I got my first ever blog topic request
the other day!
K (my sis) called and said that she
wanted to know what the Bible said about environmental conservation.
The more I thought about it, the more excited
I got about the topic, since I’d eventually like to go into a career in that
field.
Here’s what I decided:
1.
God
made everything on the earth, not just the living things, but the rocks, water,
and dirt too. We all have the same
purpose, to bring glory to Him.
Isaiah
55:12-13. The
mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the
field will clap their hands. All this will be a memorial for the Lord, a sign
that for all time will not be cut off.
Genesis
9:8-9.
Then God said to Noah and to his sons
with him: "I now establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every living creature that
was with you - the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals, all
those that came out of the ark with you - every living Creature on the
earth."
“Everything God has made has some
likeness to Himself. Space is like Him
in its hugeness: not that the greatness of space is the same kind of greatness
as God’s but it is a soft of symbol of it, or a translation of it into non spiritual
terms. Matter is like God in having
energy, though, again, of course, physical energy is a different kind of thing
from the power of God. The vegetable
world is like Him because it is alive, and He is the “living God.” But life, in this biological sense, is not
the same as the life there is in God: it is only a kind of symbol or shadow of
it.”
CS. Lewis “Mere Christianity”
2.
Man
is greater than the rest of creation. We bear the most resemblance to God and
are counted as His children. Don’t
forget that Jesus took the body of a man when He came to Earth.
Matthew 6:26 - Look at the birds
of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Genesis 1:27-30- So God created
mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female
he created them. God blessed them and
said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue
it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every
living creature that moves on the ground.” Then God said, “I give you every
seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit
with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all
the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life
in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
3.
We
are called to be good stewards of everything God has given us. The way we live in America is not good
stewardship.
Leviticus 25:23-24 - The land must
not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my
tenants. Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide
for the redemption of the land.
“Every
time we, as humans, drive a species to extinction, we are stating that what God
created, we can destroy.” –Christians for Environmental Stewardship
Ezekiel 34:17-18.
As for you, my flock... Is it not enough for you to feed on good pasture? Must
you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for
you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?
Luke 12:15,23,34.
And He said to them, "Beware and be on your guard against every form of
greed; for not even when one has an abundance does life consist of his
possessions. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. For
where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
4.
Our
goal is to know Christ and share the message of grace and redemption with
human-kind. Living sustainably is merely a product of a greed-free lifestyle,
not the purpose of mankind.
“Our legitimate concern for the
environment should not distract us from our primary focus, which is the
extension of the Kingdom of God (Mat 6:19-21). Nevertheless, care for the
environment is part of responsible living through which we honour God and
witness to the world (Mat 5:16).”-Alan Marshall
Matthew22:35-37
One of them, an expert
in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest
commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
allyour mind.’
Taking care of the planet should
never take precedence to your relationship with Christ or with your duty to
other humans (sharing the gospel/ taking care of the poor/ building community),
but it is not contradictory to being a Christian. In fact, living sustainability is also being
wise about using the resources God has given you.
