Scriptural Ecology

SCRIPTURAL ECOLOGY

Ecology is the study of relationships. Oikos (meaning house - envinroment) and logos (meaning word - study) come together to mean the study of the natural environment. Scriptural ecology is the study of relationships through Scripture, namely the relationship between creation, man, and the Creator.

In God’s Word, there are three states of ecology.

1)             The perfect state of nature in which God created the world (Past)

2)             The cursed state of nature as result from man’s sin (Present)

3)             The perfect new state in which God will create a new heavens and new earth (Future)

Stewardship is responsibility over something that does not belong to you, such a servant’s stewardship of his master’s property. To be a good steward of money results from the belief that the money does not belong to you, but to God who was given it to you, and you must use it wisely. Man does not own this earth. Part of it may be your possession, you may possess it, but you do not retain full power over the forces of nature. Thus, it belongs to God and to be good stewards of this earth, we must live wisely, responsibly, and unselfishly.

Environmental stewardship is taken by some to mean that because we humans affect the environment through our actions, we should take responsibility over the environment. However this statement is not completely true. Animals and plants affect the environment but they are not stewards of it. It is God who created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) and He that created man to have dominion over it.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 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. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

(Genesis 1:26-31 KJV)

Read Genesis 1:26-31. God made man in this state:

1)     In God’s likeness

2)     To have dominion over all creatures on earth

3)     Male and female

4)     Blessed

5)     Mission to

a.     Multiply

b.    Subdue

6)     Herb, tree, seeds, for food

It is God created and fashioned man. God gave man dominion (reign), and commanded man to multiply(increase in number) and subdue (conquer) the earth. This is the perfect state of nature in which God created the heavens and the earth. This is man’s role. As kings over the earth, man is responsible to God and over creation. Man had power over creation.

Read Genesis 3. Man relinquished that power and came under the dominion of sin. Everything changed. Man was now in this state:

1)     In the likeness of sinful flesh. (Gen 5:3 tells us that Adam begot a son in his own image. Man now bears the image of sinful Adam)

2)     Under the dominion of sin, self, Satan, sickness, and the world

3)     Cursed to

a.     Female - Multiply (in sorrow)

b.    Male- Toil and sweat to bring forth food.

c.     Both – die.

How does this effect ecology? The relationship between man and his environment is changed. God doesn’t reverse what he created, but man has changed his relationship to God by creating a barrier of sin and has brought curses down upon the earth.

Finally, the third state in which we Christians are in now, as related to the environment, through Christ:

1)     In the likeness of God and man – Christ was fully God and fully man. We are being transformed into Christ’s image (Ephesians 4)

2)     Dominion (Ephesians 1) over all, including sin, self, Satan, sickness, and the world – in Christ who is our victory

3)     A new man, Christ, (Colossians 3) where there is no race or gender (Galatians 3:28). Though “male and female he created them”, “there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

4)     Blessed, victory over the curse

5)     Mission to:

a.     Multiple (preach the gospel of the kingdom to all nations)

b.    Subdue the peoples under Christ!

6)     Christ is our eternal bread of life.

God does not reverse us to the pre-sin state, but Christ exalts us above the curses of sin and disobedience. Christ ended that Adamic curse in our lives.

Christ was fully man, and the Christian (follower of Christ) is not a homo religiouso, but still fully man, but a new man in Christ, fully man and fully God, fully flesh and fully spirit. Thus creation will be united in the cross.

Christ said, “Blessed are the peacemakers”. Eph 2:12-19 tells us that Christ is our peace. He has made peace for us with God the Father. Therefore in Christ we also are restored to that dominion over creation. We must be joined to Christ in the cross, and thus become peacemakers together with Him, bearers of that peace and reconcialiation between man, his Creator, and His creation.

When man sins against creation he sins against the creator. Therefore concerning the study of relationships, in Christ we can have a reconciled relationship to creation. This will be fully evident in the coming Kingdom of Heaven, when creation is reconciled to itself. We will reign again as Kings with Christ the King, over the heavens and the earth. This reign of the Kingdom of heaven will be far above stewardship given to Adam, because we reign as God reigns, in Christ, in total power and glory. The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of God, YHWH, as the waters cover the sea.

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

(Isaiah 11:6-9 KJV)