Why We Are Environmentalists

Scripture: Romans 8.18-25; Matthew 13.24-30, 36-43


Lots of people care about the environment these days. Even if you don’t normally attach the word “environmentalist” next to your name, still, I would suggest that we live in a time of heightened awareness of environmental issues affecting us locally and globally. We care about the quality of water we drink and food we eat. We watch Discovery Channel and Animal Planet. We hear about global warming, and no matter where you are on that scale of concern, you care about the planet.

There is no such thing as Nature, according the Bible. There is the Creation. Nature is an impersonal thing arising by chance, studied and measured by scientists. Nature is the temple of scientific naturalism. Creation, by contrast, is the ongoing, visible and invisible work of a Good and Intelligent God. God has put a lot of thought and effort into this Creation. The Bible is clear – Don’t trash God’s place!

The Bible recognizes that the Creation is in a fallen, or imperfect state due to the corruption of humanity. The world has suffered for the sin of Adam’s race. We should ask ourselves what might the planet still look like if we had remained in innocence and obedience to God in Eden? What would the course of this planet have been in God’s perfection intention?

“But the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope.” 8.20


What this passage seems to be saying is that God said, if humanity is gonna fall, the creation is gonna fall with them. But God is not tearing is house down in anger like some child destroying his play blocks. Rather, God is saying I have hope for human beings yet, the crowning achievement of my creation. When they are totally redeemed in glory, then too will the creation be set free from the sorry state its in. The creation will be returned to a new glory.

“the creation itself also will be set free from it’s slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. . .”

You don’t have to be a scientist to wonder, without the Fall of Man, would there even be a Second Law of Thermodynamics, “everything must eventually break down.” Do healthy cells really have to grow tired or grow cancerous? Do deserts have to spread and water grow scarce? Does the growth of one species have to mean the death of another?

These questions and the potential of the Creation to be what God intends, as I have suggested, depends on us. The Bible inextricably binds the fate of the planet with the fate of humankind. Creation is a vital part of the Redemption plan which in turn will bring us full circle to a new heaven and a new earth.

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.” Revelation 21.1-2

One of the least understood aspects of Christian faith is what will happen to this world in God’s future. We all assume that believers will be zapped up to heaven and planet earth, I guess, thrown away. But listen to this scripture – it mentions a new heaven and new earth, but I believe its talking about the new glory that this present world will inherit when Christ’s kingdom comes in fullness. Nowhere are we told the earth will be annihilated nor are told we will be whisked to another planet or universe. This is it. However, eyes have not seen nor minds imagined what this earth and these heavens will look like when the Kingdom Comes. Hallelujah!

What do we do in the “mean time?” Here are some important truths:

Reconnect with the Creation as a vital witness of God’s truth and goodness. The Bible says that the Creation is a primary witness to all human beings that there is a God and God is true and good and powerful (Romans 1). The Creation continues to witness to “all who have ears to ear”; to all “who taste and see that the Lord is good.”

That’s why a book like Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is so disturbing. It asks the question, if the earth essentially died, would there still be a God to believe in? I think I know the answer to that, but the question shows me how important the goodness and the vitality of the Creation are to our faith in the Creator.

Get out in the woods. Take a drive in the country. Plant a garden and you will meet the Lord of Life there.

I took the boys to the Blair County Youth Field Day last Saturday. Our own Sam Dunkle had a learning station there called Litterbugs. We learned how long different pieces of trash would last in the environment - Cigarette butts last months, newspaper lasts years, an aluminum can will lay there in the woods for 500 years. Then we saw a big character in a Litterbug constume spread litter around the place and in the end the kids where asked to help clean up the litter. In return, the kids got a dollar for helping (so they could go out and buy something that would produce more litter!)

We are superconsumers. Faithful living leads us to less consumption of resource, cleaner living and simpler lifestyles. The earth and the created order has an amazing power to renew itself, or perhaps more accurately, be renewed by God. But when the man and woman were set loose with the command, “Go and fill the earth,” the command was to rule, order, steward; not use up.

Dave Matthews has a song called “Too Much” that pretty well describes the lifestyles of most of us. The Lord calls us to live with at least a preference for simplicity. If I can go smaller, cheaper, fewer, or without altogether; more often than not, I should.

The very Sacrament of the Table speaks to such simplicity. Its almost laughable in our age of gluttonness consumption that the Lord calls us to a Table, come and eat, and what we are offered is bread and wine, and the meagerest of portions at that. We don’t get a menu. We don’t sit down to a fancy meal with all the fixings. It is far, even, from a Happy Meal at a fast food joint. But it is a banquet given to all without price and all come away full for the fullness comes from the presence of God.

“for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14.17)


God has placed us in the very important position of gardener in the fields of the Lord. We go out to the fields and look in dismay at the weeds that have grown up among good crop. But according to the parable, God is not too worried about those weeds. “I’ll take care of them at judgment time.”

What God asks us is what kind of gardener are you? What kind of person are you becoming? Do you give thought only to your own needs of today or do you live with mind for a hopeful future for you and others?

Have you been faithful in a few things so that he “can entrust you with many things”? (Matthew 25.21)

This Creation is eternal. We are eternal. The intention of God is that we should each become the kind of person whom he can set free in his universe, empowered to do what we want to do.

That’s an amazing thought - we will become persons that God truly can trust and let loose to go all the good we want. We will “shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of the Father,” (Matthew 13.43)

Eternity is a long time and I believe God has much for us to do. He’s got plans. We won’t be just sitting around staring at each other. It won’t be just one long church service. There will be wonderous creation going on. There will be amazing activity and productivity and the true meaning of peace. Are you the kind of person ready for that eternity?