"Christians and the environment" by Rod Bayley, 3 March 2008, Genesis 1:26-28

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It is thought that one third of the world was once covered by forest -
but one quarter of these forests have gone, and only an eighth are
untouched. Apparently if we keep cutting down tropical rainforests at
the rate we do, most of which are in South-East Asia or South America,
there will be none left by 2050. Across the world, around 27,000
species of living things become extinct each year, and a major cause
of this is loss of habitat. In Australia, each time 100 hectares is
cleared, 1 to 2,000 birds lose their home and 200 reptiles are killed.

Across the planet, changes in temperature are being noted - the earth
is getting hotter, which is known as ‘global warming.’ The Greenhouse
effect which causes this global warming is due mainly to our massive
use of fossil fuels (such as coal) for energy and transportation, and
our practices in dumping waste, because all this increases carbon
levels which affects the formation of carbon dioxide, which traps heat
in the earth’s atmosphere. This will result in the expansion of water
through melting of ice, the seas might rise and coastal cities and
small islands one day flooded. This is all driven by the standards of
living we have come to expect, which are unrealistic. A nuclear
family in Los Angeles for example, dependent on fossil fuels to drive
on freeways, hydro-engineering of rivers to supply water for their
swimming pool, and agro-chemicals to supply their meat-based diets;
make more claims on ecological resources than a whole village in
Bangladesh. And don’t just think it’s Americans - Australians are
significant contributors to the problems. If every human on earth
used resources the way the average Australian does, we would need at
least 3 more planet earths to keep up.

The impact of an individual in a particular country is described as
the ecological footprint of that person. The Australian Conservation
Foundation has noted that the latest calculation of global ecological
footprints estimates that the average for all people on earth is 2.18
hectares. In comparison, the average Australian has an eco. footprint
or consumption of resources equal to 7 hectares. There are big
problems with our planet - an evangelical declaration on the care of
creation has summarised the problems as follows - land degradation,
deforestation, species extinction, water degradation, global
toxification, and alteration of atmosphere. Well, that’s a scary
report-card. But should Christians care? Is it our responsibility to
address such issues? What does the bible say - should Christians be
greenies? What passages would we look at to form a Christian theology
of creation or the environment? That’s our goal tonight.

Firstly, our role in creation. The biblical approach to the
environmental issue must start with the question: to whom does the
earth belong? Psalm 24:1 tells us: “The earth is the Lord’s and
everything in it.” God is its creator, and so by right of creation is
also its owner. But this is only a partial answer, because Psalm
115:16 states: “The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth
he has give to man.” So then, the balanced biblical answer is that the
earth belongs to both God and humanity, but only for us in a secondary
sense. If you like, God is still the owner, but we have leasehold -
we’re only tenants but God is the landlord in the most literal sense.

Of course the Psalmists have this understanding, because it is drawn
from God’s foundational comments in Genesis 1 and 2. Here we are told
about our relationship to the rest of creation and our God-given
role. Turn with me to Genesis 1:26-28. Notice what is recorded:
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and
let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over
the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that
move along the ground.’ 27So God created man in his own image, in the
image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28God
blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number;
fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the
birds of air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
The first thing to grasp from this passage is that we are distinct
from creation - we are the pinnacle of God’s creative work, and have a
unique relationship with our Creator. This is emphasised by verse 27
where we learn that humanity alone was made in the image of God. This
is important to grasp, as many today reduce humans to being the same
as all other creatures, and therefore of no more importance then
anything else on the planet.

Secondly, God has given us a role to “rule” and “subdue” the earth.
From the very beginning God gave us dominion over the earth, under
Him. But what do those terms mean? Is it the case, as many
Christians have thought in the past, that we have a blank cheque to do
with the earth as we see fit - that in the end, we are all that
matters? Well, the commands to “rule” and “subdue” are strong words,
but they spring from us being made in God’s image - we are over
nature because we rule the world on God’s behalf. But the terms are
not expressing a licence for unbridled exploitation and destruction.
Humanity is here commissioned to rule nature as a benevolent king,
because we are God’s representative, and so are to treat creation with
the care and interest of the Creator. Thus in chapter 2 (v18-20),
animals are seen as Adam’s companions, and Noah is the arch-
conservationist, who built an ark to preserve all kinds of life from
being destroyed in the flood, because that was God’s will. And of
course, the rest of the bible provides many examples of God’s care for
His creation, which we are to have as His representatives, who rule
under Him. Rule really equals stewardship.

This concept of stewardship is reinforced, in chapter 2 verse 15 where
we read:
“The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work
it and take care of it.” Here we see further illustrated our role of
stewardship. The words “work it and take care of it” are more
accurately ‘till it and guard it’, which involves cultivation and
caring for the land. While the first term infers developing or
changing of the land to grow trees or crops, the second infers
conservation - of keeping it from misuse. This is the balanced
biblical position of stewardship - in modern terms, we could call it
‘sustainable development.’

Well how can we apply these foundational truths to our thinking? I
think it is clear that Christians should be green, by which I mean,
those who are promoting a sustainable use of God’s creation which
sustains our lives. I think we need to know that terms like ‘rule’
and ‘subdue’ have been misapplied and led to exploitation in the
past. We need to reject past Christian views which at times saw God
allowing us to rip up the earth however we saw fit, a legacy which is
blamed by many conservationists for today’s problems. That is not to
say that we all need to be ‘tree-hugging’ conservationists who throw
themselves in front of bulldozers - but it means that we are just as
interested in creation care as secular environmental groups, who have
often been seen as the only voice for conservation in the last few
decades.

Perhaps that raises the question: ‘what should Christians be doing?’
Well, I think it means that we should at least be leaders in seeking
to reduce our personal impact, to be good stewards as God instructed
us to be. There are literally hundreds of ways of doing this in our
daily lives. The Australian Conservation Foundation has lots of good
ideas on their website about how the average person can be energy
smart, how we can save water, how we can reduce waste, how to become a
sustainable traveller, how to be ‘green’ in your shopping, and how to
have sustainable gardens. They have the top five tips in each of
these areas, many of which are as simple as turning lights off. A lot
more could be said, but I think this kind of practical stewardship has
to make it onto our agenda, if it’s not already - we have been
entrusted with the earth, and we are to rule it as God’s
representatives with His concern for all creation. We have to take on
board that human impact has taken an increasingly heavy toll in recent
decades as our technology and lives eat up far greater resources than
any previous generations.

This leads us to the second point of God’s sovereign provision for
creation. This point qualifies the first, because there is a danger
in thinking that we can sustain our planet on our own - as if we can
act as it’s saviour. Yes, we have an important role as I’ve just
established, but we need to acknowledge God’s role, and our finite
abilities. Psalm 104 was read for us before, but I want to draw your
attention to a few of the verses again. From verses 27 to 30 we have:
“These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time.
28When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your
hand, they are satisfied with good things. 29When you hide your face,
they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and
return to the dust. 30When you send your Spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.”
Here is one of the many places in Scripture that God’s continuing
ownership and caring supervision is asserted. He thus sustains the
whole of His creation - in committing it to us, he has not renounced
responsibility for it. It’s not all up to us - God gives the food and
holds life and death in His hand for all creatures, including us.
Throughout the rest of the Psalm it is God who gives the water, who
changes the season, etc, etc.

The same understanding is presented in the New Testament, where Jesus
himself points to the Father as the One ultimately responsible for
sustaining all life, whose knowledge and care of the rest of creation
far outweighs our own. In Matthew 10:29 Jesus states: “Are not two
sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground
apart from the will of your Father.” Of course the context in that
passage was the disciples fearing for their lives from those who
opposed the gospel, and Jesus makes the point that God cares greatly
for small birds, let alone humans. And similarly, Jesus points to
God’s provision of food for birds and clothing for lilies in Matthew
6. God is interested and cares for all living things. Though we have
been given stewardship of God’s earth, and we are to take care of it,
we are still creatures who are ultimately dependent on God’s provision
for ourselves, and the rest of creation.

Well, how do we apply these truths? How does this help me relate
rightly to environmental issues as a Christian? I believe the answer
is to realise that although we have been given an important
responsibility of stewardship, we are not standing in God’s shoes.
God is still the Lord of the land, He is not an absent landlord - He
is still the enthroned King, and we are simply the vice-regents. This
means that we cannot see ourselves as the saviour of our planet - we
don’t live solely, or even primarily for the conservation of all
organisms, even if we could. The creation is not an alternate gospel
- we don’t exist as God’s people to save the environment, but people.
I say this, because we need to realise that when we interact with
green groups, whether political or otherwise, that many of their
members do live to save the planet. For many, particularly in the
more extremist groups like Greenpeace, their activism is driven by
pantheism - the worship of nature. Saving trees or whales is
equivalent, if not more important, than protecting human life.
Indeed, in the extreme forms, human life might legitimately be
endangered or taken to save animals or plants. This is another
gospel, whereby God is often removed from the picture, and where the
environment is God, or the object to be worshiped or served. This is
why personally, I am more in favour of non-profit environmental groups
such as Planet Ark, who seek to work with governments and business to
bring changes in our daily living, then more extreme groups who want
to raise money to make big media or political stunts, or otherwise
stop all developments at all cost.

Before I went to bible college I worked for an engineering firm, and
we were involved in a number of sensitive developments, some of which
went to the Land and Environment Court where we were witnesses. I
remember one case that involved a development in Allambie Heights
which was situated above the sensitive Manly Dam. The green groups
were out in force, and had chained themselves to trees and bulldozers
initially. I remember hearing hours of expert witness debate on the
endangered red-crowned toadlet, which basically became the sticking
point in court, and whether tunnels could be built for it, so that it
could move through the site if it wanted. Now I know that God cares
for the red-crowned toadlet, but as I looked around the courtroom at
all the barristers and solicitors, not to mention everyone else, I
wondered whether the tens of thousands of dollars it was costing the
court to sit each day was worth it. I wondered whether the debate
over this frog which had not been seen on the actual site, really
represented misplaced worship, despite our need to be careful
stewards. Sustainable development is important, but stewardship does
not equal worship of the environment.

This leads us to our third point: judgment and creation. We need to
ask ourselves what the goal of creation is - where it is heading with
regard to the end. Turn with me to Romans 8:19-22. Here Paul states
what our world awaits.
“The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be
revealed. 20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its
own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope
21that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay
and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22We
know that the whole of creation has been groaning as in the pains of
childbirth right up to the present time.”
Ultimately, the future of planet earth is tied to Christ’s return when
the “sons of God” or Christians will be revealed. It is waiting for
this to be “liberated from its bondage to decay” which God subjected
it to. This was due to the Fall, the entrance of sin through Adam and
Eve’s disobedience, which affected both humanity and the environment
in which we live. But how is it that the environment’s bondage will
give place to freedom, its decay to glory, and its pain to the joy of
a new world being born? The answer is that God will recreate it, or
remake it at Christ’s coming and the judgment.

The reason it will have to be recreated or remade is given in 2 Peter
3. Turn with me to verse 7 of 2 Peter 3. Notice what the apostle
Peter affirms:
“By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire,
being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.”
Then jump down to verse 10:
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will
disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the
earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” Then again in verse
13:
“But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new
heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.”
The promise referred to in verse 13 was given by Isaiah (65:17, 66:22)
and is confirmed by Revelation 21. The words of the apostle John is
where I want to finish. He says in 21:1-2:
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the
first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw
the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”

Here is the new world - it is still a recognizable world which John
describes in terms of a heaven and an earth, rather than an entirely
alien place. But it is radically renewed and the sea is done away
with altogether. In broad terms, what we see is that our planet has
ongoing value, even if recreated in a new form, just as our human
bodies are cared for because although they will be changed, we will
still have a physical bodily form in eternity. We don’t abuse our
bodies or view our flesh as evil matter to be freed from, as followers
of Plato’s philosophy in ancient Greece did, because the bible teaches
that we will remain bodily in God’s presence, even if in a new
glorified body (1 Cor. 15:42-44), just as our risen Lord Jesus is
currently. I believe the same principle relates to how we view the
earth - just because it will be destroyed in the judgment doesn’t mean
that we are free to abuse our environment. It is passing - but there
is a continuity with what will be recreated, and so its ongoing
significance should reinforce our call to stewardship. We are not to
worship nature, but we above all people should be committed to
sustainable development, because we are caretakers on God’s behalf,
and we need to rule with his care.