Day 364.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. (Revelation 21:1 ESV)
We forget that all of creation was affected by man’s fall and the consequent curse. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, their relationships all became distorted. Their relationship with each other (blame), with God (they hid), and with creation (the ground was cursed). Romans tells us that all of creation is groaning under the curse, waiting for the sons of God to be revealed. So all of creation is affected by man’s fall. Let’s explore how, just a bit.
Man was instructed in the garden to exercise dominion over the earth. Since the fall he hasn’t done that well. Rather than exercise dominion, he has exercised domination over the earth. He has exploited it for his own ends, rather than ruled it for its own good. When we think about a good king, we think of a King that governs for the welfare of his people and does not oppress his people for his own gain. That is what man is to do with creation. Christians should be environmentalists and caring for the creatures of our planet as good governors. There is much about the shalom that will one day pervade a restored Israel that includes peace among God’s creatures and fertile soil and crops. The new heavens and new earth will be such a place. The curse will be lifted and man’s heart made new. The motivation for being green in the best sense is not pantheism (as Hollywood icons would have you believe with movies such as Avatar), but Christianity.
What is your view of the environment?
Ask the Lord for eyes that see it through a Biblical lens.
McCheyne’s reading plan: 2 Ch 35, Re 21, Mal 3, Ps 149
Some places we see it is used up too much people things, power plants, etc… Some places I see beauty. Our job is o protect it and to keep it clean.