“Is God green? Did Jesus have anything to say about the environment? What is my role as a Christian in caring for the earth?” These questions caught my attention as I thumbed through the introductory pages of The Green Bible. Just as many versions of the Bible highlight Jesus’ words in red, this version features verses about the elements of creation in green. Intrigued, I opened to Genesis. The entire first page, and much of the second, appeared in grass-colored ink.
As I read through some of the Bible’s other green passages, it occurred to me that as earthlings, we’re more like tenants than owners. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (1 Corinthians 10:26), and yet, “[The Lord] has given the earth to all humanity” (Psalm 115:16). Since God is ultimately in charge of our cosmic address, we should take good care of His property.
God furnished the earth for some important purposes: to keep us alive and for our enjoyment. In an opening statement to humankind, He said: I’ve given you every plant and all the fruit trees for your food (Genesis 1:28-30). He fashioned an atmosphere that allows us to breathe (Genesis 1:6-8). He set the world in motion so that gravity would keep our feet on the ground.
Today, everyone agrees that the earth sustains human life. The problem is that some people make the mistake of “worship[ing] and serv[ing] the things God created instead of the Creator Himself” (Romans 1:25). The earth is not sacred. Our planet is temporary, and when it has served God’s purposes, He will throw back the curtains to reveal a new heaven and a fresh earth (Revelation 21:1).
Until then, we are to “govern” (Genesis 1:28) our globe, and to wisely use its resources. We should never be “seduced,” however, into worshiping any part of God’s creation (Deuteronomy 4:19).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 2 Kings 11:1-21
More:
Read Joshua 10:13 and Luke 8:24 to see how God can bend the rules of nature at His will. Read Matthew 10:29 to learn more about God’s care for wildlife.
Next:
How does the Bible influence your view of the earth? How can you share what the Bible says about the environment with others?
bapearl on April 26, 2012 at 2:21 am
You are so right in saying that we should worship the Creator and not the created! When we do worship Jesus, then we will also want to treat that which He has given into our care with love and tenderness, recognizing that He and He alone is the Owner, and we are stewards of what He has graciously placed in our hands. When we fail to care for what He has already given us, how can we arrogantly ask for more? We need to turn to Him for His strength to maintain and care for what He has already granted us to sustain, and when we have shown that we can do that, and only then, should we look to see if He will give us more for which to care. Otherwise, we are not only being poor stewards; we are also being greedy and careless!
jennifer benson schuldt on April 26, 2012 at 3:29 pm
bapearl,
Sometimes I’m amazed that God created this beautiful world, and then that he passed it over to us as humans. What a responsibility! He did so knowing that we would harm the earth in some ways–both intentionally and unintentionally, and that we would cultivate it and maintain it well in other cases. When we are good stewards of the earth, it’s one way to express our appreciation (to God) for all of creation!
marvin williams on April 26, 2012 at 7:09 am
Jennifer, I love this devotional, especially these two lines: “…we’re more like tenants than owners. … Since God is ultimately in charge of our cosmic address, we should take good care of His property.” When we own something, sometimes, our stewardship is not as defined and refined. I suppose this is true because we tend to think we can easily go out and purchase another. However, when we truly recognize that something belongs to someone else, our stewardship sensitivities are heightened and we are more responsible. May I live like a tenant today, taking good care of the world that belongs to our Father.
jennifer benson schuldt on April 26, 2012 at 3:53 pm
Hi Marvin!
In our world today, we see many things as disposable, and I think this lessens the need for diligent stewardship. These days, we often have the opportunity to replace whatever it is that we “own” when it wears out. However, we can’t let this thinking seep into the way we view our planet.
God gave us only one beautiful planet earth, which is brimming with resources for our benefit. He does still own it, but we’ve got to actively govern it and take care of it.
Thanks for posting your thoughts! 🙂
daisymarygoldr on April 26, 2012 at 10:18 am
Awesome post, Jennifer! In an attempt to go green at work, I tried track changes in green instead of the default red. The green letters did look less harsh and pleasant to the eyes. But it was no match to the red ink effect that clearly points out errors and facilitates effective learning. So, after a week of trying I reverted back to red.
You are right; we should not be seduced into worshiping any part of God’s creation. Seductions can be subtle. Like this verse, “…Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy…so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!” (Romans 15:13 The Message). Honestly, it felt weird to read a familiar scripture written like this.
Whether we are Christians or non Christians, every sensible human has the common sense to take care and not to abuse our bodies and the planet. Environmental clean-up was a big part of my academic program. The finding we made is both beneficial to society and is also helping me to make my living. But certainly this work will not receive any reward in Heaven.
There is nothing wrong about caring for the environment. It is wrong when this becomes the focus of Christians. Jesus did not commission His Church to care for creation. If that had been His purpose, then His sermon probably would have included a section on how to save trees. And Peter would have preached on protecting marine life to save the fishes. Luke, the physician would have given us an account on affordable health care Acts.
Clearly, we are not commanded to spread the green gospel. And those who spend their God-given talents, treasure, and time in preaching anything other than the gospel of salvation will surely have their reward. Christians, who get caught up in caring for the temporal, soon become disillusioned and lose sight of the eternal. We do care for our earthly dwelling but our eyes are fixed on our heavenly home.
On a positive note, regardless of what the motive is behind the green passages, we know God makes all things work together for good—even to save souls through the green Bible. Let us not exploit our environment, and at the same time we need to always be mindful of our future dwelling. Believers should be discerning and not be deceived into worship of creation. God Himself declared: “As surely as my new heavens and earth will remain… All humanity will come to worship me…” (Isaiah 66:22-23)
jennifer benson schuldt on April 26, 2012 at 3:41 pm
daisymarygoldr,
You are right–we can’t replace caring for others, and worshipping God with saving the earth, as our main focus. However, I do see “going green” and other environmental preservation efforts as good things.
One great reason for taking care of the environment is that the earth (and all of its beauty) points us to God. The Bible tells us that creation speaks of God “without a word or sound…yet their message has gone throughout the earth.” (Psalm 19:1-6).
winn collier on April 28, 2012 at 11:34 am
I appreciate the image of tenants, sub-owners if you will. I do think the renewal of creation is something that is already at work now, in God’s renewing Kingdom. This gives all of our God-honoring work a redemptive arc, knowing (as Paul said) that our labor is not in vein. This makes care for creation part of humanity’s God-giving mandate, right back as it was for Adam and Eve.