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How does the garden grow?
Mike Perrin, Minffordd
Genesis 2:15 records that the Lord God took the man and put
him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Since that
day much has changed. Adam’s sin and eviction from Eden not only
destroyed his own enjoyment of God; it also initiated a downward spiral
of decay, disease and death that would affect both his descendants and
the natural world created by God as a dwelling place. Today, therefore,
we are constantly learning of detrimental changes affecting our planet
and the serious depletion of its finite resources. The curse of Genesis
3 with its promise of painful toil…thorns and thistles,
together with the bondage to decay described by Paul, hold
captive not only the human race but also its fragile environment.
Should we be concerned?
- Climate change is fiercely debated. Views range from an
irreversible and terminal
‘doomsday’ scenario on the one hand, to those who would have us
believe that current trends are merely evidence of repetitive cycles
of weather patterns that have alternately warmed and cooled our planet
over many centuries. The facts, however, are indisputable.
Desertification is on the increase with the Sahara moving southward
three miles each year. A rise in sea level has already rendered
low-lying agricultural land infertile in parts of Asia and forced
South Sea islanders to abandon their home in the Pacific. Nomadic
tribesmen in Siberia and Inuit Indians in NE Canada are also on the
move as permafrost and Arctic ice melts. Even now climatic change is
affecting communities around the world.
-
The rapid depletion of finite resources such
as oil, natural gas and even water is a serious problem. With 80% of
the world’s oil coming from countries that are politically unstable
and much of the gas we consume in Britain being piped across eastern
Europe, we have good reason to be concerned. The threat of long-term
water shortage is no longer a problem affecting central Africa alone.
Here in the UK as industrial needs increase and new homes are built,
water companies are hard pressed to meet the growing demand.
- The human destruction of natural habitat by deforestation,
together with the hunting and over-fishing of certain species to the
point of extinction is also causing irreversible damage to a fragile
ecosystem. Plants with valuable scientific and medicinal properties
are lost forever as the forests in which they grow are being destroyed
in acts of environmental vandalism.
Finally, and perhaps closest to home for many in
the west, there is a growing expectancy for an improving lifestyle.
A larger (or additional) car, more labour saving devices for home and
garden, and holidays further afield made possible by cut-price air
travel are no longer available only to the affluent. Yet the appetite
for such things not only widens the gap between the wealthy nations
and those of the Third World, but further fuels the problems mentioned
above. Vehicle emission and exhaust from jet aircraft are among the
worst polluters of our atmosphere.
A brief Biblical perspective
The Bible opens with a perfect creation.
Genesis 1 describes the creation of a universe in which God found
pleasure and pronounced good. The world he made was to be a
perfect environment for a perfect human race. He made everything
beautiful in its time (Ecclesiastes 3:11), because he was a
beautiful God. As a result the heavens declare the glory of God; the
skies proclaim the work of his hands (Psalm 19:1). Even after man’s
fall into sin this revelation would continue. Since the creation of
the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine
nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been
made, so that men are without excuse (Romans 1:20).
God gave to Adam a solemn responsibility;
namely, to be a good steward or husbandman of all that God had made
and entrusted to him. The words subdue and have dominion over God’s
creation (Genesis 1:28 AV) have led some to misrepresent God’s mandate
and man’s subsequent attitude toward creation. God is not condoning
exploitation by man here, but urging a beneficial rule or care (Genesis
2:15) that would cause the earth to flourish and increase in beauty.
Sadly, with Adam’s fall into sin, not only all
humankind but the whole of creation would suffer a tragic loss.
As a result of God’s condemnation and curse (Genesis 3:17-18) all that
God had made perfect became subject to futility and frustration
(Romans 8:20-21). However, this bondage to decay causing the
earth to be restless and groan (v22) will one day cease, when
both the children of God and creation itself will be
liberated.
Therefore with hope we may anticipate a glorious
redemption culminating in a new heaven and a new earth, the home
of righteousness (2 Peter 3:13).
The Christian response
With problems of such global proportions and
countries like China and India, not to mention the United States
responsible for far greater pollution than Great Britain whose carbon
emissions amount to just 2% of the world total, what can we possibly do?
Indeed, if we believe 2 Peter 3:11, are we to do anything but live
holy and godly lives? Our inability to solve global problems,
however, surely does nothing to negate personal responsibility. As
Christians, therefore, we should endeavour to manage our homes, use our
cars, and adopt a lifestyle that makes a minimal impact upon our
environment. We will also pray for those in authority and use our
democratic right to lobby politicians and influence government policy.
In a sentence, we will seek the glory of the Creator, by showing
appreciation, concern and care for all that he has made, and use every
opportunity to point others to him by our own wonder at his handiwork.
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