Christian Environmental Responsibility
Genesis 1:28
Sermon by CH (CPT) Keith J. Andrews
All scripture marked ESV: The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001, S.
1. In my stay in Iraq this year, I have notice one image that is repeatedly on my mind and that is the image homes in the midst of heaps of trash. This is not a slam on the county of Iraq, but a direct result of one of the many problems that is going on here.
In Iraq, we know firsthand that there are many problems that are going on—terrorist attacks, poverty, government stabilization and agricultural sustainability. All of these problems seem to outweigh the massive environmental mess that is present.
2. But that leads me to ask the question…what is our excuse?
We live in the strongest country in the world—militarily, economically, constitutionally, and even agriculturally—although we seem to be losing ground which I will touch on later. We have our ups and downs in each of these areas—and we could probably debate the validity of that statement. However, I think we would all conclude that we are leading the world in most if not all of these areas.
But, we are constantly not at the top of environmental responsibility or even awareness that there is a problem at all.
3. A study by the Pew Research Center found that less than 50% of the US Population believes there is solid evidence of Global Warming because of human activity. And less than 50% of the Protestant believe this to be true.
This is not a sermon on Global Warming, but the reluctance for Christians to acknowledge that Humans have an effect on the climate is indicative of our reluctance to be active in environmental issues.
Christians should be in the lead on this issue.
A recent study conducted by LifeWay Research states that 49% of Pastors address Environmental Issues rarely or never.
4. We are not in the lead; we have taken the back seat.
I am a firm believe that while the Bible contains the Word of God that speaks to every area of our lives, we as Christians have allowed the world to take the lead on ethical, moral, and even spiritual issues. And environmental responsibility is one area in which we have taken a back seat or have even judged the environmental movement as foolish or evil.
It is time that this perception changes.
5. We, as Christians, must become the leaders of the environmental movement.
God has given us a specific task to be proactive in environmental issues.
6. Genesis 1:28 says:
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Ge.1:28, ESV)
Filling the earth, subduing it, and having dominion over all of the animals means that we must take responsibility of them.
We are to be good stewards of our environment and we are failing in this task.
7. In the area of air quality. The Scientific American Earth 3.0 magazine states that;
The United States emitted almost 1600 million metric tons of Co2 into the air in 2007. This compared to China’s 1800 million metric tons that resulted in 750,000 premature deaths with in that country. (Scientific American Earth 3.0, volume 18, number 5)
8. In the area of water quality, the World Wildlife fund found that:
Almost a billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and 2.6 billion lack adequate sanitation services. (http://www.worldwildlife.org)
9. In regards to land and soil, The Scientific American Earth 3.0 magazine also states that;
Coal mining by “mountaintop removal” had decapitated the Appalachians for three decades. Already 450 summits have been destroyed in West Virginia and southeastern states. (Scientific American Earth 3.0, volume 18, number 5)
10. The Bible says in Genesis 1:28;
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Ge.1:28, ESV)
The Bible says “Be fruitful”--which is something we must do, given some balance.
11. However, the Bible also says to be fruitful and multiply, and then it says to fill the earth and subdue it. Filling the earth doesn’t mean stacking everyone up into the cities. We must manage the population, yes. But, murder through abortion is not an answer.
12. Giving more support to rural communities to help them provide for their families is. One of the biggest industries that is dying is the farms. The farms give us a biodiversity through the managed use of crops and vegetation.
We don’t have a choice whether or not to be fruitful and multiply--it is commanded. Our responsibility, then, is to manage it effectively and morally.
13. We are to fill the earth, not fill the cities and economic policies are leading the poor to the cities which become more and more polluted. The cities are also unable to handle that much waste and then there are environmental hazards inside the cities or resulting because of the population growth within them.
This then returns the church to another God given responsibility to care for the poor. The poor come to the cities in search of work and there is none, so they move to the streets.
14. The Bible then says to subdue the Earth.
Now may times we look at the word subdue as a negative term. In our freedom based world, we think it would be wrong to subdue anything.
The word subdue from the Hebrew means literally to dominate or even bring into bondage. (Strongs 3533) I see it to reflect the concept of taking control over it.
We are to take charge of the Earth.
15. In Basic training the Drill Sergeant will take charge of young Soldiers. In a very real way the Drill Sergeant will dominate and bring them into bondage. This is for their own good. This is so they will be ready to follow out the orders over them. In some ways, the Drill Sergeant will take uncontrolled sons and daughters and bring them into compliance of the rules and regulations of the Army. Again, this is for their own good. This isn’t an initiation. This isn’t a hazing. This is training for a very importance task of going to war.
16. In the same way, we are to take control of the land. Abuse is out of the question. Neglect is out of the question. We are to subdue the earth.
But I have never seen a good Drill Sergeant or NCO treat those whom he has charge over poorly. He takes care of them. Encourages them. Helps them to get promoted. Helps them to not only pass basic training, but be an incredible asset to his unit when he or she moves on to the next duty station.
This is our task as well. We must look for ways to not abuse the Earth, not to simply consume resources but to take the time to replenish the resource we do consume and reduce the amount that we use. We are to take charge of it. Yes, we use it to build houses and businesses, we build farms and cities—but we also take every opportunity to replenish and protect the resources that we have.
17. This verse also says to “have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Ge. 1:28b, ESV)
We are to rule over the animals.
And again this includes taking care of them.
Taking care of the animals means ensuring habitats that are safe, sustaining, and available. This all plays into environmental responsibility.
Animals are being killed by the thousands through poaching, pollution, and deforestation. We must become proactive in providing adequate habitats for the animals to live.
18. Each of us have a part in changing the way we look at environmental issues, voting to support environmental issues, and doing our part in the way we carry out our lives.
As Christians, a correct Biblical Worldview suggests that stewardship of the resources and environment is a must. We have know this for centuries, but we are allowing someone else to take this mantle from us. I am happy that there are organizations out there to pick up our slack. However, if Christians are going to have any influence in the public arena—we must live out our specified tasks to the best of our ability.
This is not simply a Global Warming—the Earth is burning to a crisp concept. This is a Biblical Concept. If Global Warming is occurring, and I believe there is some validity to the research, then it is because of our sin of not being responsible with the resource God has given us.
19. And it starts on the individual level. You who are sitting here today can make an impact on the environment by thinking through and acting on several simple ways.
20. First, you can limit the use of disposable containers.
Americans use over a million brown paper bags and hour. They also use 2 million plastic bags every five minutes. There are simple things that you can do to reduce this kind of waste.
Use cloth bags at the grocery store—more and more grocery stores offer them, the DECA commissaries offer them. You can reuse these cloth bags over and over. You can even wash them after a food spill.
You can also use reusable water bottles instead of the plastic one shot bottles that you get from the store. There are filtration systems out them that can filter some of the impurities out of the water, similar to what the bottled water companies would do anyway.
21. You can also seek ways to reduce energy consumption.
Here in the desert the generators run non-stop. At home it is a different type of system that can actually help the environment by reducing your energy footprint.
You can change your behavior by turning out the lights before you leave you office.
You can reduce the amount of energy loss by ensuring that your water heater is properly insulated. And you can reduce the amount of energy used by washing your clothes in cold water, rather than hot.
22. Finally, you can recycle.
Look for way that you can bring your recyclable materials to special waste areas. Separate you paper products, glass, and plastics. This will help people reuse the old material in making different products.
There is so much that can be done with just a little though and a change of behavior.
23. We as Christians need to take the first steps in Environmental Responsibility. We need to set the example because we know that he is the God of Salvation and restoration.
24. The Bible says in Psalm 74:12
12 Yet God my King is from of old,
working salvation in the midst of the earth. (Ps 74:12, ESV)
He is the God of taking old things and making them new again.
The environment is much like our own personal life. We get so polluted with sin that we can barely breathe. We have all of this guilt and shame and hurt that we wade through on a daily basis.
But Christ promises freedom.
25. Romans 6:18 says that
(We have) been set free from sin. (Ro 6:18a, ESV)
We have been set free because Christ died on a cross to pay the penalty of our sin in our place. Sin only promises death, but Christ promised life.
And so it is with the environment. We know what it means to need recycling. We were lost in our sin. We have be poisoned by the evil nature that lived within us, and now we are walking in a new life—a life of victory.
26. This morning, I ask you to make a decision, yes to help clean up the environment—but more importantly that you will clean up your lives—which is only done by accepting Jesus as you payment for the sin that has corrupted your life.
There are several Chaplain’s here today, we will be happy to talk to you about placing your faith in Christ.
