It was a sign of his father’s
favor to him.
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he
was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many
colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him
more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak
peaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it
his brethren: and they hated him yet the more (Genesis 37:3–5).

122
 Values vs. Value 123

His brothers understood the biblical principle of success:

favor with the king. Joseph had greater favor with Jacob than
they did. They envied him for this. Yet Jacob had invested
Joseph with his favor. Joseph had not earned it. Isaac’s favor
was a form of grace: an unearned gift. This is always the basis
of biblically defined success. Ultimately, they blamed Jacob,
so they devised a plan that would hurt Jacob deeply. They
plotted to kill Joseph. They would have killed him, had not
some traders come by who were ready to pay for him.
And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay
our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to
the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our
brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content (Genesis
37:26–27).

They were dissuaded from murder only by an opportu-

nity for a profit. Yet this was kidnapping, a crime that God
would later identify as a capital crime—execution. “And he
that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his
hand, he shall surely be put to death” (Exodus 21:16).
What were their ethical values? Theirs were covenant-de-
nying values. But they did respond favorably to economic
value—a chance to make a tidy profit. This switch changed
world history.
Here we see a familiar conflict of values in action: the eco-
nomic value that men place on some commodity or service vs.
the ethical values that God has established to govern men’s
relationships. Men impute economic value to something in
terms of their scale of values: economic and ethical. Then
they devise a plan of action.
God simultaneously imputes economic value—success or
failure—to their plans and to their subsequent implemen-
tation of these plans. He does this in terms of His scale of
ethical values. These imputations of value differ when men’s
scale of ethical values and God’s scale of ethical values are in
conflict.
124 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

Men impute economic value. Joseph’s brothers imputed

negative economic value to Joseph’s life. They believed that
they would be better off if he were dead. Only an opportunity
for monetary profit persuaded them to reconsider Joseph’s
value to them. He became more valuable alive than dead. Lit-
tle did they know just how valuable he would become to them
in the future.
By the time his brothers met him again, he had much
greater success: favor with a greater king. Pharaoh had ele-
vated him to second in command in Egypt. Because of this,
Egypt had food in the midst of famine.
Joseph had gained this favor by interpreting Pharaoh’s
dream about the coming famine. Yet Joseph had not pur-
chased this favor directly. God had raised him up from prison
to bring him into the king’s presence. Pharaoh recognized the
source of Joseph’s success.
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed
thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou
shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my
people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou
(Genesis 41:39–40).

It was not that Joseph had bought favor from Pharaoh.

On the contrary, it was that Pharaoh was buying favor from
Joseph and Joseph’s God. Pharaoh was in the market for suc-
cess, which covenant-breakers believe is for sale. Joseph pos-
sessed success through his connection with God. Joseph had
received favor from the King of kings. Pharaoh wanted in on
the deal.
In contrast to Joseph’s brothers, Pharaoh correctly imputed
economic value to Joseph and Joseph’s God. He recognized
the economic value of a God who knew the future. Joseph
was that God’s spokesman. As a covenant-breaker, Pharaoh
possessed a more reliable scale of economic values than the
sons of Israel. They had been consumed by envy. Pharaoh
was not. As a result, Pharaoh wound up with all the land of
 Values vs. Value 125

Egypt. “And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pha-
raoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the
famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s”
(Genesis 47:20). The brothers wound up scrounging for food.
Joseph told his brothers, “But as for you, ye thought evil
against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as
it is this day, to save much people alive.” The Hebrew word
translated here as “thought” and “meant” is elsewhere trans-
lated as “impute.”
And said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me,
neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely
the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king
should take it to his heart (2 Samuel 19:19).

The meaning is to assess or evaluate, to make a judgment—

both a mental judgment and an action that is consistent with
the prior mental judgment. It means to assess a particular
situation in terms of a general principle and then act in terms
of that principle. This procedure used to be called casuistry.
To impute is to assess. This assessment can include sev-
eral elements: (1) evaluating in the sense attributing mean-
ing; (2) evaluating in the sense of attributing importance;
(3) evaluating in the sense of attributing ethical implications;
(4) valuing in the sense of attributing economic worth. This
procedure is individual and highly personal. Yet it is also cor-
porate. Groups impute and are held accountable by God, who
also imputes. God is both one and many. So is imputation.

I. Christian Covenantalism:
The Imputation of God
Sovereignty. God is omniscient. He sees all. He determines
good and evil. He infallibly evaluates what men do in terms
of His infallible standards. David proclaimed: “Righteous art
thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments. Thy testimo-
nies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faith-
ful” (Psalm 119:137–138).
126 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

God imputes righteousness to those who have found favor

with Him. No fallen man can buy this favor. There is no free
market where this supreme form of success is offered for sale.
Paul wrote:
For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was
counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is
the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his
faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth
the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteous-
ness without works (Romans 4:3–6).

God is also omnipotent. He is a guarantor of His covenant.

I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me:
I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may
know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there
is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else (Isaiah
45:5–6).

Authority. Joseph received a grant of power. Pharaoh

granted him his high position. But God was clearly in charge,
a fact that Pharaoh fully understood, which is why he gave
Joseph such authority. Pharaoh’s imputation matched God’s
regarding Joseph’s value to Pharaoh and Egypt. Because of
this, he publicly declared Joseph’s competence. He began
with a question: “And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we
find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God
is?” (Genesis 41:38). Then he arrived at an answer.
And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon
Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put
a gold chain about his neck; And he made him to ride in the
second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the
knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt (Genesis
41:42–43).

Because his imputation of Joseph’s value to him matched

God’s, Pharaoh prospered.
Law. God’s Bible-revealed law is man’s tool of dominion.
 Values vs. Value 127

Deuteronomy 28:1–14 declares that success for a nation comes

from obedience to this law.
And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto
the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his com-
mandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy
God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all
these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou
shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. Blessed shalt
thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field (Deu-
teronomy 28:1–3).

Yet it takes grace to believe God’s law and then impute in

terms of it. David prayed to God:
Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it
unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law;
yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me to go in the
path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. Incline my
heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away
mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy
way (Psalm 119:33–37).

Success is therefore not for sale to nations or individuals.

It is granted by God’s grace.
Judgment. Judicial wisdom is personal. A covenant-keeper
can exercise godly judgment, for he can think God’s thoughts
after Him. “But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he
himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind
of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind
of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:15–16). Christ told His disciples,
And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed
unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom,
and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Luke
22:29–30).

To evaluate one’s condition in terms of biblical law is the

chief manifestation of practical wisdom. This is imputation.
Then, once the imputation is complete, covenant-keepers are
to take action consistent with their imputation. This is an eth-
128 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

ical imperative. “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good,

and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).
Inheritance. The inheritance is given by God in stages.
There is an increase in spiritual maturity, individually and
corporately. This progress is marked by preliminary grants
of the final inheritance: down payments. These are confirma-
tions of work well done so far. They are success indicators.
They are cumulative. They are visible as the kingdom of God,
meaning the civilization of God.
The essence of God’s kingdom is growth over time. Like a
mustard seed, it grows into a tree (Matthew 13:31–32). This is
the compounding process in action. “Another parable spake
he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven,
which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till
the whole was leavened” (Matthew 13:33).
The product of God-honoring imputation, case by case,
generation by generation, is the expansion of God’s kingdom
in history. The long-term goal is worldwide dominion. “For
the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the
Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). This is
the product of a long process of individual imputations and
declarations.
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line
upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with
stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the
weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear
(Isaiah 28:10–12).

There will come a day when all men will call a churl a
churl. “The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor
the churl said to be bountiful” (Isaiah 32:5).
Conclusion. Imputation is fundamental to social order.
There is no escape from this requirement. Everyone must im-
pute meaning and relevance in terms of his overall concept
of cause and effect. Everyone has a hierarchy of values. He is
required by God to assess his actions and the actions of those
 Values vs. Value 129

around him and over him in terms of this hierarchy of values.

These are not hidden values, limited only to covenant-keep-
ers. They are universal. “I have not spoken in secret, in a dark
place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye
me in vain: I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things
that are right” (Isaiah 45:19).

II. Non-Christian Covenantalism:

The Imputation of Mammon
Sovereignty. In the modern world of Darwinism, there is only
one sovereign: man. Mankind is divided. A divided sovereign
cannot declare his word coherently. He cannot enforce his
will consistently.
He is also bound by the laws of nature. He cannot break
the laws of nature. Nature is impersonal and therefore not
self-conscious. The cosmos is not sovereign because it is not
self-conscious. It cannot impute meaning or value, so it is not
sovereign. Man is. Man is autonomous from God but not
from nature.
Man’s sovereignty can direct nature, but it cannot survive
if the conditions supplied by nature that sustains man’s exis-
tence should ever fail. So, when nature inevitably dies in the
final heat death of the frozen universe, man will die. There
will be no sovereign to impute meaning retroactively to man.
Darwinists are content to accept this worldview as payment
for a world without God, who imposes another kind of heat
death.
Authority. The free market invokes the consumer. The
free market is generally described by means of the metaphor
of a machine. The market process is described as mechanical,
i.e., impersonal, automatic, and impartial. In contrast, the
language of politics frequently invokes the metaphor of an
organism. Society is described as a living being, which in turn
justifies the absence of fixed civil laws. Civil laws are said to
evolve, just as species supposedly evolves.
Democracy invokes the sovereign People, but the People
130 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

are always silent. They speak only through self-proclaimed

representatives, who claim authority in the name of the Peo-
ple. There is great competition politically to gain access to
office in the name of the People. The People are silent. Voters
are not. Democracy since Darwin has been seen as an evolv-
ing organism, not an unchanging machine.
A machine answers to nobody. An evolving species answers
to nobody. A machine explains itself to nobody. An evolv-
ing organism explains itself to nobody. So, mammon’s sov-
ereignty does not impute. Man imputes. But man is divided.
There are competing voices of authority in every social
system. This is because God has delegated authority to mul-
tiple institutions, most importantly church, family, and civil
government.
For free market theorists, consumers are said to be the
voice of authority. For theorists of democracy, voters are said
to be the voices of authority, an office they share with un-
elected judges.
The problem is, consumers are plural. So are voters. So,
how does the voice of authority speak with a unified voice?
Consumers have authority because they own money. Some
own more money than others. Voters have authority because
they possess votes. Each voter possesses only one valid vote.
Through market competition, consumers establish win-
ners and losers. But because there are multiple buyers, sellers
do not need to fail, just not maximize their income. Through
voter participation, citizens establish winners and losers. The
stakes are higher than in the free market: winner take all. So,
the free market reflects God’s plurality better than it rep-
resents God’s unity. Politics reflects God’s unity better than it
reflects God’s plurality.
Law. The ethical law of business is “serve the consumers.”
The ethical law of politics is “serve the voters.”
The operational law of business is “make a profit.” The
operational law of politics is “win the election.”
There are no universal institutional ways to guarantee that
 Values vs. Value 131

the ethical law corresponds to the formal law. In other words,

there is no way to keep the institutional sanctions from pro-
ducing institutions that do not adhere to the official law of
their existence.
Business values officially favor consumers. Democratic
values officially favor voters. These are ethical values. But,
operationally, businessmen are rewarded for adopting a
value: make a profit. Politicians are rewarded for adopting a
value: win elections. Values can conflict with value.
Judgment. Success is defined operationally, for men re-
spond predictably to the system of sanctions that govern their
area of service. This is why designers of all systems include
personal sanctions: to make results predictable by making
employees predictable.
Consumers impute value—but rarely values—to specific
offers made to them by sellers. One by one, they ask: “What’s
in it for me?”
Voters impute value—with a few verbal ethical values—to
offers made to them by political candidates. One by one, they
ask themselves: “What’s in it for me?”
In the free market, consumers individually impute value
to things offered for sale. Then competition—producer vs.
producer, consumer vs. consumer—takes place through mar-
ket bidding: a gigantic auction in which the highest money
bid wins in each transaction. Subjective imputation becomes
objective success or failure: monetary profit or loss.
In politics, voters individually impute value to offers from
politicians. Then competition—candidate vs. candidate, voter
vs. voter—takes place in voting booths. The highest number
of votes officially received determines the outcome. Subjec-
tive imputation becomes objective success or failure: political
victory or defeat.
Politics is an all-or-nothing competition. Business isn’t.
Because political parties must mobilize enough voters to win
an election, politics emphasizes group values more than busi-
ness emphasizes group values. Politicians speak of ethical
132 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

values more than personal self-interest. This sounds ethical,

and voters respond positively to an appeal to their ethics. But
politicians are expected to deliver the economic goods after
the election.
Businessmen speak of personal self-interest more than eth-
ical values. But if consumers believe that honesty is the best
policy, they will be wary of dealing with suspected crooks.
The chief issue is imputation. Mammon’s allure rests on
this expectation: “More for me in history.” Covenant-breakers
therefore impute value in terms of individual self-interest.
Inheritance. In the kingdom of mammon, as in the king-
dom of God, inheritance is cumulative. This inheritance is
manifested by success indicators. Businesses prosper by re-
peated sales. The goal is the accumulation of wealth. Political
parties prosper by repeated electoral victories. The goal is the
accumulation of power.
Businesses can change the mix of products and benefits,
but successful companies find this difficult to do and remain
profitable. This is called re-positioning. It tends to alienate
existing customers. Yet changing consumer tastes or chang-
ing competition forces this eventually. (An exception is bak-
ing soda.)
Political parties can change their philosophy, but this
takes time and is risky. In American history, only one party
has ever done this and survived: the Democrats, in 1896 (the
first Bryan campaign). The party went from limited govern-
ment, low taxes, and a gold standard to a Progressive party:
large government, high taxes, and a central bank.
So, there is continuity in mammon’s kingdom. But there is
far more political continuity than business continuity. Busi-
nesses come and go. Political parties rarely come and rarely
go.
Conclusion. Values in mammon’s kingdom inevitably be-
come subordinated to value: “More for me in history.” The
supreme value in mammon’s kingdom is “value for me.” Peo-
ple spend their money and cast their votes for sellers who
 Values vs. Value 133

promise to do the right thing, but who usually discover that

the right thing to do is whatever increases the total volume of
objective success indicators.

Conclusion
Imputation underlies all forms of success and failure. God
imputes individual success or failure subjectively. He does
the same with corporate success or failure. His imputation is
objective, for he is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.
He does not make mistakes. He imputes perfectly His com-
prehensive ethical standards to each case before him.
Men are made in God’s image. Therefore, they can impute
ethical values to specific decisions and offers. Their supreme
individual value in each case should be to impute God’s eth-
ical values accurately and then act accordingly. But sin inter-
feres. Adam could have imputed great value to the tree of life.
Instead, he imputed great value to the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil. Then he acted consistently, according to
what he regarded as his self-interest, discounting the self-in-
terest of his posterity. He imputed rebelliously and incor-
rectly. He imputed Satan’s values rather than God’s.
Covenant-breaking men listen to mammon’s promise:
“More for you in history.” It is a lie. It substitutes a different
standard of success. He who imputes value to anything in
terms of this standard of values and then acts on it will reap
eternal failure.

Summary
Joseph received greater favor from Jacob than his brothers did.

His brothers sold him rather than kill him.

Men impute economic value in terms of their scale of values.

God imputes economic value to men’s imputation of value.

Joseph received favor from Pharaoh.

Pharaoh wanted to buy favor from Joseph’s God.

134 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

To impute is to assess.

God is omniscient.

He imputes righteousness to those who have found favor with Him.

God’s law is a tool of dominion

It takes grace to believe God’s law and impute in terms of it.

Covenant-keepers have the mind of Christ.

The kingdom’s inheritance comes in stages.

Mammon’s sovereign is man.

Man is divided.

Nature limits his sovereignty.

Man will die when nature dies: no imputing sovereign.

The free market speaks for the consumer.

Democracy speaks for the voter.

The market is seen as a mechanism.

The state is seen as an organism.

The ethical law of business: Serve the consumers.

The ethical law of democracy: Serve the voters.

The formal law of business: Make a profit.

The formal law of democracy: Win the election.

The formal law’s sanctions need not promote the ethical law.

Imputation is the defining issue: sanctions.

Politics has greater continuity than business.

Values in both of mammon’s systems are subordinated to value:

“More for me in history.”

Imputation underlies success and failure.

Mammon imputes value in terms of inflow: money or votes.

 Long Run vs. Short Run

10

LONG RUN VS. SHORT RUN

And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels
into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in
hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off,
and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham,
have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his
finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst
thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is com-
forted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you
there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to
you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Luke 16:22–26

This is the only detailed discussion of hell in the Bible. The

other major reference, which appears in the book of Revela-
tion, mentions hell as a preliminary place of torment which
is deposited in the lake of fire, along with its contents, af-
ter the final judgment (Revelation 20:14–15). This will take
place after the general resurrection, when people have had
their bodies and souls reunited. Hell will be bad. Then things
will get worse.
Prior to Jesus’ ministry, the world had no picture of hell
as a place of torture. The Greeks had the nether world popu-
lated by conscious spirits that had continuity with the people

135
136 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

who they had been in history. But nothing remotely as horri-

fying as hell can be found in any nation’s literature, or in any
religion, prior to Jesus’ words in this passage. This is as bad
as it gets. Then it gets worse: the lake of fire.
This passage represents a monumental theological and
religious discontinuity in man’s history. The doctrine of hell
provided an historically unprecedented motivation for evan-
gelism and foreign missions. No previous religion had any-
thing comparable to the foreign missions programs of the
early church. Only Islam, a post-Christian religion that looks
back to Jesus, has had anything comparable to the missions
emphasis of the church.
This missions program has been the product of a deep and
abiding concern for the lost. There is nothing in the New Tes-
tament that indicates that covenant-keepers are threatened
with hell because they refuse to do the work of evangelism.
The New Testament encourages concern for the lost, but
Christianity is not a works religion. No one can work his way
into favor with God. In any case, lack of performance is not a
criterion for access into heaven. Even those covenant-keepers
whose life’s work is wood, hay, and stubble will get in.
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious
stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made man-
ifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by
fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If
any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall re-
ceive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer
loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire (1 Corinthians
3:12–15).

Fear is not the primary motivation behind Christian evan-

gelism. Obedience to God is the primary motivation. Next is
concern for the lost. Christianity is an other-directed religion.
Its supreme model is Christ, who sacrificed Himself to please
God and to make atonement for fallen man. His life provides
the non-intuitive biblical concept of success: the supremely suc-
cessful life based on the supreme sacrifice on behalf of others.
 Long Run vs. Short Run 137

As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay
down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not
of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice;
and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth
my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take
it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I
have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This
commandment have I received of my Father (John 10:15–18).

In this passage is the motivation for foreign missions: “And

other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I
must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be
one fold, and one shepherd.”
Christianity is expansionist. It was the first major religion
in history to be rigorously expansionist. The entire world is
its arena. Its concept of success is the conquest of the entire
world.
Old Covenant religion saw the world coming to Jerusalem
for leadership.
But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the
house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the moun-
tains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall
flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and
let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the
God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk
in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of
the Lord from Jerusalem (Micah 4:1–2)

In contrast, Christianity sees the church as the new Jerusa-

lem, which extends outward to the entire world.
So, Christianity offers two doctrines that affect men’s time
perspective. First, the doctrine of eternal torment, with God
as the cosmic tormenter/torturer. This doctrine persuades
men to repent in history for the sake of their condition in eter-
nity. Second, this doctrine is the great motivation for foreign
missions, which extends Christians’ view of history: the time
it will take to bring the gospel to the whole world.
Success is individual: avoiding eternal torment. Success
138 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

is also corporate: participation in a worldwide evangelism

program that will establish the new Jerusalem—the culture
of Christianity—as the culture of the world. “The law shall go
forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem,” as
Micah put it.

I. Christian Covenantalism:
The Time Frame of God
Sovereignty. God is eternal. Nothing else is. This places
God outside time’s boundaries. God established time’s initial
boundary. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the
earth” (Genesis 1:1). For God, the limits of time are no burden
at all. “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that
one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand
years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8). To use a slang phrase in En-
glish, God is not chomping at the bit to get things going or
to complete them.
Failure for God is not an option. “So shall my word be
that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto
me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it
shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).
So, success comes naturally to God in a supernatural kind of
way. This makes God different from man, and vastly differ-
ent from Satan, for whom success is not an option, to whom
failure comes naturally in a supernatural kind of way. His end
is sure: “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand,
Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for
the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).
Authority. Authority is associated closely with time Men’s
authority is limited because their time is limited. Jesus, as the
perfect man, had limited time in His earthly ministry. “I must
work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night
cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4). Each man and
each group must budget time as if it were more precious than
money, which it is. Lost money is replaceable. Lost time is
not.
 Long Run vs. Short Run 139

Men adopt the division of labor to save time and multiply

their output. “Two are better than one; because they have a
good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will
lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he fall-
eth; for he hath not another to help him up” (Ecclesiastes
4:9–10). Paul described the church as a body with members
(Romans 12; I Corinthians 12). The division of labor requires
an organization to coordinate men’s efforts, which in turn
requires a hierarchy: a chain of command. The one and the
many find expression in human organizations. Organizations
save money, but more important, they save time. Success is
achieved over time.
Man is to master his time as if it were a tool, which it is. Yet
time is over him, grinding him down. The relationship is hier-
archical. Because of God, this relationship is not impersonal.
This is why covenant-keeping man can gain control over the
time allotted to him by God.
Law. The main one is the law of death. Moses warned:
For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years
as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years
and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet
is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we
fly away. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according
to thy fear, so is thy wrath. So teach us to number our days, that
we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (Psalm 90:9–12).

There are great differences in personal wealth. There are few

differences in personal life expectancy. With respect to the
universal capital asset that matters most to men, especially
as they grow older, they are allocated a close approximation
of equal distribution—more equal than is true in most other
areas of life. God then sees what they do with this gift.
Judgment. God imputes meaning and purpose to all
things. He evaluates men’s performance with respect to their
individual work in the overall process of time. But God is
a trinity. God therefore evaluates in terms of the one—the
earthly performance of mankind (Genesis 1:26–28)—and the
140 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

many: the earthly performances of individuals and groups.

He makes a judgment of one’s work in history, including its
effects beyond the grave, and then imposes sanctions, both in
history and at the final judgment.
So, the timeline for individual success or failure is not one
lifespan; it is all of history. God imputes success or failure in
terms of the outworking of every person’s works through his-
tory, beginning with Adam and Eve. If this were not true, there
would not be original sin. There would also not be imputed
redemption—past, present, and future—by Jesus Christ.
But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the of-
fence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the
gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded
unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift:
for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift
is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man’s offence
death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance
of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one,
Jesus Christ (Romans 5:15–17).

This is why the issue of God’s judgment always raises the

question of the comparative success and failure of the king-
dom of God and the kingdom of mammon in history.
Inheritance. Time is cumulative for covenant-keepers,
just as their eternity is. Time is not equally cumulative for
covenant-breakers, just as their eternity is not cumulative.
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I
the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the
fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of
them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them
that love me, and keep my commandments (Exodus 20:5–6).

The covenant-breakers’ kingdom is cut off after a few gen-

erations. They lose their inheritance. The covenant-keepers’
kingdom expands permanently. The compounding process
produces great growth over long periods of time, no matter
how low the rate of growth is. God supplies sufficient time.
 Long Run vs. Short Run 141

“Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faith-
ful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that
love him and keep his commandments to a thousand genera-
tions” (Deuteronomy 7:9).
Conclusion. Time is highly limited for individuals. It is
not highly limited for the church and for the kingdom of
God. What anyone can accomplish in one lifetime is highly
limited, except for the special few. But because of the divi-
sion of labor in God’s kingdom, each covenant-keeper’s posi-
tive efforts can produce comprehensive change. The division
of labor over long eons of time will be sufficient for cove-
nant-keepers to complete as much of the dominion covenant
as men who are under Adam’s curse (Genesis 3:17–19) can
accomplish in history.
Success is therefore both individual and corporate because
of the division of labor. Success is imputed by God to each
individual in terms of his contributions within a long process
of dominion. The promise to Abraham applies to each of us.
“And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
because thou hast obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22:18).

II. Non-Christian Covenantalism:

The Time Frame of Mammon
Sovereignty. Satan has none. Everything that he possesses is
a gift of God—a gift that will backfire on him in eternity. So,
man has no sovereignty through his pseudo-covenant with Sa-
tan. But man, as the god mammon, claims sovereignty. This
includes sovereignty over time. What kind of sovereignty is it?
In the world of Darwinism, nature has no purpose other
than the purpose that mankind can impose on it. The sover-
eignty of mammon’s kingdom is the sovereignty of man. But
man is divided. He is one and many, just as God is, but he
is not omnipotent, omniscient, and, above all, self-existent.
So, he cannot control time. Man proposes, but God disposes.
The decree of God, not the decree of man, is sovereign.
Authority. Every man is under time’s limits. There are few
142 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

surprises to match the surprise of old age, yet men can see it
coming from an early age. One of the great benefits of letting
a child have a pet is that the pet will die before a young child
is an adult.
Time is ultimately the master of covenant-breaking man.
As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he
flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the
place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the Lord
is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and
his righteousness unto children’s children; To such as keep his
covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do
them (Psalm 103:15-18).

Mercy is eternal. Time is limited. Success should be viewed

in terms of that permanent mercy, not the grass-like tempo-
rality of life. But Darwinists have no concept of cosmic mercy.
Law. The main one is the law of death. It is manifested in
the second law of thermodynamics. The only laws that are
believed to be eternal are the laws of thermodynamics. The
second law of thermodynamics condemns humanity and life
itself to cosmic death: the heat death of the frozen universe.
Ashes to frozen ashes, dust to frozen dust. The Darwinist has
no doctrine of eternal life.
In between today and the frozen cosmos, when time will
be no more, there are only the evolving, impersonal, mean-
ingless, purposeless laws of evolution and the evolving per-
sonal laws of society. So, the quest for power to shape the
laws of society is a feature of Darwinism’s power religion. But
what constitutes success? Mere survival? But the next phase
of evolution may produce a new sovereign, one that hates
mankind. Science fiction returns to this theme repeatedly. Or
it may produce a killer bacteria that brings man low or to ex-
tinction. Maybe a failure in some laboratory will produce this
new species. That failure will be a success for the new species.
“Thanks, modern human science! We sure do appreciate your
efforts, in our bacterial sort of way.”
Judgment. Judgment requires sovereignty. He who is not
 Long Run vs. Short Run 143

sovereign can issue only preliminary and tentative judgments.

In the long run, modern man has no hope, because there
is no sovereign to pass judgment on any man’s efforts. There
is no cosmic agent to announce retroactively to a man or man-
kind: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast
been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over
many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”
The cosmos began purposelessly. It will die purposelessly.
There is nothing outside of the universe that can impute pur-
pose to it or anything within it. This also applies to meaning,
significance, and all other categories of judgment.
So, man’s success or failure is not grounded on anything
more sovereign than fallible man. The Darwinist announces:
“Man imputes success or failure to man.” This means, para-
phrasing C. S. Lewis, that some men impute success or failure
to all the others. But in the long run, we are all dead, the Dar-
winist also believes.
Inheritance. For Darwinists, mankind’s inheritance is ex-
clusively temporal. But there is an inescapable problem for
Darwinists: Time is running out for man. The kingdom of
mammon is the kingdom of death: the heat death of the uni-
verse. It is a kingdom ruled by evolution, which is the law of
competitive replacement. Then the day will come when the
last replacement dies.
The works of every man’s hands is swallowed up by time.
Those who follow will forget everyone’s previous works.
The Preacher saw that this is the inescapable conclusion
for would-be autonomous man. “There is no remembrance
of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of
things that are to come with those that shall come after” (Ec-
clesiastes 1:11). This is vanity, a chasing after wind.
As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return
to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he
may carry away in his hand. And this also is a sore evil, that in
all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that
hath laboured for the wind? (Ecclesiastes 5:15–16)
144 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

Conclusion. Modern man chases after wind. Yet even the

wind will cease to blow when potential energy becomes ex-
pended energy. Success and failure have no meaning in such
a universe, for meaning has no meaning. Meaning is imputed
by a sovereign, personal agent, and Darwinism has only puny
man as its sovereign, imputing agent. Mammon’s kingdom is
like Hinduism’s kingdom. It stands on a great elephant. But
what does the elephant stand on? A giant turtle. But what
does the turtle stand on? “It’s turtles all the way down.” For
the Darwinist, it’s mutations all the way back. And forward?
The heat death of the universe.
In a 1918 speech to students at the University of Munich,
“Science as a Vocation,” the greatest social scientist of that
era, Max Weber [Mawx Vayber], warned his audience of the
meaningless of their view of life, which he held, too.
In science, each of us knows that what he has accomplished will
be antiquated in ten, twenty, fifty years. That is the fate to which
science is subjected: it is the very meaning of scientific work. . . .

As grim as this sounded, he surrendered even this opti-

mism a few minutes later. There is no meaning in a world
marked by death, he said. “And because death is meaningless,
civilized life as such is meaningless; by its very ‘progressive-
ness’ it gives death the imprint of meaninglessness.”

Conclusion
In 1719, Isaac Watts, the father of English hymnody, wrote
the hymn that has become known as the English church’s na-
tional anthem: “Our God, Our Help in Ages Past.” It is a
hymn based on Psalm 90, Moses’ psalm on man’s life expec-
tancy. This hymn serves as the epitaph for participants in the
kingdom of God and the kingdom of mammon.
Time like an ever-rolling stream
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten as a dream
Dies at the opening day.
 Long Run vs. Short Run 145

Like flow’ry fields the nations stand

Pleas’d with the morning-light;
The flowers beneath the Mower’s hand
Lie withering e’er ’tis night.

The final stanza belongs only to covenant-keepers.

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be thou our guard while troubles last
And our eternal home.

Success and failure are imputed by the God who makes

an eternal home for covenant-keepers and an eternal torture
chamber for covenant-breakers. Choose this day whom you
will serve. Then serve until your time runs out. You will be
there before you know it.

Summary
Hell is temporary.

The lake of fire is permanent.

Jesus first announced to mankind the doctrine of hell as fiery

torment.

The doctrine of hell was a great motivator for early church

evangelism.

Christianity is other-directed.

Christianity is expansionist.

Success is individual: avoiding hell.

Success is corporate: expanding the kingdom of God.

God is outside time’s boundaries.

He cannot fail in history.

Men deal with time’s limits by the division of labor.

This requires hierarchy.

146 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

Time’s main law is the law of death (entropy).

The timeline of success and failure is all of history.

Time is cumulative.

Eternity is cumulative for covenant-keepers (dominion).

Eternity is not cumulative for covenant-breakers.

Mercy is eternal.

Darwinists have no concept of cosmic mercy.

Time’s process is one of ultimate failure: death.

Autonomous nature offers no meaning to life.

Success is to be part of God’s household.

 Conclusion to Part 2

CONCLUSION TO PART 2

Christianity cannot be reconciled with Darwinism. The Dar-

winists understand this and act in terms of it. We find that
Christians are less committed to this doctrine of irreconcil-
ability than Darwinists are. Christians, especially academi-
cally certified Christians, too often spend their lives trying to
convince Christian laymen and Ph.D-holding Darwinists that
Christianity has a legitimate role to play in a joint effort be-
tween Christians and Darwinists in developing explanations
of how the world works. Darwinists are utterly contemptuous
of Christianity. Christian scholars are not equally contemptu-
ous of Darwinism. Darwinists are fools. “The fool hath said in
his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done
abominable works, there is none that doeth good” (Psalm
14:1). They are the most self-conscious fools in history.
In Part 2, I did my best to show that the idea of success
in Christianity cannot be conformed to the idea of success in
Darwinism. Darwinism proclaims the survival of the fittest
in an impersonal cosmos. Christianity proclaims the triumph
of the covenantally faithful in a personal cosmos. Darwinism
proclaims the heat death of the universe: the end of meaning
and purpose. Christianity proclaims the heat death of cove-
nant-breakers: the eternality of meaning and purpose.
Mammon offers a promise to mankind: “More for you in
history.” It is a lie. Covenant-breakers dearly want to believe
this lie. Jesus made it clear that this is the most attractive lie
that men are tempted to believe. Mammon is the most at-

147
148 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

tractive god for covenant-breaking man. Mammon appears

to serve man. But this is a lie, as it was in the garden. Mam-
mon’s offer is always man’s subordination disguised as man’s
supremacy.
Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain,
and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of
them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou
wilt fall down and worship me (Matthew 4:8–9).

In contrast, God’s offer is covenant-keeping men’s suprem-

acy over nature through their self-conscious subordination to
God. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righ-
teousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”
(Matthew 6:33). God’s offer is success through service: service to
God, service to other man, and service to nature. The model
is Jesus. Paul wrote:
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who,
being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And be-
ing found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God
also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is
above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under
the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:5–11).

The pattern is clear: first service, then inheritance; first

subordination, then glorification. This is the biblical model
for success. Everything else is some version of mammon’s
offer.
Darwinism also proclaims service. In one version, service
is to the public as subordinate citizens, unable to care for
themselves. The goal is power over the affairs of other men.
He who promises to serve becomes the master. This world-
view is based on a theology: salvation by law—civil law.
In the other version, service is to the public as money-bear-
 Conclusion to Part 2 149

ing sovereigns. But the goal is personal wealth, personal in-

fluence, or personal significance. Adam Smith was a true son
of Adam when he wrote these famous words in Chapter 2 of
The Wealth of Nations (1776).
But man has almost constant occasion for the help of his breth-
ren, and it is in vain for him to expect it from their benevolence
only. He will be more likely to prevail if he can interest their self-
love in his favour, and show them that it is for their own advan-
tage to do for him what he requires of them. Whoever offers to
another a bargain of any kind, proposes to do this. Give me that
which I want, and you shall have this which you want, is the
meaning of every such offer; and it is in this manner that we ob-
tain from one another the far greater part of those good offices
which we stand in need of. It is not from the benevolence of the
butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but
from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not
to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of
our own necessities but of their advantages.

The motivation here is clear: “More for me in history.”

Charles Darwin took this view of man, which was based on
competitive self-interest, and applied it to all of nature: the
survival of the fittest. Darwin’s view of the biological world
was consistent. Out of individual competition for scarce re-
sources, Darwin argued, comes the order of nature. There is
no creator God. There is no providential decree. There is no
grand design. There is only individual competition for re-
sources. The supreme motivation of every competitor, from
the amoeba to mankind, is this: “More for me in history.”
Christianity denies Darwin’s premise, beginning with Gen-
esis 1:1. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the
earth.” It continues this denial until Revelation 22:21. “The
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
The goal of statist Darwinism is autonomous power. The
goal of Christianity is covenantal dominion. The goal of free
market Darwinism is autonomous economic growth. The
goal of Christianity is to inherit the earth.
150 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

What is the difference? Grace. Autonomous man seeks the

whole earth and loses his soul in the attempt. Covenant-keep-
ing man seeks obedient subordination to God through His
grace and thereby inherits his share of the whole earth as
God’s confirmation of His covenant. “But thou shalt remem-
ber the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to
get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware
unto thy fathers, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 8:18).
 Conclusion

CONCLUSION

In the Introduction, I wrote this:

I need to make one thing as clear as I can: There is no program for
success. Well, this is not quite true. There was such a program,
and Jesus Christ successfully pursued it. No one else ever has.
No one else ever will. No one else ever could. Success is attained
solely by God’s grace: God the Father’s judicial imputation of
Christ’s successful completion of the program.

There, I defined personal success as having your name

written in the book of life. Now is the time to consider the fol-
lowing fact: Whether or not your name is in the book of life
was settled before the foundation of this world. John wrote:
The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out
of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell
on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the
book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold
the beast that was, and is not, and yet is (Revelation 17:8).

Covenant-breakers’ names were not written in the book

of life before the foundation of the world. This means that
covenant-keepers’ names were written in it. Paul taught this.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foun-
dation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame
before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of
children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good plea-

151
152 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

sure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he
hath made us accepted in the beloved. (Ephesians 1:3–6).

You may not believe this, but this is what the Bible clearly
teaches. You may decide to argue with God, but please do not
argue with me. I do not make the rules. I merely report them.

Temporal Success
Now we come to a related issue: success indicators. Success
indicators are an outworking of the dominion covenant (Gen-
esis 1:26–27). They constitute temporal success. They do not
guarantee eternal success. Only God’s grace can guarantee
eternal success. This success was decreed by God before the
foundation of the world. That is why it is guaranteed.
Covenant-keepers are required by God to seek dominion
self-consciously, as God’s delegated agents. This is a steward-
ship function: dominion over assets in the name of the owner.
Christ’s parable of the talents serves as the model (Matthew
25:14–30). An owner gives three servants money. He then
leaves. When he returns, he demands an accounting. Each
servant is rewarded in terms of his success in multiplying the
money entrusted to him. The servant who returns only what
was originally transferred to him is punished unmercifully.
The master then instructs his enforcers to arrest him.
Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchang-
ers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own
with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto
him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be
given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not
shall be taken away even that which he hath (Matthew 25:27–29).

Temporal success is not an option. It is a covenantal re-

sponsibility. This is why it is so important that covenant-keep-
ers correctly identify success. Then they must identify success
indicators, which are not the same as success.
What is success? Favor with the King. What are the suc-
cess indicators? Paul described both kinds:
 Conclusion 153

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and
into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruc-
tion and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil:
which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith,
and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou,
O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness (1 Timothy 6:9–11).

Paul offered his own career as an example of success. His

personal success indicators are not widely pursued.
But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose,
faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, Persecutions, afflictions,
which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what per-
secutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer perse-
cution (2 Timothy 3:10–12).

Peter offered a similar list of successes.

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to
virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temper-
ance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness broth-
erly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things
be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be bar-
ren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But
he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and
hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins (2 Peter 1:5–9).

These are all individual successes. Church, family, and state

have their respective successes. Churches offer peace, justice,
fellowship, the division of labor, and the sacraments. Families
offer training in righteousness, love, and charity. Civil govern-
ments offer justice, protection against evil-doers, and defense
against invasion. Achieving these goals constitutes success.
Numerical indicators of success point to success but do
not constitute it. Substituting more acceptable numbers, even
aiming at these better numbers, will mislead decision-makers.
Positive numbers are a manifestation of success, not the basis
of success.
Covenant-breakers mistake the visible confirmations of
154 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

success for success itself. The ultimate confirmation of suc-

cess is the inheritance of the whole earth.
What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the
way that he shall choose. His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed
shall inherit the earth (Psalm 25:12–13).

For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt
diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek
shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abun-
dance of peace (Psalm 37:10–11).

For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they
that be cursed of him shall be cut off (Psalm 37:22).

The goal, however, is not the inheritance, but the fulfill-

ment of the dominion covenant for God’s sake, not man’s.
The covenant-breaker seeks the fruits but not the roots. This
is self-defeating. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall
gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).
Success indicators are legitimate subordinate goals. They
should be seen in two ways: (1) as confirmations of the cov-
enant; (2) as tools of the covenant’s further extension. “But
thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth
thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant
which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day” (Deuteron-
omy 8:18). Success indicators are means, not ends. They are
not to be sought for themselves.

Conclusion
With respect to success, begin with this commandment:
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and
shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the
dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto sal-
vation (Romans 10:9–10).

With respect to success indicators, begin with this com-

mandment: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
 Conclusion 155

righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”

(Matthew 6:33).
Everything else is peripheral—related, but peripheral.
What, then, are the five pillars of biblical success?
First, the God of the Bible, who spoke the universe into
existence, is absolutely sovereign. He has determined that
His word will not return to Him void. His word is manifested
in history in two forms: Jesus Christ, the second person of the
Trinity, who is God’s incarnated Word, and the Bible, which
is God’s inscripturated word,
Second, God created mankind to exercise dominion over
the earth in His name, as His representative agent. These
agents are made in the image of God and can understand
the world as God does, but as creatures. But in the rebellion
of Adam, men’s perception is distorted by sin. Those whom
God redeems by grace through their faith in the saving work
of Jesus Christ are given the mind of Christ.
Third, God has revealed the work of the law in every per-
son’s heart (Romans 2:15) and has placed the law of God’s
covenant in every Christian’s heart (Hebrews 8:10; 10:16).
God’s law is the tool of dominion.
Fourth, God’s providence in history is revealed by a system
of sanctions, positive and negative, which He imposes. These
sanctions reinforce His covenant law. Positive sanctions are
for obedience. Negative sanctions are for disobedience.
Fifth, covenant-keepers, who have been adopted by God
through grace, progressively inherit the earth through grace,
for they are empowered by God to obey His laws. Cove-
nant-breakers are progressively disinherited in history.
The basis of individual success and corporate success is
covenant-keeping. That was God’s message to Joshua. It has
not changed.
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest
observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant
commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left,
that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest. This book of
156 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt med-
itate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do ac-
cording to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy
way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success (Joshua
1:7–8).

Go and do thou likewise.

 Scripture Index

SCRIPTURE INDEX

Old Testament

Genesis 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
1:1 . . . . . . . . . 138, 149
20:5–6 . . . . . . . . . . 140
1:26–27 . . . . 15, 76, 79, 84,
20:9–10 . . . . . . . . . . xii
113, 152
21:16 . . . . . . . . . . . 123
1:26–28 . . . . . . . . . . 139
21:24 . . . . . . . . . . . 98
3:6 . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
21–23 . . . . . . . . . . . 36
3:7 . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
23:27–30 . . . . . . . . . 72
3:17–19 . . . . . . . . 35, 141
31:2–6 . . . . . . . . . . 31
11:4 . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
35:34–36:1 . . . . . . . . 32
12:2–3 . . . . . . . . . . 20
36:1 . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
13:2 . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
14:16 . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Leviticus
17:12–13 . . . . . . . . . 34
22:18 . . . . . . . . . . . 141 10:2 . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
25:31–33 . . . . . . . . . 24 19:35–37 . . . . . . . 48–49
37:3–5 . . . . . . . . . . 122 19:36 . . . . . . . . . . . 105
37:26–27 . . . . . . . . . 123
41:38 . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Deuteronomy
41:39–40 . . . . . . . . . 124
4:5–6 . . . . . . . . . . . 49
41:42–43 . . . . . . . . . 126
4:5–8 . . . . . . . . . . . 62
47:20 . . . . . . . . . . . 125
6:2–3 . . . . . . . . . . . 71
50:18–20 . . . . . . . . . 122
6:3–4 . . . . . . . . . . . 70
6:6–7 . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Exodus
7:9 . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
5:1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . 20 8:17 . . . . . . . . . 87, 116
18:19–23 . . . . . . . 35–36 8:17–18 . . . . . . . . . . xii
18:21 . . . . . . . . . . . 97 8:17b . . . . . . . . . . . 120

157
158 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

8:18 . . . . 68, 91, 115, 120, 30:9 . . . . . . . . . . . 111

150, 154
8:18b . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Psalms
8:19–20 . . . . . . . . . . 72
14:1 . . . . . . . . . . . 147
24:16 . . . . . . . . . . . 31
25:12–13 . . . . . . . 67, 154
28:1–2 . . . . . . . . 85–86
32:1 . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
28:1–3 . . . . . . . . 41, 127
33:12 . . . . . . . . . . . 67
28:1–14 . . . . . . 68, 91, 127
37:9–11 . . . . . . . . . . 67
34:10 . . . . . . . . . . . 21
37:10–11 . . . . . . . . . 154
37:22 . . . . . . . . . 67, 154
Joshua
44:20–21 . . . . . . . . . 83
1:7–8 . . . . . . xiii, 155–56 50:10–12 . . . . . . . . . 84
1:8 . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 73:3–6 . . . . . . . . . . 56
73:16–19 . . . . . . . . . 56
1 Samuel 90 . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
90:9–12 . . . . . . . . . . 139
2:12–17 . . . . . . . . . . 47
90:10 . . . . . . . . . . . 113
2:22–25 . . . . . . . . . . 47
103:10–12 . . . . . . . . . 55
8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
103:15–18 . . . . . . 69, 142
8:1–3 . . . . . . . . . . . 47
110:1–2 . . . . . . . . . . 66
8:3 . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
119:33–35 . . . . . . . . . 92
119:33–37 . . . . . . . . 127
2 Samuel
119:34 . . . . . . . . . . . 84
15:2–6 . . . . . . . . . . 36 119:137–138 . . . . . . . 125
18:14 . . . . . . . . . . . 36 127:3–5 . . . . . . . . . . 60
19:19 . . . . . . . . . . . 125
28:2–3 . . . . . . . . . . 49 Proverbs
2:9 . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
1 Kings
4:7 . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
3:13 . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
3:14 . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 10:1 . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
4:29 . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 10:5 . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
10:1–9 . . . . . . . . . . 62 10:7 . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
11:28 . . . . . . . . . . . 52
1 Chronicles 13:22 . . . . . . . . . . . 71
15:29 . . . . . . . . . . . 72
28:2–3 . . . . . . . . . . 49
16:16 . . . . . . . . . . . 63
17:25 . . . . . . . . . . . 61
2 Chronicles
18:11 . . . . . . . . . 52, 118
23:10 . . . . . . . . . . . 36 19:13 . . . . . . . . . . . 61
23:12 . . . . . . . . . . . 36 20:14 . . . . . . . . . . . 88
 Scripture Index 159

20:21 . . . . . . . . . . . 57 55:8–11 . . . . . . . . . . 15
21:1 . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 55:11 . . . . . . . . . . . 138
21:20 . . . . . . . . . . . 67 64:6 . . . . . . . . . . . 113
22:1 . . . . . . . 40, 55, 114 65:17–20 . . . . . . . 67–68
22:6 . . . . . . . . . . 61, 71
24:20 . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Jeremiah
25:24 . . . . . . . . . . . 47
17:9 . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
26:11 . . . . . . . . . . . .ix
18:6 . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Ecclesiastes
Ezekiel
1:4 . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
21:26–27 . . . . . . . 24, 119
1:11 . . . . . . . . . 41, 143
2:8–11 . . . . . . . . . . 82
Daniel
2:16–17 . . . . . . . . . . 41
2:18–19 . . . . . . . . . . 119 2:34–35 . . . . . . . . . . 91
4:9–10 . . . . . . . . . . 139 2:37 . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
5:15–16 . . . . . . . . . . 143 4:22–23 . . . . . . . . . . 90
12:13–14 . . . . . . . . . 83 4:30 . . . . . . . . . . . 118
4:35 . . . . . . . . . . 17, 99
Isaiah 5:25–26 . . . . . . . . . . 91
5:25–28 . . . . . . . . . . 17
28:10–12 . . . . . . . . . 128
29:15 . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Micah
32:3–5 . . . . . . . . . . 13
32:5 . . . . . . . . . . . 128 4:1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . 187
45:1–4 . . . . . . . . . . 18 4:2–5 . . . . . . . . . 102–3
45:5–6 . . . . . . . . . . 126
45:9–10 . . . . . . . . . . 18 Habakkuk
45:19 . . . . . . . . . . . 129
2:14 . . . . . . . . . . . 128
55:6–7 . . . . . . . . . . 16

New Testament

Matthew 5:44b . . . . . . . . . . . 111

6:19–21 . . . . . . . 5, 22, 56
1:5–6 . . . . . . . . . . . 47
6:24 . . . . . . . 5, 59, 68, 81
1:16 . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
6:31–33 . . . . . . . . . . 22
4:8–9 . . . . . . . . . 87, 148
6:33 . . . . . 50, 68, 76, 108,
5:5 . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
120, 148
5:9 . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
7:7–8 . . . . . . . . . . . 86
5:17–18 . . . . . . . . . . 21
7:13–14 . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5:38–42 . . . . . . . . 97–98
7:16–20 . . . . . . . . . . 39
5:43–48 . . . . . . . . . . 107
160 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

7:21–23 . . . . . . . . 38, 110 14:8–11 . . . . . . . . . . 100

7:22–23 . . . . . . . . . . 93 16:22 . . . . . . . . . . . 54
9:12 . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 16:22–26 . . . . . . . . . 135
10:7–8 . . . . . . . . . . 86 16:22–28 . . . . . . . . . 42
12:18 . . . . . . . . . . . 101 16:23 . . . . . . . . . . . 54
12:46–50 . . . . . . . . . 70 16:23–31 . . . . . . . . . . 4
13:31–32 . . . . . . . . . 128 19:17 . . . . . . . . . . . 102
13:31–33 . . . . . . . . . 65 21:2 . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
13:33 . . . . . . . . . . . 128 22:29–30 . . . . . . . . . 127
16:18 . . . . . . . . . . . 32
16:18–19 . . . . . . . . . 71 John
16:26 . . . . . . . . . . . 42
1:1 . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
17:5–6 . . . . . . . . 18–19
3:5–8 . . . . . . . . . . . 112
17:20 . . . . . . . . . . . 85
3:18 . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
18:16–18 . . . . . . . . . 71
5:22–23 . . . . . . . . 28–29
19:16–24 . . . . . . . . . . x
5:30 . . . . . . . . . . . 101
19:23–26 . . . . . . . . . 86
9:4 . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
19:29 . . . . . . . . . . . 69
10:15–18 . . . . . . . . . 137
21:22 . . . . . . . . . . . 85
10:30 . . . . . . . . . . . 28
23:23 . . . . . . . . . . . xii
14:12 . . . . . . . . . . . 38
25:14–30 . . . . . 29, 31, 152
14:15–17 . . . . . . . . . 29
25:21 . . . . . . . . . .19, 48
17:17–20 . . . . . . . . . 23
25:27–29 . . . . . . . . . 152
19:10–11 . . . . . . . . . 97
25:34 . . . . . . . . . . . 65
25:41 . . . . . . . . . 11, 138
Acts
28:18–20 . . . . . .21, 66, 70
1:9 . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Mark 4:10–12 . . . . . . . . . . 40
6:3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . 33
8:36 . . . . . 82, 91, 114, 154
7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
8:36–37 . . . . . . . . . . 87
8:1 . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
10:42–45 . . . . . . . .32, 94
8:1b . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
8:18–23 . . . . . . . . . . 109
Luke
9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
1:49–53 . . . . . . . . . . 18 16:30–31 . . . . . . . . . 112
2:48–49 . . . . . . . . . . 28 16:30–33 . . . . . . . . . 34
5:27 . . . . . . . . . . . 114 20:35 . . . . . . 46, 102, 108
12:13–14 . . . . . . . . . 33
12:16–21 . . . . . . . 44–45 Romans
12:29–34 . . . . . . . . . 69
2:15 . . . . . . . . . . . 155
12:47–48 . . . . . . . . . xiii
4:3–6 . . . . . . . . . . . 126
12:48–49 . . . 54, 84–85, 111
5:8–10 . . . . . . . . . . 84
 Scripture Index 161

5:15–17 . . . . . . . . . . 140 2:12 . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

5:35–39 . . . . . . . . 114–15 3:8–9 . . . . . . . . . . . 115
6:23 . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 3:18–19 . . . . . . . . . . 48
9:15–16 . . . . . . . . . . 111
9:15–18 . . . . . . . . . . 99 1 Timothy
10:9–10 . . . . . . . 112, 154
2:1–2 . . . . . . . . . . . 98
12 . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
2:1–3 . . . . . . . . . . . 60
12:4–5 . . . . . . . . . . 46
2:5–6 . . . . . . . . . . . 110
12:6a . . . . . . . . . . . 84
2:7 . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
13:3–4 . . . . . . . . 61–62
2:13–14 . . . . . . . . . . 35
3:4–5 . . . . . . . . . .48, 61
1 Corinthians
3:12 . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
2:15–16 . . . . . . . . . . 127 5:8 . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
3:11–15 . . . . . . . 5, 55–56 6:6–11 . . . . . . . . 43–44
3:12–13 . . . . . 54, 112, 136 6:9–10 . . . . . . . . . . 59
6 . . . . . . . . . . . .45, 60 6:9–11 . . . . . . . . . . 153
6:20 . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 6:17–19 . . . . . . . . . . 43
11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
15:24–28 . . . . . . . 65–66 2 Timothy
11:25 . . . . . . . . . 112–13
2:11 . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
12:139
3:10–12 . . . . . . . . . . 153
12:8–12 . . . . . . . . . . 46
Hebrews
2 Corinthians
8:10 . . . . . . . . . . . 155
12:14b . . . . . . . . . . 34
10:16 . . . . . . . . . . . 155
11 . . . . . . . . . . . 19–20
Galatians
11:4 . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3:13 . . . . . . . . . . . 110 11:8 . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
12:1–2 . . . . . . . . 12–13
Ephesians
James
1:3–6 . . . . . . . 46–47, 152
2:8–9 . . . . . . . . . . . 101 1:11 . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
2:8–10 . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1:17 . . . . . . . . . 53, 101
5:22–25 . . . . . . . . .34, 48 4:17 . . . . . . . . . . . 128
6:1–3 . . . . . . . . . .34, 48
1 Peter
Philippians
3:1 . . . . . . . . . . 34–35
2:5–9 . . . . . . . . . . . 100 3:6 . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2:5–11 . . . . . . 108–9, 148 3:7 . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2:9 . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
162 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

2 Peter 20:12 . . . . . . . . . . . 58
20:12–13 . . . . . . . .30, 62
1:5–9 . . . . . . . . . . . 153
20:12–15 . . . . . . . . . 3–4
3:8 . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
20:14–15 . . . . . 42, 54, 135
21 . . . . . . . . . . . 42, 54
1 John
21:2 . . . . . . . . . 60, 109
2:2–4 . . . . . . . . . . . 112 21:7–8 . . . . . . . . . . 55
3:16 . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
22:2 . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Revelation
3:5 . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
17:6 . . . . . . . . . . . 151
 General Index

GENERAL INDEX

Abel, 19–20 reward for service, 102, 103,

Abraham 107
economic success, 25 representation, 104
faith, 20, 126 state, 104
father of nations, 20 subordination, 88
Lazarus and, 135 success indicators, 112
promise to, 141 time limit, 138, 142
Sarah’s obedience, 35 Trinity, 28–29
visible success, 26 voices (competing), 130
accounting, 29 autonomy
Acton, Lord, 104 corruption, 107
Adam, 12, 87–88 escape religion, 95
army of heaven, 99 forgotten man, 143
auction (free market), 131 individual, 27, 116
authority inheritance, 90
accountability, 29 judgment, 89
Adam’s covenant, 87–88 kingdom of man, 90, 119
bottom-up, 33 mammon, 116, 119
consumer, 129 mankind, 27
delegated, 27–28 nature vs. man, 129, 146
democratic, 105 power religion, 95, 96, 116
dominion, 95 success, 104–5
eternal life, 88 wealth, 52
free market, 129
gift/responsibility, 84–85 Babel, 40
God’s, 100 Babylon, 17
Jesus, 21 baptism, 34, 45, 60, 112
mankind, 116 Bathsheba, 49
multiple, 106 bidding (free market), 117
Pharaoh (Joseph), 126 Bezaleel, 31

163
164 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

Biblical law time perspective, 137

obedience, 16, 85, 127 victory over Rome, 99
civil government, 62, 73 church
inheritance and, 67, 71–72 division of labor, 46
tool of dominion, 126 Christ and, 22, 48
birthright, 24 God-empowered, 23
blessings government (see church
Abraham, 20 government)
covenantal, 83, 102, 127 Holy Spirit and, 29
economic, 89 members, 46
future, 42 New Jerusalem, 109, 137
giving, 102, 115 offensive strategy, 22–23
God’s grace, 25, 83, 111 outcast, 43
Jacob and Esau, 23 success, 22–23
history/eternity, 55, 73 tithe, 75
mammon 87 church government
marks of success, 42, 73 authority, 32
obedience, 41, 42 baptism, 45
personal recognition, 46 Christ is the head, 22
predictable, 85 confession of faith, 70
primary, 102 court, 45
source, 92 discipleship, 70
sovereignty and, 83–84, 87 Great Commission, 70
spiritual, 151 hierarchy, 32
book of life, 3–4 representation, 32
bribes, 100 sacraments, 45
business, 131 service/leadership, 32–33
success and, 60
Cain, 20 churl, 128
camel/needle, xi civil government
capital, 113 biblical law, 72
Carnegie, Andrew, 1–2 bottom-up, 35
calvary, 13 continuity, 72
casuistry, 125, 127–28 criterion of success: justice,
Christianity 48–49, 72
Darwinism vs. 79, 147 goal of, 61–62
disguised victories, 13 God’s sovereignty, 24
expansionist, 137–38 negative sanctions, 62
missions program, 136 peacemaking, 60
one/many solution, 29 representation, 62, 104
other-directed, 145 rule of law, 73, 74
success idea, 147 successful, 72, 75
 General Index 165

compounding (kingdom of compound growth, 73

God), 65–67, 73, 140 five points, 13
comprehensive redemption, 66 inescapable concept, 94
conflict of kingdoms, 32 point 1 (sovereignty) 16
consumers, 131 point 2 (authority), 28–30
contentment, 43–44, 82 point 3 (standards), 39
continuity of politics, 132 point 4 (sanctions), 54, 108
cooperation, 39 (see also division point 5 (inheritance), 67
of labor) power religion, 96
corporations, 118 success structure, 79, 148
corruption, 104–5 transcendence, 81
cosmos, 129 creativity, 92
courage, xiii currency of the realm, 110, 113,
covenant 114, 117
administrations (4), 16, 66 cursings, 42, 55
agents, 76 Cyrus, 17–18
ark of, 49
church (see church Darwin, Charles, 149
covenant) Darwinism
circumcision, 34 (see also Christianity vs., 147
baptism) inheritance, 143
civil (see civil covenant) mankind as sovereign, 129
confirmation, xii, 115 meaninglessness, 144
corporate, 76 new species, 142
curses (OT), 42 power religion, 142
dominion, 15, 37, 56, 76,79 purchasing success, 104–5
dominion religion 99–103 purposelessness, 141
family (see family covenant) service, 148
inheritance, 70, 86, 115 social theory, 79
Israel, 36 sovereignty, 141
model (see covenant model) statist, 149
non-biblical, 79, 87–88, 94 success, 147
renewal (Lord’s Supper), 60 two forms, 79
responsibility, 76 David, 49
sanctions, 16 dead end (sign), 6
self-reinforcing, 68 death, 139, 142
service, 113, 120 default setting (condemnation),
success indicators, 152 88
successes, 38, 79 democracy
terms, 68 authority, 130
time frame, 138–40 corporate responsibility, 117
covenant model evolving, 130
166 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

People, 103, 107, 129–30 empowerment, 23

service, 117 ends/means, 117
sovereignty, 103 envy, 122–23
votes as currency, 117 equality, 117–18
diadem, 119 Esau, 23–24
discontinuity (hell), 136 escape religion, 95
disinheritance in history, 71 eternal life, x, 3–4, 101
division of labor eternity, 55, 140
authority, 29, 31 ethical causation, xiii, 11
church, 46, 153 ethics, 130 (see also law)
coordination, 139
dependence, 96 failure, xi–xii, 12, 41–42
Godhead, 28, 29 family
hierarchy, 28 Joseph, 122–25
output increases, 139 sovereignty, 116
responsibility and, 28 success, 16, 24, 153
dog/vomit, ix government (see family
dominion government)
biblical law, 126–27 family government
family size, 60–61 baptism, 34
inheritance, 90 church officers, 61
post-resurrection, 54 discipleship, 70–71
service, 106 hierarchy, 33–35
worldwide, 128 inheritance, 71
dominion covenant representation, 48
confirmation, 115 responsibility, 23–24
defines man, 76 service, 34–35
division of labor, 141 size, 60
eternity, 56 success indicators, 47, 60–61
goal, 149 teaching, 71
inheritance, 154 wise son, 61
peace, 103 fear, 136
stewardship, 152 fear of God, 97
success, 79 final judgment, 18, 25, 29, 30,
success indicators, 152 54, 58, 62, 66, 135
dominion religion,15, 27, 37, five pillars, 155–56
94–103 five points, 94
footstool, 73
economic growth, 68 free market, 89–90, 116–18,
economic value, 103 129–30
elite, 98 fruits, 39–40, 44–45, 88, 154
empire, 107
 General Index 167

gates, 18, 23, 32, 70–71 image, 12, 27, 76, 79

gift imputation, 4, 5, 17, 50, 58,
Adam’s land, 108 123, 133, 145
craftsmen (tabernacle), 31 inheritance, 67, 70, 71, 86,
debt to God, 88, 109 102–3, 115–16, 128,
division of labor, 31, 46 140–41
eternal life, 4, 101 Jacob/Esau, 23–24
grace, 4, 123, 140 Jesus and, 21–22, 40, 108–10,
heavenly, 25, 53, 83, 101 148
nonmarketable, 3, 86, 109 judgment, 63, 83, 85–86,
obedience and, 85, 91 101–2, 114–15, 127–28,
redemption, 140 139–40
responsibility, 84–85 kingdom (see kingdom of
reward, 102 God)
Satan, 141 law (see biblical law)
success, xii, 2, 120 leadership, 32, 47
thanks, 2–3 legitimacy, 99–100
time, 139 mammon vs., 44, 59, 81–93
giving, 108 mercy, 99
God oaths to, 16
accounting, 29–31 omniscience, 83
authority, 17, 28, 37, 84–85, opportunities, 31
87–88, 95–96, 100–1, ownership, 53
112–13, 126, 138–39 peace, 60, 103
blessings, 83–84, 87, 102, 107 representatives of, 32, 48
church, 70 responsibility to, 37, 76
community, 46–47 Sabbath, xii
covenantal administrations, sanctions, 54–55, 62, 75
16, 49, 76 Satan vs., 31, 81, 87
Creator, 75, 81 sovereignty, 16–17, 18–19,
decree (plan), 15, 18, 99 23, 27, 99–100, 111,
division of labor (Trinity), 125–26, 138
28, 37 success, 4, 15, 24, 41, 53,
dominion, 27, 76, 79, 95–96, 91–92, 99, 120, 138, 145
106 success indicators, 30, 39, 59,
faith in, 20 61, 63
favor of, 124, 136 test, 30
fear of, 83, 97 trust in, 52, 100
final judgment, 18, 25, 29, 20, wealth, xii, 43, 52, 68
54, 58, 62, 66, 135 word of, 15–16, 17, 19, 21–22
gifts, 53, 86, 88, 108–9 wisdom, 12, 31
grace, 2, 4, 41, 111 gold, 5
168 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

good looks, 4–5 Pharaoh, 124

grace purpose, 139
currency of the realm, 119 social order, 128
eternity, 55 success, 38–39, 145
success and, 4, 151 value (economics), 124
success indicators, 113 value (ethics), 123
two-fold, 111 inheritance
works and, 101 autonomy, 90
grandchildren, 71 confirmation, 115
grass, 69 Darwinism, 143
Great Commission, 66 down payments, 128
eternal, 22
heat death of the universe, grandchildren, 71
129, 142 insecurity, 119
hell, 23, 42, 135–36 Jesus, 21
hierarchy kingdom, 67, 86
authority, 28, 106 mammon, 132
church government, 32–33 politics, 118
civil government, 35–36, 112 positive feedback, 102
division of labor, 28, 139 progressive, 155
family government, 33–35 seed, 141
kingdom of God, 65–66 stages, 128
power religion, 96 success, 154
riches, 117 time, 118, 140
service, 36 time perspective, 68–69
success, 102 Islam, 136
Trinity, 28–29, 37
values, 128–29 Jacob, 23–24
Hiss, Alger, 2 Jesus
Holy Spirit, 20, 33 authority, 21, 22, 24–25
humanism, 106 exaltation, 109
good name, 40
imputation head of church, 22
assessment, 125 hell, 42
consumers, 130 inheritance, 21, 65
God’s, 4, 5, 17, 50, 58, 123, non-violence, 98
133, 145 redeemer, 110
grace, 127 rich young ruler and, x–xi
meaning, 90–91, 139 reputation, 40, 116
multiple, 58 resurrection, 22
one/many, 125 sacrifice, 136
sin’s effects, 133 servant, 109
 General Index 169

services rendered, 101 kidnapping, 123

success, 21–22, 38 kingdom of God
time budgeting, 138 biblical law, 127
treasures, 42–43 civilization, 66, 128
Jethro, 35 continuity (state), 72
Job, 39 dominion, 128
Joseph, 122–24 economic growth, 68
judgment expanding, 66, 68, 73, 98, 140
assess, 125 final judgment, 65-66
autonomy, 89–90 gift, 86, 109–10, 112, 119
biblical, 101 hierarchy, 65–66
casuistry, 125 inflow/outflow (money), 109,
church, 127 113
Ecclesiastes, 83 inheritance, 67, 69, 86
evaluate, 125 institutional, 66
false, 105 judgment, 127
final, 18, 25, 29, 30, 54, 58, keys, 71
62, 66, 135 mammon vs. God, 5–7, 50,
governments, 83 73, 90–91, 110, 119–20,
Jesus, 28, 140 132–33, 140–44, 148
justice, 48–49 mustard seed/leaven, 65, 128
kingdom of God, 140 new heaven/earth, 67
mind of Christ, 127 nonmarketable, 109
“not guilty,” 114 parable (talents), 29
personal, 127 peace, 102–3
perverted, 100 positive feedback, 102
power religion, 105 rich men, xi, 86
prayer, 85 Satan’s vs., 23, 87, 148
purpose, 139 seek first, 22, 50, 68, 76, 108,
representation, 101 120, 148, 154–55
rewards, 101 self-government, 98
sanctions, 140 service, 103
sovereignty, 142–43 success, 50, 67, 70, 95
success, 85, 131 success indicators, 51
success indicators, 39 time and eternity, 115, 141
thrones, 127 treasure, 43, 69
Trinity, 139–40 wealth, 121
wise, 62, 63 widow’s coins, 53
judicial continuity, 55
judicial status, 110 lake of fire, 54–55, 136
justice, 36, 48–49, 60, 72, 105, law
153 blessings, 85
170 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

business, 130 legitimacy, 24–25, 99–100

civil, 62 Levi/Matthew, 114
covenant, 76 lifespans, 113
curse, 110 low position, 18, 24, 96, 100, 119
death, 139, 142
dominion religion, 99 mammon
equality of outcomes, 118 allegiance, 68
escape religion, 95 authority, 116–17
ethics vs. institutions, 130–31 autonomy, 116, 119, 129–30,
evolution, 129, 142, 143 149
eye for an eye, 98 bidding rights, 117
fathers/children, 31 blessings, 87–91
free market, 117 currency of the realm,
God’s sovereignty, 16 116–21
grace precedes, 83, 85 Darwinism, 149
humanism, 130 death, 143
impartial, 105 free market/state, 89–90, 116
imputation, 127 god of more, 82
inheritance, 67 god of this world, 82
leadership, 127 heat death of the universe, 142
mammon’s, 88 illusion of success, 6, 53
Moses, xiii, 35–36, 49, 62 imputation, 90, 131–33
nature, 129 inheritance, 132
Pareto, xi insecurity, 119
politics, 130, 134 kingdom, 6, 90, 110, 132, 144
power religion, 100 liar, 147–48
right to bid, 117 marketable success, 44, 50,
salvation by, 148 86, 88, 89, 92, 110
self-government, 98 money, 59, 89, 117, 119
service, 113 “more for me in history,” 21,
success, 11, 41, 91–92, 101, 44, 108, 120, 132, 147, 149
104–5 payment in advance, 87
success indicators, 101 power, 118, 119
thermodynamics, 90, 142 religion, 92
tool of dominion, 95, 126–27 source of success, 81–82
trial and error, 12 sovereignty, 130, 141, 142–43
wisdom, 61 standards, 88
work of (heart), 155 success, 81–82, 91, 92, 131,
Zion, 137–38 133
leadership, 24, 32, 47 suicidal transaction, 110
leaven, 65, 128 time frame, 140–44
legacy, 40 (see also inheritance) trinkets, 87
 General Index 171

values/value, 132–33 division of labor, 35–36

voting rights, 117 law, xiii
wealth, 118, 119, 149 lifespan, 139, 144
mankind, 116–17, 129 Pharaoh vs., 20, 25, 97, 99
market, 117 power, 97
means/ends, 117 success, 21, 75
meek, 67 success indicators, 41–42
members (church), 46
mercy name, 40, 41, 55, 58
absence in hell, 142 Nathan, 49
corrupt rulers, 105 nature, 129
God’s sovereignty, 16, 18, 25, Nebuchadnezzar, 90–91
99, 111 new heaven/new earth, 42, 54,
history and eternity, 55, 142 67–68
intergenerational, 69, 140–42 nominalism/realism, 116
no repayment, 103
preaching, 122 oaths, 94
required, xi obedience, 48, 68, 85, 97
missions, 136 Old Testament, 58
money omniscience, 83, 125
Carnegie, 1–2
customers, 130, 131 parable (talents), 102
defined, 59 Pareto’s 20/80 law, xi
free market, 117 peace, 60, 102–3
God’s kingdom, 109, 119 peacemaking, 60
imputed value, 59 People, 103–4, 129–30
Levi, 116 Pharaoh, 20–21, 99, 124, 126
love of, 44, 59, 153 Philippian jailer, 34
mammon and, 59, 89, 132 politics
parable of the stewards, 29, Acton, 104
152 all or nothing, 131
power and, 90, 96–97, 109, 119 competition, 131
pursuit of, 95 efficiency, 118
sale of honor, 44 escape religion vs., 96
service and, 113 ethical law, 130
significance and, 115 negative sanctions, 104
success and, 52, 59, 89, 90 operational law, 130
success indicator, 59 organic, 129
time and, 138 People, 104
Moses power, 106–7, 118
anti-autonomy, 87, 101, 116 success, 104, 106
covenant-keeping, 154–55 success indicator, 96, 104
172 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

unity, 130 power religion

votes, 131, 132 autonomy, 107
population growth, 73 Darwinism, 142
positive feedback, 68, 115 empire, 107
power imitation, 96
accumulation, 132 injustice, 105
Acton (Lord), 104 obedience, 97
autonomy, xii, 87, 89, 90, People, 103
116, 120 resistance, 106
civil magistrate, 61–62 rest, 106
common grace, 111 Rome, 99
corrupting, 104 self-defeating, 105
currency of man’s realm, 119 state sovereignty, 105
Darwinism, 142, 148–49 strategy, 96–97
dominion vs., 94–107 success indicator, 96
elite, 96–98 top-down, 107
empire, 96, 106 works religion, 105
escape religion vs., 95, 97 victims (Israel), 98
ethics, 116 prayer, 85
God, 68, 91, 101, 115, 120, predestination, 46–47
150, 154 prosperity, 15–16
hierarchy, 117 prostitution, 96
idol, 96 punishment/crime, 98
Jesus, 21, 22, 66, 97, 137 purpose, 25, 90, 139, 141
Joseph, 126 purposelessness, 142–43, 147
mammon, 88, 116
money and, 119 quid pro quo, 86
Nebuchadnezzar, 24
Pharaoh (exodus), 20, 25, 99 Rebecca, 23–24
Pilate, 97 redemption, 66, 110
politics, 106–7, 118 religion (3 types), 94
pursuit, 95 representation
resistance to, 106 Adam, 155
responsibility and, 36 authority, 100
Rome, 99 Bible, 16
Satan, 23, 32 church government, 32
Simon, 109 civil government, 62
state, 105, 116 debt to God, 88, 92
voting, 117 delegation, 27–28
word, 23 ends/means, 117
Solomon, 49 family government, 48
success indicator, 96, 104 Jesus, 16, 110
 General Index 173

judgment, 101 continuity/discontinuity,

money, 59 55–57
People, 130 covenant, 16
point 2, 30 covenant-keepers, 115
services rendered, 102 final judgment, 58, 140
success indicators, 30, 53, 96, free market, 118
112, 117 hell, 42, 54
reputation, 41, 47 (see also name) historical, 54, 63, 76
responsibility Israel, 41–42
Adam/Eve, 35 justice, 60
authority and, 28 kingdom of God, 108
avoidance, 36, 95 obedience (state), 97
boundaries, 28, 31, 76 point 4, 54
division of labor, 37 politics, 107, 118
family members, 23 power religion, 96, 98
final judgment, 30–31 reputation, 47
free market, 117 sacraments, 60
gifts and, 84–85 service, 131
hierarchy, 28, 37 success indicators, 30, 41,
inclusive/exclusive, 28 50, 60
individual, 30–31 Satan, 11, 23, 138
obedience, 85 science, 144
power flows, 36 Schlossberg, Herbert, 13
salvation and, 19 self-government, 31–32, 43-44,
shared, 37 57–58, 68–70, 98
skills, 31 self-interest, 132
success and, ix, xii–xiii servant, 101
twofold, 117 servanthood, 32–33
rest, xi, 100, 105, 128 service
rich young ruler, x–vi authority, 34, 51, 103, 103,
riches, 43–44 (see also wealth) 106, 112
righteousness, 86 businessman, 30
rulership, 100 church, 37, 46, 112
Darwinism, 148–49
sacraments, 60, 70, 112, 153 dominion, 106
sacrifice, 19–20, 136 downward, 30, 103
salvation, 5 (see also free market, 117
redemption) hierarchy, 102, 112
sanctification, 23 husband, 34
sanctions inheritance, 115, 148
accountability, 29 Jesus, 40, 99, 101–2
civil government, 61–62, 75 Levi/Matthew, 114
174 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

opportunities, 95, 115 biblical examples, 19–20

politics, 117 blessings, 42, 73
replacement strategy, 97 book of life, 3–4
sanctions, 131 civil government, 72, 75
sanctuary, 32, 84 church offices, 22–23, 45
self-government, 98–99 corporate, 138, 153
success, 50, 92, 100, 148 covenantal, 79
Trinity, 29 criteria, 18, 26, 38–51, 53
wife, 34–35 Darwinism, 147
Shangri-La, 6 definitions, 106–7
sheep, 137 eternal, 39
significance, 114 failure and, xi–xii, 12
Simon the magician, 109 fathers, 47–48
Smith, Adam, 149 favor of the king, 41
socialism, 89, 118 five pillars, 7, 155–56
Solomon, 49 forms, 25
sovereignty giving, 108
blessings and, 83–84, 87 God, 99, 138
Darwinism, 141 God’s sovereignty, 19
definitions, 6–7 God’s terms, 25, 120
democracy, 103 grace, 4, 92, 151
free market, 116 guaranteed, 152
God’s, 16, 27, 111, 141 hierarchy, 102
judgment and, 142–43 historical, 68
mammon, 130 imputed by God, 38–39, 145
mankind, 129 indicators (see success
nature, 129 indicators)
People, 103 individual, 137
omniscience, 125 inflow/outflow of money, 120
social contract, 116 inheritance, 68–69, 154
state, 105, 116 Jesus, 21–22, 38
success and, 19 judgment, 85
time frame, 138 King James Version, 11
Soviet Union, 99 kingdom membership, 70
specialization, 31 law and, xiii
state, 104–5 legitimate, 75
stewards, 102 mammon, 50, 81–82
stewardship, 27, 29, 53, 113 meaning, 144
subordination, 25, 27, 88 mercy and 142
success Moses, 21
Abel, 20 nonmarketable, 86–87, 126
bargaining, 88 obedience, 25
 General Index 175

politics, 104 thumb, xi

price, ix, 92 time
primary thesis, 2 accumulation, 113
program for (none), 4, 151 authority and, 138
responsibility and, ix, xii–xiii budgeting, 138
rich young ruler, x currency of the realm, 113
sacrifice, 136 division of labor, 139
salvation, 5 frame, 141–42
service, 100, 148 gift, 139
subordination, 25, 148 inheritance, 140
terms of, ix–x limits, 141
thanks, 2 master, 142
temporal, 41 perspective, 69
terms, ix, x tool, 139
wisdom and, 12 timeline, 140
word and, 15 tithe, 75, 109
works religion and, 105 torture, 137
success indicators treasure, 22, 42, 43, 69
Bible, 39, 41–42 tree/fruit, 39
bribes, 100 trial and error, 12
ends/means, 30, 154 Trinity, 28, 37
family, 60–61 trinkets, 87
fruit, 40 trust, 52
good name, 41 Tucker, Sophie, xi
grace, 101, 113
money, 59, 117 USSR, 99
nonmarketable, 59, 101, 113
objective, 39 vaults, 5
power, 96 votes, 117, 130
reputation, 41, 49, 112
significance, 47 Watts, Isaac, 144–45
subordinate goals, 154 wealth
success and, 3–4 accumulation, 1, 113
temporal, 39 apostles, 47
threat to the soul, 30 autonomy, xii, 52, 87, 90,
two motivations, 53 116, 120
wealth, 53 blessing, 73
swords/ploughshares, 102–3, 106 Carnegie, 1–2
charity, 43–44, 113
talents (parable), 102, 152 compounding, 68, 71
terms of success, ix–x covenantal sanction, 50, 68
thermodynamics, 142 criteria, 44
176 The Five Pillars of Biblical Success

free market, 118 stewards, 53, 113

God’s gift, 68, 91, 101, 115, strong city, 52, 118
120, 150, 154 success indicator, 30, 47, 53
God’s test, 30 tangible, 58
idol, 1 Weber, Max, 144
inequality, 139 widow’s coins, 52
inheritance, 71, 73, 118 Wilde, Oscar, 44
kingdom, 121 wind, 144
legitimate, 113 wisdom, 12, 63, 127–28
mammon, 120 wives, 34–35, 48
marketable, 82, 92 word, 15–20, 22, 23–25, 33–35,
respected, 89 112, 129
snare, 59 works, 101
source of, 82, 87, 89 works religion, 136