Stewardship

Stewardship 

 

Genesis 1:28

“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”  

 

In various Creation Moments, I have sometimes criticized the so-called green movement over its obsession with the flawed concept of Climate Change. For example, the demonization of the naturally occurring gas carbon dioxide, essential for the life and growth of plants, makes little sense. In practice, the contribution of artificially produced CO2 as a greenhouse gas is negligible compared with materials such as water vapor. And the panic caused by dire predictions of global warming catastrophes are contrary to God’s words about the seasons continuing as long as the Earth endures. 

 

However, we should not leap to the opposite conclusion that all environmental science is flawed. Indeed, the Bible lays down a reason, as well as a mandate, for human beings to look after this planet on which we live. This is the biblical concept of stewardship, which is first outlined in the very first chapter of the Bible. 

 

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.” 

 

By commissioning humanity to have dominion over all creatures and to subdue the Earth, God established us as stewards. The quality and cleanliness of our rivers, lakes, oceans, and living spaces is a solemn responsibility for humanity, and we are neglecting our God-given duty when we allow pollution of any sort to spoil and degrade the world. Projects which improve our environment in tangible ways are, therefore, in accord with what the Bible teaches. 

 

Prayer: Father, help us to be good stewards of this planet, and as biblically motivated people and churches, give us this biblical concern for the environment in which we live. Amen. 

 

Ref: < https://cornwallalliance.org/category/environmental-subjects/ >, accessed 3/27/2018. Image: Public Domain (NASA).