whose world is it anyway?

Date: 14 March 2012 23:43:44

Forty blogs of Lent

20

There's nothing new under the sun. Maybe the writer of Ecclesiastes was right, because even though Christian concern for the environment is seen by some as a new thing, global warming and carbon footprints being all the rage these days, it is not a new thing as far as Christianity is concerned. As long ago as 1554, in his commentary on Genesis, John Calvin wrote about Genesis 2:15 "The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it."

The earth was given to man, with this condition, that he should occupy himself in its cultivation" . The custody of the garden was given in charge to Adam, to show that we possess the things which God has committed to our hands, on the condition that " being content with a frugal and moderate use of them " we should take care of what shall remain. Let him who possesses a field, so partake of its yearly fruits, that he may not suffer the ground to be injured by his negligence; but let him endeavor to hand it down to posterity as he received it, or even better cultivated. Let him so feed on its fruits that he neither dissipates it by luxury, nor permits to be marred or ruined by neglect. Moreover, that this economy, and this diligence, with respect to those good things which God has given us to enjoy, may flourish among us, let everyone regard himself as the steward of God in all things which he possesses. Then he will neither conduct himself dissolutely, nor corrupt by abuse those things which God requires to be preserved.

The climate is changing. The degree to which man is responsible for this change is up for debate. But whether man makes a large or small contribution to this change there are things we can do. Fossil fuels are a finite resource, we are using them up at a greater rate than they are being made. Is it good stewardship of this planet to keep using them at the present rate, leaving little for future generations? We do not own the world, we are here for only a short time. It is not ours. As the Psalmist said, "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it." Ps 24:1.

-o0o-

(Quote from Calvin taken from Creation Care.)