Christians and the Environment
March 19th, 2008
(By John MacArthur)
I do think we have a responsibility to care for the environment — we ought to care for every resource God has provided for us.
That’s illustrated in the Old Testament account where God put Israel in the Promised Land, a fertile land flowing with milk and honey. God provided them that productive land and commanded them to let the soil rest every seventh year.
You shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield, but on the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove (Exodus 23:10-11; cf. Leviticus 25:1-7).
God gave that command because He didn’t want them to exploit the land and extract all its life. Allowing the land to rest every seven years ensured that it rejuvenated itself and continued to provide in the future.
When the Lord gave the Israelites the Mosaic Law, He warned them if they apostatized, He would remove them from the land (Deuteronomy 28). Sadly, the children of Israel did just that and came under judgment—the Northern tribes fell to Assyria in 722 B.C., and Judah to Babylon in 605 B.C. In fact, God designated the Babylonian captivity as a seventy-year captivity to rest the land for all the Sabbath years that Israel violated (cf. Leviticus 26:33-35; 2 Chronicles 36:17–21).
So I believe we are charged to treat responsibly all the wonderful resources God has given us. But that, in fact, has very little to do with the environmental movement. The environmental movement is consumed with trying to preserve the planet forever. But we know that isn’t in God’s plan.
The earth we inhabit is not a permanent planet. It is, frankly, a disposable planet—it is going to have a very short life. It’s been around six thousand years or so—that’s all—and it may last a few thousand more. And then the Lord is going to destroy it.
I’ve told environmentalists that if they think humanity is wrecking the planet, wait until they see what Jesus does to it. Peter says God is going to literally turn it in on itself in an atomic implosion so that the whole universe goes out of existence (2 Peter 3:7-13).
This earth was never ever intended to be a permanent planet—it is not eternal. We do not have to worry about it being around tens of thousands, or millions, of years from now because God is going to create a new heaven and a new earth. Understanding those things is important to holding in balance our freedom to use, and responsibility to maintain, the earth.
Just a footnote. Though this earth is our temporary home, do take time to enjoy God’s beauty. Take care of your yard. Stop to smell the flowers. Enjoy the forests. God placed those rich resources on this planet for our comfort and His enjoyment. Let us be thankful to Him for that.
Definitely true. Yet I have to guard my own heart in my reactions to people on the environmental bandwagon. Here are some things I remind myself of in order to guard my heart: (1) I’ve heard it said that man was meant to have dominion over the earth, not domination. (2) God has the final say when the earth will be destroyed. I should not be accelerating the process (intentionally or unintentionally). (3) Make some friends that consider themselves environmentalists. (4) Are we using our resources in the best possible way? Siding with people who are always out for money is sometimes just as bad as siding with environmentalists.
Thanks for the article.
Peace.
Amen and amen! I’ve had it with the ‘green’ churches paying lip service to God (e.g. “we have to be good stewards of God’s creation”) enough to make it a cause, which is tantamount to witchcraft! A good, timely piece. I hope Al Gore is reading!
Good article, and a timely reminder when so many churches seem so keen to abandon their true charge to carry out the great commission and switch to saving the planet because somehow that is more “relevant”, or a more pressing issue then the eternal destiny of the lost souls that surround us.
Regardless of whether or not man can contribute to world-wide “climate change” by his carbon emissions, when I look at Scripture I see the main cause of destructive climate change is sin – the sin of man against a holy God and his refusal to repent. It is apparent both in the history of Israel and in God’s dealing with man in the future, particularly direct in Rev. 16:8-9: “The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.”
It seems to me that if we want to prevent “climate change” we as the Church ought to plead with men to repent of their sin (and I don’t mean environmental) and turn to a holy God. If we take “climate change” and the Word of God seriously it seems that the only way to combat climate change is to continue to labour for the true gospel of faith and repentance in Christ alone.
Thanks Pulpit for doing a post on this! I work in the Outdoor Industry and interact with many of these folks often. “Green initiatives” and “climate change” and “environmentalism” are the heartbeat for many manufacturers and buzzwords for the majority of my colleagues. I love the outdoors, but hope to provide biblical perspective on the issue. Pastor John’s point about “you think humans are wrecking the planet, wait till you see what Jesus does with it” has been very helpful in my interactions.
I was quite disappointed with the recent baptist statement on creation care (http://baptistcreationcare.org/). It seems to completely neglect any eschatalogical perspective on this issue, which is ironic, as “hellfire and brimstone” are a trademark charicature of this denomination. The spokesperson accuses evangelicals of being “johnny-come-latelys” on issues like global warming. But the church has been talking about “global warming” far longer than Al Gore! We’ve been discussing it for several millenia! Jesus warned us of it, Paul, Peter, and many prophets. Environmentalism is just like any other ism and is based on false teaching. Concern over a few degrees Fahrenheit is a deceptive aberation from biblical truth, which describes true global warming as divinely initiated “atomic implosion” as Pastor John put it.
This should be our message. If we want the science and the TRUTH on global warming, we need look no further than the NT.
Another thought to throw out there…what about all the fine work our friends at Creation Research Institute have supported us with over the years? Things like earth being the exact perfect distance from the sun so we don’t melt or freeze. Earth spinning at the exact perfect speed so centrifigal force does not throw us off nor weigh us down. The perfect balance in the animal kingdom, solar system, rain cycle, human physiology…and on it goes! God has crafted such a magnificently balanced and resourceful universe…are humans really going to “undo” his work? God alone created it. God alone can un-create it. Maybe we ought to add another sola to the list!!! To say otherwise sounds like theistic evolution to me…God got the ball rolling and its up to us to keep it rolling?? No! “All things have been created by Him and for Him…and in Him all things hold together” (Col 1:16-17).
Sorry…one more quick thought. Per Pastor John’s keynote at Shep Conf 07, all Calvinists need to get their eschatology straight. As we know, eschatology is not preached clearly in America, which is probably the reason evangelicals seem to have no idea what to think when it comes to global warming (cf. http://www.albertmohler.com/radio_show.php?cdate=2008-03-11). Some think the prophecied global warming already came, when Rome burned in 60 AD. For the Premillenialist, fire is still to come. God’s wrath is yet to be poured out. Earth is yet to be destroyed, earth and its works to be burned up (2 Pet 3). A new heaven and a new earth are yet to come. If preachers would preach this truth clearly then maybe the church could have a unified voice when it comes to cultural issues like global warming. As of now, we’re all over the place! We can’t disagree on eschatology anymore. Whether or not we hold hands with Al Gore depends a lot on our eschatology…my bet is that those who embrace him are not premil. For the Premillenialist, we have a lot more to fear…”since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?” It’s getting hotter…premillenialists get your lives right before God! All you others can carpool!
I have no problem with saving the planet. In fact, I’m all for it! But, the bible says that Jesus is the savior of the world. Saving the planet, then, is at its most basic premis, a religious idea. The only question is whether man will recognize that it will be Jesus who will save the planet, or whether he will try to save it himself. Man is his own savior, and all the environmental laws that are being passed just show that man is all about salvation by law, whether his own soul or the earth he walks upon.