Category Archives: Creation

Should Christians celebrate Earth Day?

All around the world individuals, governments,conservation groups, school children, and even “bio-diversity” groups will be celebrating Earth Day. Should Christians participate in these celebrations given that Earth Day is largely secular and non-religious? First, what does the bible say about the earth?

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:31 And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.

Psalm 24:1-2 The earth is the LORD’s, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. 2 For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the rivers.

God not only created the earth, He created all life (Gen. 1:11-12, 20-22, 24-27). Man was placed on the earth, by God, to be it’s caretaker.

Genesis 2:15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.

But God also instructed the man to enjoy what He [God] had created.

Genesis 1:28-30 28 And God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so.

God has provided us with the historical context of the earth and how to interact with it. The historical context is that God created it and everything in it (Gen. 1:1; Psa. 24:1-2). How are we to interact with it? We are to respect it, in the same way Adam was told to cultivate it (Gen. 2:15). Christians are stewards who are answerable to God. Reasonable conservation, avoidance of litter and pollution, and the replenishment of what we’ve taken from the planet are all within the Christian’s mandate. Consider that the LORD established a sabbath rest for the land.

Leviticus 25:1-5 he LORD then spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I shall give you, then the land shall have a sabbath to the LORD. 3 ‘Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop, 4 but during the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath rest, a sabbath to the LORD; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard. 5 ‘Your harvest’s aftergrowth you shall not reap, and your grapes of untrimmed vines you shall not gather; the land shall have a sabbatical year.”

This seventh year rest for the land hearkened back to God blessing the seventh day in the creation narrative.

Genesis 2:1-3 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2 And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

So, while the nation of Israel was to observe the sabbath every seventh day, the land was to observe it every seventh year. While the sabbath was because God blessed the seventh day (and the seventh year), the result was that they land was able to replenish the vital nutrients that were necessary for good crop production and to eliminate soil erosion. The LORD was well ahead of the curve on conservation. In the same manner we should take sound and prudent steps to treat the land and our environment with respect, knowing that both are a gift from God.

Part of interaction with the earth is to also enjoy it! That’s right, enjoy it! Plant gardens, surf, climb mountains, sky dive (if you dare!), ski, swim, or just enjoy a pleasant evening on the porch watching the fireflies. The earth was given to God’s people to enjoy. Keach’s Baptist Catechism asks, “What is the chief end of man?” The answer, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” I like the way John Piper took liberty with the catechism in his book, “Desiring God.” Piper wrote, “The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.” With the right heart attitude, which is giving glory to God, we should enjoy God’s gracious gift of the earth!

So, should Christians celebrate Earth Day? It is my opinion, that since Earth Day is a secular holiday that fails to honor God as the creator of all things, we should avoid joining in celebrations or commemorations that call attention to the earth independent of honoring the one God who created it all. However, Christians do not need one day out of 365 to honor God by enjoying His creation. We can honor God each day by being good stewards of His gift, and by enjoying that gift; all while thanking God for it.

Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

What is the Sabbath and should we keep it? Part I

Most Baptists consider themselves to be under grace, and not the Law.  They are not obligated to follow the Law of Moses, because it has been fulfilled in Christ.  There is some truth to this statement.  The ceremonial part of the Law has, indeed, been fulfilled in Christ.  The need for animal sacrifice and elaborate temple rituals have been made obsolete.  More than that, they are now considered pagan worship.  But there is another aspect of the Law that continues to this day – the moral law.  The moral law of God is found in the Decalogue; commonly referred to as the Ten Commandments.  Exodus 20 lists these commandments.

Exodus 20:1-17  And God spoke all these words, saying,  2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.  3 “You shall have no other gods before me.  4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.  5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,  6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.  7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.  8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,  10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.  11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.  12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.  13 “You shall not murder.  14 “You shall not commit adultery.  15 “You shall not steal.  16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.  17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

The fourth commandment refers to the Sabbath.  The Sabbath was set apart as a day of rest that was to be treated as holy by the entire nation of Israel.  It was observed on Saturday, the seventh day of the week.  On the Sabbath, the people of Israel were not to work as they did the other six days of the week.  But, was the Sabbath first introduced in Exodus 20?  Was the nation of Israel the first intended audience for this commandment?  Consider this passage:

Genesis 2:1-3  Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.  2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.  3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

Genesis 2 completes the creation narrative, the biblical account of God creating the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1).  God chose six days in which to create, and in Genesis 2:2 we read that He rested on the seventh day.  This rest is not similar to our rest.  When we are tired we sleep.  Our mind and our body is disengaged from the world as our body recuperates.  God cannot rest in a similar fashion, for He keeps the universe, indeed all of creation, from oblivion by His powerful hand.  God’s rest was His ceasing from the work of creation.  His work of creation is a marvelous and holy thing.  He commanded the seventh day as holy, because on it He completed His creation.  The account of Genesis 2 takes place long before Moses was given the Ten Commandments by God; long before the Sabbath became part of the Mosaic Law.

There is another passage that deserves our attention.

Exodus 16:23-30  23 he said to them, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.'”  24 So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it.  25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field.  26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.”  27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.  28 And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?  29 See! The LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.”  30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

The account of Exodus 16 also takes place before the LORD gave Moses the Ten Commandments.  The LORD gave Israel manna in the morning and quail in the evening.  It was an act of His grace.  They did not need to toil or work for it.  The manna was collected from the ground and quail just walked up in the camp.  On the seventh day, the LORD provided rest for Israel from all her labors.  The Sabbath was not mean to punish Israel, or do prevent them from enjoyment.  Instead it was a day for them to rest in the LORD.  They were to reflect upon the goodness of God, and rejoice in Him.  All of this was commanded before the Law was given in Exodus 20.  That is interesting to note because it will bear on our further study as to the disposition of the Sabbath after Christ’s death and resurrection.