Theology for Everyone: Creation Care

By Matt Watson

This article is the second in a new series called Theology for Everyone. We believe that theology is inherently practical, so in this series, we will be taking a deep dive into some doctrines of faith and discuss how they apply to our everyday lives.

Creation Care and Dominion

Genesis 1:28-31--

“And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

Last week we looked at the doctrine called imago Dei, that mankind is made in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26-27). Man is commissioned to go into the wild world and subdue it, and in this way, we reflect the glory and person of God by making order out of chaos. Therefore, one of the direct implications of imago Dei is creation care or stewardship. Last year, we discussed stewardship as a spiritual discipline and you can read more about that here. This article expands on the idea of stewarding creation, and how it is a duty and responsibility for the saints to take care of God’s stuff.

God created everything, and everything belongs to him. We read in Genesis that God then made mankind, and gave our first parents Adam and Eve everything he owned. They had complete freedom to eat and enjoy everything in the garden (except that one tree), and when God saw all of this he declared that it was a good thing to give everything he owned to his children.

This has sadly and unnecessarily become a political issue, with left and right pitted against each other. But you do not need to be a tree-hugging vegan to care about the earth, because it’s our Father’s stuff and we should take care of it. It is fundamentally part of who we are as human beings.

Anthony Hoekema says, “Adam, in other words, was not only told to rule over nature; he was told to cultivate and care for that portion of the earth in which he had been placed. If human beings had been commanded only to rule over the earth, this command might easily have been misconstrued as an open invitation to irresponsible exploitation of the earth’s resources. But the injunction to work and take care of the Garden of Eden implies that we are to serve and preserve the earth as well as rule over it.”

How We Can Care For Creation

Likewise, God has placed each of us in a certain portion of the earth to steward. This includes family, your home, your apartment, your pets, your budget, your job, your business, and many other things. At The Well, we sometimes refer to our “spheres of influence” meaning the areas of life and of San Antonio that we go about our day. Someone living in Stone Oak may not have spheres of influence in Southtown. Wherever you work, live, and play, and all the people in those places, are in your sphere of influence, your little portion of the earth to steward. In these areas take care to make them better. 

What things do you enjoy doing? What has the Lord given you to enjoy him through? I like to do things outside. I like to hunt and fish, go camping, hiking, and generally enjoy God through his creation. It is something I care about and It is within my sphere of influence. I want to protect the activities and resources so I can continue to do them with my kids, and so that they can also enjoy God through them. One way I do this is I have carved out space in our budget to donate to and support organizations that fight to steward these things I care about. 

What does that look like for you? Do you like the park by your house where your kids go to play? Does it give you relief that they have a place to work out their energy? Then take care of it. Pick up trash, let the city know when the bathrooms need to be cleaned. If you don’t like the park next to your house because it’s dirty or unsafe, then do something about it. The city might manage the park, but we each have a personal responsibility to take care of what is ours. 

It is the easiest thing to not throw your garbage on the ground, yet for some reason, we see people wantonly tossing empty drink containers out of their car windows. Christians have a responsibility as rulers of this earth to teach our kids to not litter. We have a responsibility to show an unbelieving world that there is a better way than carelessly tossing refuse on the ground, or being too lazy to seek out a trash can.

In fact, the best part of caring for creation is the testimony it gives us to non-Christians. It is a bridge builder to more gospel-filled conversations. My wife and I were friends with a couple who were polar opposites from us in beliefs, politics, morality, and even diet. But we were friends because we cared about the environment and that let us have conversations where we were able to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them. That is what is at stake when we care for creation: we care for our neighbors and enemies for the glory of God. 

How Does Jesus Care for Creation?

Colossians 1:16 says, “For by him [Jesus] all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” Likewise, we read in John 1:3 we read, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Our King owns everything, and everything was created for Jesus through Jesus. This includes us! He cared for us by stepping off his throne and being born in the humblest of circumstances in a barn. He lived a blue-collar life as a carpenter, before power tools. He made friends and suffered strained relationships, even betrayal, as we do. He cared for the sick and the poor, and all those who confessed they were weak in sin and needed a savior. 

He withstood temptation from Satan. He who knew no sin took on our sin at the cross. He was pierced for our transgressions and destroyed for our iniquities. Jesus was the Good Shepherd that didn’t abandon his sheep in danger but gave his life that the sheep might live. In so doing he gave his righteousness to us and took our sin.

He destroyed death. In his resurrection, he confirmed our salvation from the penalty of sin. In faith, we will share with him in new bodies untouched by the curse of sin. We will live forever with him in glory. And we will continue to work the earth as our King makes all things new (Rev 21:5). 

May we imitate our Lord Jesus Christ in how he rules and serves his people, by ruling and serving the people, places, and things he puts in our charge. Creation care is not politics; it is part of being made in the image and likeness of God.