Further Thoughts On Believer's Stewardship of Creation

Greg Johnson, Associate Pastor of Memorial Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, MO has some intriguing thoughts on Christian’s stewardship of God’s creation in light of the Cultural Mandate in Genesis 1:28. The following is gleaned from his 2002 IVP release entitled “the WORLD according to God”

“….remember that we were placed in the Garden with the directions to work it and take care of it (Gen 2:15). Our leadership of nature is a stewardship. We look after God’s creation for him. The creatures are God’s creatures (Ps 104:24), his works, in which he delights (Ps 104:31).

And the dominion God gives is not self-regulated. We exercise it under God’s law of love for him and neighbor. The command to love God includes within it the call to love what he loves – including his creation. Even the Mosaic legislation God gave Israel included protections for animals to prevent the extinction of the species (Deut 22:6-7).

Similarly God protected oxen from being muzzled while treading out grain (Deut 25:4). If we are going to use an ox to do our work, then we can’t hinder the animal from eating while it works. While our dominion over animals – at least since the flood – includes the freedom to eat them (Gen 9:3), God forbids cruelty to them. Human sin is the real problem behind the ecological crisis of our day – particularly greed, the root of all evil (1 Tim 6:10).

Creation itself pleads with us to consider the noble calling God gave it. The animals, trees, even the atmosphere have the same final calling humanity does: to display the character of God. (Granted, humanity is unique among all creation and the way in which we do this is different, but the ultimate calling is in fact the same, that being to glorify God) “The heavens declare the glory of God; / the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Ps 19:1). If nature does that, then to damage nature is a pretty serious crime – a sin that God will judge: “The time has come. . . for destroying those who destroy the earth” (Rev 11:18). The Scriptures call all creatures to praise Gods holy name (Ps 145:21), and God called the animals to increase and fill the earth as well (Gen 1:22). If each of the millions of species on earth has a calling from God to fulfill, then every species we exterminate diminishes the display of God’s glory. Environmental concern is a theological priority.

God calls us to establish human civilization for his glory, not for our own. He also calls us to serve the rest of his creation by enabling it to glorify him as well. We cannot do one at the expense of the other.”