“What we do in life echoes in eternity!” Do my actions in the here and now affect the there and after? According to Maximus from Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator, it does. This is a question that we have been dealing with in my community group the past couple of weeks. We have been dialoguing a lot about Christians and earth-care and the affect that certain mindsets have had on our overall view of the earth. Do we as Christians have an obligation to this earth, and if so, what is that obligation?
I have a friend who is not a Christian and highly values the earth and the care of the earth. I asked him once about what he knew when it came to earth-care and the Bible. He responded to me: “From my understanding, the bible teaches that there is no reason to take care of the earth as a Christian, because in the end things will just be destroyed anyway.” My heart melted, I knew this was the message the church and church leaders have most certainly projected as the church’s position. Christians are not asked about environmental issues because those asking the questions already know what the answer is going to be.
But is this what the bible teaches, or is it a misunderstanding of scriptural teaching? In the Garden there was perfection. God walked together with Man in the cool of the day and perfect peace and all animals, plants and people enjoyed harmony. God said to Man “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Gen. 1:28 NIV) Man is most certainly commanded to rule over the earth in this passage. However, we must understand what it is to rule as God’s steward in order to rule rightly and justly. The concept of authority and ruling over the earth implicitly states that we are to be the caretakers of the earth. This passage has been used in the past as a defense of utilizing the earth for whatever our wants, needs and desires are. However, a good ruler recognizes the needs of that which is being ruled as well as his/her own needs. This is where the misunderstanding of the concept of ruling and authority occurs. As Christians we are to rule over the earth with an understanding of what the earth needs as well. This does not give us the right to take whatever we want but rather what we need so there will be enough for all. Mahatma Gandhi once said: “There is enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.”
Another argument Christians use against earth-care is that according 2 Peter the earth will be destroyed anyway and so why should we even bother with this current earth. I believe that this too is a misconception of what scripture teaches. The fires of 2 Peter perhaps are not fires of complete destruction, but rather fires of purification and reconciliation. The Lord is a big fan of reconciliation and redemption. And so it follows within his nature that he would not completely destroy the earth but rather make it new: as in new to those who inhabit it. This fire will destroy the imperfection and unrighteousness that has settled on this earth since the fall of man and leave the beautiful imprint and reconciled image of what was intended to be. If God’s plan the whole time was to destroy the earth and make it new, then why did He go through tedious task of redeeming his people over and over again? Instead, it is just like God to reconcile not only those who inhabit the earth, but also the earth along with them.
Christ was the first fruits of all humanity (1Cor. 15:20) and we are the first fruits of all Creation (James 1:18). Bruxy Cavey says “Resurrection is a foretaste of what we look forward to experiencing and what we will experience is a foretaste of what all creation will look forward to experiencing.” The Lord gave some pretty strict Levitical laws to the ancient Jews about taking care of the earth and the punishment for not following through with those laws was expulsion from the land, for his covenant was not just with humanity but with all of creation (Gen. 9:8-10). Earth care is not just for Greenpeace and hippies, it is our responsibility and duty to rule over the earth with proper stewardship and understand that what we do in this life echoes in eternity. It is those who have shown proper stewardship and care who are brought into the Kingdom.
