Found within the Bible are numerous passages that teach how the world is God’s, and it belongs to Him. The psalmist declared in Psalm 24:1-2 [RSV], “The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein; for He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.”
The Earth is the Lord’s because He created it. Speaking of Jesus Christ, the writer of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 1:1-3 [RSV], “In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days He has spoken to us by a Son, Whom He appointed the heir of all things, through Whom also He created the world. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of His nature, upholding the universe by His word of power.”
Not only is He the Creator of the world and all of the wonders of the cosmos, Jesus Christ is also the Sustainer of the universe. The Apostle Paul says in Colossians 1:17, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Without Jesus Christ being alive and well, the universe would cease to exist.
Since we have seen how the Earth is the Lord’s because He created it and He continues to sustain it, it behooves all Christians everywhere to do what we can to respect and honor God’s world so that we will have it and the resources it offers and produces for future generations to come. This is only being a good steward.
Christian environmental stewardship – as image-bearers of God – is a central, joyful, satisfying aspect of our task here on God’s Earth. As communities of God’s stewards, our churches and our lives can be vibrant testimonies that glorify our Redeemer and Creator, as the Body of the One Who made, sustains, and reconciles the world. “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being” writes John in Revelation 4:11.
Yes, we should honor God by being a good steward of His creation. But we should never do as we see some doing, which is replacing God the Creator with idols, and elevating the Earth to the status of a goddess to be worshipped. As Paul warned, they have “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles” (Romans 1:23). Let us respect the Earth, but never worship it. Let us always give our lives in worship to the one and only true and living God Who created everything!
The Earth is the Lord’s because He created it. Speaking of Jesus Christ, the writer of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 1:1-3 [RSV], “In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days He has spoken to us by a Son, Whom He appointed the heir of all things, through Whom also He created the world. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of His nature, upholding the universe by His word of power.”
Not only is He the Creator of the world and all of the wonders of the cosmos, Jesus Christ is also the Sustainer of the universe. The Apostle Paul says in Colossians 1:17, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Without Jesus Christ being alive and well, the universe would cease to exist.
Since we have seen how the Earth is the Lord’s because He created it and He continues to sustain it, it behooves all Christians everywhere to do what we can to respect and honor God’s world so that we will have it and the resources it offers and produces for future generations to come. This is only being a good steward.
Christian environmental stewardship – as image-bearers of God – is a central, joyful, satisfying aspect of our task here on God’s Earth. As communities of God’s stewards, our churches and our lives can be vibrant testimonies that glorify our Redeemer and Creator, as the Body of the One Who made, sustains, and reconciles the world. “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being” writes John in Revelation 4:11.
Yes, we should honor God by being a good steward of His creation. But we should never do as we see some doing, which is replacing God the Creator with idols, and elevating the Earth to the status of a goddess to be worshipped. As Paul warned, they have “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles” (Romans 1:23). Let us respect the Earth, but never worship it. Let us always give our lives in worship to the one and only true and living God Who created everything!
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