Environmental Ethics: What Does the Bible Teach?
The Bible does speak to the issue of environmental ethics and our responsibility as human beings to be good stewards of God’s creation. Here is a perspective on what Scripture teaches:
Environmental Ethics: What Does The Bible Teach?
From the very beginning, God gave humans a mandate to “rule over” and “subdue” the earth (Genesis 1:28). However, this was not a license for exploitation, but rather a call to wise stewardship and care for the natural order God had made.
When God created the world, He repeatedly declared it “good” (Genesis 1:4,10,12,18,21,25). The Psalms convey God’s delight in the works of His hands—the earth is “full of Your creatures” (Psalm 104:24). Passages like Job 38-41 highlight how even the wildest aspects of nature are under God’s sovereign providence.
God made a covenant not just with Noah’s family, but with “every living creature” and the earth itself (Genesis 9:8-17). This underscores the abiding value God places on the natural world.
Throughout Scripture, the earth is portrayed as belonging to the Lord, with humans as short-term residents and stewards (Leviticus 25:23, Psalm 24:1, 1 Corinthians 10:26). We do not have absolute rights, but responsibilities to God as tenants caring for His property, the earth.
There are also practical instructions about sustainable agriculture, letting lands lie fallow, protecting biodiversity of plant and animal species (Leviticus 19:23-25, 25:1-7, Deuteronomy 22:6-7). These reflect an environmental wisdom and ethic of restraint.
Ultimately, the world belongs to God, is sustained by God, and reflects God’s creative glory. Humans have been entrusted as stewards to rule over the earth in a way that reveres and preserves the natural order, biodiversity, beauty, and provisions of God’s earthly creation.
Reckless pollution, despoilment, and wasteful consumption could thus be seen as violating our mandate to care for the earth as God’s representatives. An attitude of humble stewardship that preserves environmental integrity and passes it on sustainably to future generations seems to be the biblical ideal.
Of course, these principles were given before radically changing modern economic and technological advances. But the Scriptural basis is there for an environmental ethic that balances sustainable cultivation and preservation of the natural world under God’s sovereign dominion. This reflects worship of the Creator through our rightful stewardship over the creation.
Related Reads:
- How are Christians to deal with ethical issues in the workplace, such as being compelled to lie to a client?
- Gambling and Lotteries: Are They Compatible with Christian Values?
- Bribery and Corruption: What Do We Learn From the Bible?
- The Desire for Wealth: What Does the Bible Truly Teach?
- IP and Copyright: What Ethical Practices Should Christians Follow?
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