Goodness of Creation

God, the architect of creation, designed everything to be perfect. There would be no end to a list of all the intricacies of creation and words can’t fully capture the undeniable enchanting beauty of nature. Everything we see and observe are governed by entangled physical laws and elaborate natural cycles. Above all, the creation is good. Six times in Genesis chapter 1 we see the phrase “God saw that it was good”, and the chapter concludes with “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.”

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:24-25

Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Genesis 1:31

Goodness is a well known attribute of the LORD. It is easy to understand that no one is good, except for God. Nevertheless, the LORD blessed the creation with His goodness. The Lord is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works. Psalm 145:9. Because of this reason, we often take nature and all of creation for granted. Everything on this planet is perfect for the survival of life, in fact, not just to survive but also to thrive. However, the last two centuries has seen an increase in pollutants which in turn has led to a decrease in quality of life. A lot of species have gone extinct directly or indirectly due to human activities. Things which were taken for granted, like water and air, can’t be taken lightly anymore. The global average temperature is on the rise, and is projected to increase further due to human activity, putting our existence at risk. In essence, the goodness of nature is being eradicated due to the exploitation caused by human activities. But, we shouldn’t forget that we are also part of the creation, meaning that the goodness of God is also present in us.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:26-28

Looking at Genesis chapter 1, we’d see that the LORD spoke to create everything, except humans. However, we are specially made in His likeness by His own hand. It is true that the LORD gave us dominion over everything but it is to govern and cherish them, not to destroy them. Not just that, we are also chosen before the foundation of the world to be holy and good like Him, through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6

Through our redemption in Christ and having our sins forgiven by the grace of the LORD, we have inherited the purpose of fulfilling the will of the LORD, which is to gather together all things in Christ when the time is nigh, both in heaven and earth. Naturally, to prepare ourselves for the kingdom of God requires us to keep holy and pure until the time of the LORD. Beyond this, we are also expected to work for the kingdom of God which is already present among us. In other words, we are ambassadors of Christ - representatives to showcase the love and grace of the LORD.

While it is impossible for any single human to undo the damages the collective humankind has done to the environment, individual contribution towards the common good does indeed add up. However, there are some barriers which limit our action addressing the pressing issues of environmental degradation. Firstly, there is limited awareness on the extent of human impact on the environment. In fact whilst writing this, I looked up the same and realized that there is more cause and effect pertaining to human activity than I had originally thought. Unless we actively try to understand the happenings around us, it would be impossible to even think about fixing it. This way, our ignorance of not knowing the problem, and not knowing what to do after being made aware of the problem would reduce. With the acknowledgement and understanding of issues, our numbness towards the same would reduce as well. Psychologically, it is possible that we have more subconscious barriers in place which prevents us from acting towards the betterment of everything. We might think rather optimistically that everything would work out in the end despite our inaction, or we might wrongly consider something which we have done in the yesteryears as being sufficient for the current scenario. Further, our ideologies and worldview also influence our decisions. We might compare ourselves with other individuals or corporations and see ourselves as doing better than them. Besides these, external factors often discredit vital problems for their own profits inducing mistrust in our productive actions. This could consequently result in us perceiving non-existent risks for our apt response to environmental issues resulting in limited corrections which delay the rejuvenation of the environment. Maybe it is not often that we think about these things, but we are still responsible for the planet which God has given us. Therefore, we shouldn’t forget to work towards the sustainability of our surroundings and be mindful of our actions.

In Psalm 104 we read the psalmist praising the LORD for the creation and His providence. The choice of words used here reflects the grandeur of the LORD, and careful design of the creation which when scaled with respect to the maker seems much smaller. As the psalmist records in verse 2, “Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain”, we and all the living things we see on the earth are trivial in comparison to the grandness of the universe which in turn is trivial compared to the LORD, who laid the foundations of the earth Psalm 104:5. Nevertheless, the LORD is mindful of each one of us and all the living things and He provides for us and them. The psalmist elaborates this eloquently.

He sends the springs into the valleys; They flow among the hills. They give drink to every beast of the field; The wild donkeys quench their thirst. By them the birds of the heavens have their home; They sing among the branches. He waters the hills from His upper chambers; The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works. He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the service of man, That he may bring forth food from the earth, And wine that makes glad the heart of man, Oil to make his face shine, And bread which strengthens man’s heart. The trees of the Lord are full of sap, The cedars of Lebanon which He planted, Where the birds make their nests; The stork has her home in the fir trees. The high hills are for the wild goats; The cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers. He appointed the moon for seasons; The sun knows its going down. You make darkness, and it is night, In which all the beasts of the forest creep about. The young lions roar after their prey, And seek their food from God. When the sun rises, they gather together And lie down in their dens. Man goes out to his work And to his labor until the evening. Psalm 104:10-24

Finally, as Jesus mentions in the prayer He taught us, the will of the Father is to be done on earth as it is being done in heaven. Our responsibility is to carry out this will by spreading the love of God among our fellow human beings and onto our environment, by taking good care of everything around us with kindness.

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13