“You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.” –Psalm 8:6–8
There is a beautiful reminder, an echo, of the great commission here. In Genesis 1:28, the man and his helpmeet were given the commission to take dominion over the earth. But sin undermined and thwarted the ability to fulfill that commission.
The author of Hebrews (Hebrews 2:8) teaches us that our big brother and forerunner, Jesus, has restored man’s ability to fulfill the commission. He, having defeated death and being now ‘crowned with glory and honor’, calls his disciples to finish the work of taking dominion on the earth, and to do so in the authority of his name and the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20). The Apostle Paul then points ahead to the defeat of the last enemy when the work has been accomplished and he submits everything back to the Father’s hand ( in 1 Corinthians 15:27ff).
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” –1 Corinthians 15:58