IT'S NOT EITHER/OR, IT'S BOTH/AND

All the hype surrounding rising oil prices, extreme weather conditions, and food crises around the world has caused the majority of people to begin considering human impact on the earth. The world community is finally admitting that our industry and daily practices don't exist in a vacuum separate from the air, water, soil, plants, and animals around us. However, despite the general outcry, numerous groups still refuse to confront the fact that we need to change the way we do things on our planet. Among them are many Christians. Perhaps they see environmental stewardship as a secular issue, not serving the Christian agenda of reaching the lost; unfortunately for them, this "secular vs. sacred" attitude is untrue and unbiblical.

Being a Christian means following Jesus with our whole selves, not just part or most, but completely. Jesus said, "[I]f anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). And further, "[I]f anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26). It is living a life of integrity in every area, having Jesus be Lord of all we are and do. For Christians, the spiritual implications of forsaking everything in pursuit of Jesus are often more obvious than the tangible implications. But should our love of God change how we do business, use energy, consume water and other commodities? YES.

When asked what was the greatest commandment, Jesus replied, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:30, 31). Practically living an environmentally friendly, sustainable life on this earth is included in both of these directives. Here's how:

LOVING GOD

1. We love God by obeying him. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey what I command" (John 14:15). Since Jesus is the Word (John 1:1-18), he has been speaking since the creation of the world. In the beginning God commanded Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground" (Genesis 1:28). He "took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it" (Genesis 2:15, emphasis added). It is important to note that this command of ruling the earth and taking care of it is given before the Law was given. Some Christians will argue that because we are under a new covenant in Christ we can ignore, as it were, much of the Old Testament commands. However, just as Paul points out that we have the right to be children of God because of Abraham's faith--faith that was credited to him as righteousness before he received the sign of circumcision and the law was given to Israel (Romans 4:9-11)--we have the responsibility to fulfill the Creation Mandate (i.e. steward the earth) because it was also given before the Law.

As believers we must steward that which we have been given, individually and corporately, spiritually and physically. The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) shows three servants entrusted with their master's money; two invest it and get a good return, whereas one digs a hole in the ground to hide and save it because he is afraid of his master. We have done much worse than just hiding and saving the earth we have been entrusted with--we have polluted it and destroyed much of it through industry and waste. And even as we see the consequences of our mistakes, we don't stop and seek to fix the situation. No, we just barrel on ahead and think, "Well, Jesus is coming back and going to destroy the whole thing anyway." That's disgusting!

2. We love God by loving and respecting what he does. After making the heavens and the earth,

"God saw all that he had made, and [he declared that] it was very good.... Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden, and there he put the man he had formed. And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground--trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food..." (Genesis 1:31; 2:8, 9).

God loves his creation; he calls it good and pleasing. Why would we destroy, disregard, and consider unimportant that which he considers good and gave to us as a gift? I am ashamed that I know SO few believers (Christians) who are convicted about living a green life. Rather it's the unbelievers who are convinced that we need to change the way we live on the earth. Not that Christians should shift our focus completely and belittle the importance of people's spiritual lives, absolutely not. But we can fulfill the Creation Mandate at the same time as the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19, 20)! In fact, "teaching [people] to obey everything [Jesus] has commanded [us]" surely includes what he teaches in the other 62 books of the Bible, especially some of the very first commandments he gave to man!

LOVING OTHERS

We love others by fulfilling the Great Commission. Before Jesus was taken up to heaven after his resurrection, he commanded his followers, "[G]o and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you..." (Matthew 28:19, 20). Christians focus most of their efforts to fulfill this command on evangelism, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ--his atoning sacrifice to bring people into relationship with God--with unbelievers. This element of obedience is extremely important, but it is only partial obedience. Teaching people to believe in Jesus isn't enough; we must also to teach them to do what he said. As James says,

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:14-17).

So what did Jesus say relating to environmentalism? The Bible teaches that "[a] man reaps what he sows" (Galatians 6:7). If we sow degradation of the land, we'll reap a polluted earth. We must understand the interrelatedness of all things--what affects "the environment" affects us in the food we eat, the air we breathe, our ability to build homes, infrastructure, etc. This isn't just about saving the whales and the polar bears; it's about making sure humans have a future on earth too. How can we serve others by feeding and clothing them when we've done everything possible to destroy our means of making food and clothing?

Loving our neighbor must include the generations that will come after us. Christians pray for the salvation of our children and their children and beyond, even that they will know Jesus at a young age. People invest and store up money to give to their children and grandchildren. But we seem to forget another very practical element of what the future generations need--a place to live. Since we don't know the dates and times of Jesus' return, we should make sure our progeny has a place to live, breathe, and enjoy creation. Let's not preemptively destroy the earth. How will they breathe if we keep pumping air pollutants from coal-fired power plants and burning petroleum? How will they get food if we deplete all the soil nutrients through poor farming practices and use of chemicals? How will they get clean water if we poison every fresh water source through contaminated storm water runoff? How will they stay healthy? None of this may happen for 100+ years, but if Jesus waits to return and the end doesn't happen for a lot longer, it will happen. We're so concerned with saving people's souls (and rightly so), but we appear hell-bent on killing their bodies. Why would we do that?

Green Living Is Part of Christian Stewardship

In God's ecology death brings life: "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds" (John 12:24). In the natural world, planting a seed in the ground brings much fruit after the crop matures. Death also brings life when decaying organic matter works as fertilizer to nourish the soil and foster new growth. Most importantly we see this law at work in the spiritual world--through Jesus' sacrifice we have been brought from death to life; we are created in God's image and saved by him in order to live a fruitful life in this age and the one to come. Therefore, as his ambassadors, what we touch (human and inanimate) should become better, more whole, healed, and beautiful, not the opposite. In doing this we glorify him and show the world we are his disciples by our love.

Living a green life won't save us, but it is a proper response to being saved by Jesus Christ. We shouldn't place undue emphasis on being green at the expense of preaching the Gospel, but fulfilling the Creation Mandate is part of our call to steward what God has given us in this life. For we are "servants of Christ and ...those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful" (1 Corinthians 4:1, 2). Let us prove faithful in every area.

The Holy Bible, New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002.