ENVIRONMENT
When God created this earth, He created a perfect world. The air was fresh, and the water was clear and clean; everything was hygienic and healthful. The ENVIRONMENT was entirely pleasurable and to be enjoyed, and then God created human beings to be stewards of His creation. Human beings became parts of God’s creation and His original plan that the earth would be a place where people, animals, and plants live in a perfect ENVIRONMENT. However, this plan was disrupted by sin. Instead of being a protector of a clean ENVIRONMENT, Adam and Eve committed sin, and this earth began to be polluted.
Because of sin, this world experienced ENVIRONMENTAL deterioration. Genesis 3:17-19 recorded, “And to the man he said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you, “You shall not eat of it,” cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return’ ” (NRSV). The ENVIRONMENT began deteriorating, and through Adam and Eve the whole human race and this fallen world underwent a degradation process.
Our ancestors Adam and Eve failed to keep the ENVIRONMENT pure and unpolluted the way God meant it to be. The world today is facing an ENVIRONMENTAL crisis, and mostly the problem stems from human sinfulness. According to the Conserve Energy Future publication, our planet has 15 major ENVIRONMENT problems. The first six problems are pollution, global warming, overpopulation, natural resource depletion, waste disposal, and climate change.[*]
It was God’s plan for us to be guards of the ENVIRONMENT, and as good stewards what should we do? Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will” (NIV). From a Christian perspective, we are admonished not to follow the world’s way of living. We have to be transformed into His likeness and renew our mind so we can be a “light of the world” (Matt. 5:14) or “salt of the earth” (vs. 13) wherever we are. We should be what God wants us to be: guards of a clean ENVIRONMENT.
One of the ways to be a light in the world or salt of the earth is through our words. Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” Guarding our ENVIRONMENT with our good and encouraging words will be the best way of making this world a better place to live in.
Hiskia Missah
Editor
