green+god

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.