The Bible teaches and we believe the eschatological account to be true for the end of time, as we know it. That truth is that when Jesus Christ returns as the Lion of Judah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords- this world will be destroyed. Jesus told His disciples about that day of His return in Luke 17:29 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.
Luke 17:30 "It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. The apostle Peter gives us this account 2 Pet 3:7 But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
My question for the church today based on the fact that we believe Jesus is going to return some day and hopefully soon is; Do we have a responsibility brothers and sisters to care for and preserve the world we live in? Should we be environmentalists? How far do we go to preserve the environment? Do we need to be tree huggers?
We do not hear many sermons on the environment in our churches. Maybe, those of us who preach are so far removed from the world we live in having attained such a high spiritual maturity that we concern ourselves only with things above. Have we come to a point that we have so endorsed the fact that this place is not our home; we are only pilgrims on a sojourn, just passing through that we can ignore our stewardship of what the Lord has made? Perhaps, there is a lack of preaching/teaching on the environment because there are more pressing issues on the minds of our preachers about the spiritual condition of the people in their churches or they have deferred the environmental issues to the polemic New Age tree huggers and pantheists.
One does not need extensive scientific training to realize that the earth and its resources are finite. The United States continues to have problems in many states with ample water supplies, with availability of water that is not contaminated and suitable for consumption. Air quality issues continue to plague America as deaths from Asthma alone increased more than 45% in the ten-year period between 1985 and 1995 (Stassen and Gushee 431). Recent studies have linked outdoor air pollution to birth defects, low birth weight, premature births, stillbirths, and infant deaths (Bedy online). Fossil fuels that generate the power for much of our electricity and automobiles will be depleted by 2029. Other issues deal with the carrying capacity of the earth, which deals with her ability to supply the necessary food and absorb the waste generated as the population continues to increase geometrically.
We find God’s earth and ourselves in the shape it is currently in because God’s perfect order in God’s perfect creation was not exempt from the consequences of man’s sin. Christian’s need to understand that the whole creation groans as it waits for the sons of God to be revealed so that it can be set free from the bondage of its decay (Rom. 8:19-22). Ethically Christians must search for the Biblical truth about the Creator, His creation and principles so they can take seriously their time on this earth as a steward and not simply as a consumer (Evangelical Environmental online 2).
If we believe the answer to the environmental issues are in the Scriptures and that they are the inerrant Word of God, then let us examine just a few of the Scriptures that deal with our role and the preservation of this world we share.
First Christians we must understand that although God created man last and as caretaker, we also are a part of the creation. We must not as caretakers or stewards exploit the environment, because creation according to the psalmist is directed at God the creator and not man. Psa 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psa 19:2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. Psa 121:1 I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from? Psa 121:2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. We are not intelligent enough to fathom the mystery of the creator’s design, balance, harmony and purpose. George Washington Carver asked God some very deep questions about the universe, on down to the earth and God suggested to Carver that he simply concentrate on the peanut. Carver broke that peanut down into oils and butter with hundreds of different uses-from just one small aspect (a peanut) of ALL that God has created.
Environmental issues and their implications require that Christian’s consider man’s fallen nature and that they participate in the Gospel by sharing it with all of humanity. In light of the fact that creation suffers as well, we must assume responsibility to live as God’s representatives upon the earth and heal her scars and toxicity. Jesus Christ was present at creation. Jn. 1:1-3: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all the people.” So when he came incarnate into His fallen world it was to reconcile sinners to God through the cross, therefore, we have a responsibility to reconcile a decaying environment toward its original design. Col. 1:15-20: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Perhaps, too many Christians have neglected their responsibility to the Creator for too long to be His ambassador to lost souls and even longer to understand they are a creature living in conjunction with other creatures on an earth that is finite. According to the evangelical Environmental Network there are many in the world today who actually believe the environmental issues are a spiritual problem (online 2). Worse yet according to George Pickens one of my professors at KCC graduate school in Kentucky it has been posited by non-Christians that environmental destruction must be understood in light of Christian dogma.
In other words there are many people in the world today who hold a worldview that we as Christian’s do not ultimately care about the environment, because we are going to heaven and this place will be destroyed anyway. If we are going to win lost people, we must show them that we care about what God cares about, that if it matters to God as they do as people, it must matter to us too!
God loves what He has created. Wanton waste of the environment is contrary to God’s perfect order. Adam and Eve were placed in the garden as caretakers of the Garden (Gen. 2:15). Yet, because of sin and fallen humanity the land is in distress. Mankind has abandoned his role as caretaker and has become exploitive of an earth and her resources that never belonged to him. The prophet Hosea blows the whistle on all of us with these words: Listen to the word of the LORD, O sons of Israel, For the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no faithfulness or kindness Or knowledge of God in the land.
There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing, and adultery. They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed. Therefore the land mourns, and everyone who lives in it languishes along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky; and also the fish of the sea disappear (Hosea 4:1-3). Sin has caused decay not only in our spiritual lives, but in our physical lives and on His delicately balanced creation we call home.
Stewardship means that we manage that which belongs to another. The earth does not belong to us-it is the Lord’s.
Col. 1:16b: "all things were created by him (Christ) and for him."
Heb. 1:2: "In these last days He has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe."
I Cor. 10:26: "’The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.’"
Ps. 24:1: "The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it."
Lev. 25:23 "’The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants.’"
Deut. 10:14: "To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it."
I Chron. 29:11-12: "Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all."
Neh. 9:6: "You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you."
Isa. 66:1-2: "This is what the LORD says: ’Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool . . . Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?’ declares the LORD."
I pray for a time for Christian’s to recognize their relationship to the other creatures not just as one above other life but one who lives in conjunction and in a perfectly designed order with other creatures. Our responsibility as Christ’s ambassadors first to people extends to creation. As in any reconciliation either mathematical, interpersonal or regarding creation Christians must take the necessary action to bring into balance and order by God’s grace, that which is out of balance and suffering from sin.
There are steps the church needs to take to begin this process. Environmental action begins with awareness. Once Christians become aware of the challenge they may search the Scriptures and be obedient to what the Scriptures reveal. After awareness of the problem and a search of the Scriptures we will begin to take responsibility for our lifestyle choices that effect the environment and question ourselves. Keeping in mind that the question may cease to be can I afford to do make this purchase, but more aptly should I make this purchase? Is this the best choice for God’s creation? The topic is very controversial because we tend to look at consumerism from an individual financial perspective. If I can afford the purchase the purchase is justified. The better question may be what impact will my purchase have on God’s property? There has been a great deal printed recently about SUV ownership and how it supports terrorists because of the gasoline they consume. Some environmental groups have taken the WWJD slogan and changed it to What Would Jesus Drive? I struggle with this issue in my own life as the owner of a 1980 CJ7 Jeep that gets about 13 miles to the gallon. I love that old Jeep and it is perfectly set up for the deer and hog hunting I do. Yet, I could sell it and with the proceeds buy a used Toyota pick up truck that consumed less gasoline. And then there in the garage is a 1997 Mustang Cobra and Cathi’s SUV. We make choices that fit our taste and preferences, we justify it by the utility we obtain to carry kids around, to hunt, or by saying well it’s not a 2004 Cobra it’s a 1997. Perhaps, the Christian perspective should be: should I buy the SUV when the fuel-efficient sub compact car is capable of transporting me? Do we need to be responsible Christian consumers? This December I am going to Haiti for my graduate work. One of my mission minded preaching professors Guthrie Veech said, “When he returns from Haiti Christmas is painful.” We have so much in America while others go hungry; everyday right until the day they die. I often hear people say all that God has given us has blessed us in America; sometimes I am not so sure. Sometimes I feel like all this stuff and comfort we have as Americans keeps us from God and from community with each other. It may be more of curse that makes us slaves to our stuff. We are bound to our things. My friend Don Hulsey is a missionary in Africa. He left with a small trunk of necessities that was it. Maybe we as Christians could recognize the Sabbath principle and take a day off from consuming. Can we be content with less? We at the church property can set the example by performing regular energy audits, turning off heating and air conditioning in buildings that are not being used during mid-week. I do not believe there are easy solutions, but through God’s revelation and grace we can be led to make choices that do not adversely affect God’s property. If we are going to reach lost people who care about the environment, we must show them that we also care about them and the environment because God cares about them and His creation.
Works Cited
Evangelical Environmental Network & Creation Care Magazine. “On the Care of
Creation: An Evangelical Declaration on the Care of Creation.”
http://www.creationcare.org/resources/declaration.php (3 Mar. 2003) online.
Holy Bible. New American Standard Bible. Grand Rapids: Word, 1960.
Stassen, Glen H. and David P. Gushee. Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in
Contemporary Context. Downer’s Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2003.
