A Little Closer To Heaven

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:26

…for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground. Genesis 2:5b

Wow…these verses speak to me. They should speak to every follower of the way of Christ. Throughout the years…these verses have been used in a very negative manner. People have abused the Word of God throughout the years for thier own purposes. This is perhaps one of the most misunderstood places in God’s word. These verses have been used to justify the destroying of our environment, the destruction of endangered species, and many other evils.

Now, I would in no way consider myself liberal in my politics. If you want the truth, I’m very conservative, but I’m very passionate about the environment and the world I live in. I am also not a liberal in my Theology. I’m very conservative, and because I’m conservative with my understanding of scripture, I try my hardest to read the Bible for what it says by understanding the context, background, original languages, etc.

So, what do these verses say to me? First, God has given man dominion over all of creation. Sometimes, I think that we go too far with our environmentalism and we act like this world is a better place without human involvement. I would totally disagree with that. According to my beliefs, this world is here for my benefit and for we are here for it’s benefit. However…I don’t think that this verse gives us the right to do whatever we feel like with our planet. Instead of viewing our place on this Earth with a “Do what I feel like attitude,” we should take this verse as a grave responsibility. God gave us dominion over all of His creation. Wow…do you know what that is? It’s a call to be a Christian tree hugger. It’s a call to take care of this world that He’s entrusted us with. It’s a call to leave this place with it’s beauty and awe, and it’s resources that we desperately need for our future generations. It’s a call for us to be responsible and to be good stewards of the resources that God has given us.

The second verse…there was no man to to work the ground. Do you know what that is saying? The Earth needs us. It can’t take care of itself the way it should. Before man…the earth was crying out for someone to subdue it. To take care of it. To treat it the way it was created to be treated. To help balance things out the way they should and need to be balanced. The Earth needs man…but you know what else? Man needs the Earth. This world provides us with the resources that we need to survive. From it we get food, shelter, and security. Earth needs man and man needs Earth.

We have a responsibility to take care of this Earth. To treat it as it should be treated. I am tired of hearing Christians badmouthed by others because we don’t care about the environment. I’m tired of Christians using God’s word to justify their abuse of God’s resources. Both parties are wrong and have a misunderstanding of Christianity. It’s time that we take a stand for what’s right. It’s time that Christ followers take back their responsibilities and fulfill them to the glory of God.

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