Various Passages
Below is a sermon manuscript from September 14, 2025. Watch the sermon here.
Introduction
This week we were reminded of the tragedy and evil in this world. I couldn’t help but think about our series as I heard various stories as they came in. Various people seeking to be faithful to their calling, whether in school or a naval academy or discussing various political topics with students. And then evil came. We cannot escape it. Many this week came face to face with images and videos apart from them seeking it out. This is not how things are supposed to be. This is not supposed to happen when we go to work or school. This longing for something better makes sense, because we were made for something better. As we look at Genesis 1 and creation we will see the beauty of work as it was intended. And it will help us look forward to what it will be one day. Today’s message is for each of us.
To help us think about this I want to turn to Matthew 28:19-20. This is often referred to as the great commission. In the great commission we see a unique and beautiful call we are to have as believers in Jesus Christ. Making disciples is our mission. This emphasizes what some call the antithesis. That there is a distinction and difference between believers and unbelievers. This does not mean that one is better than another, it simply means that when God’s grace gets ahold of us it does something. We understand our rebellion and need for Him. We follow Him as Lord. This creates in us a desire for others to know this good news as well. We want them to follow King Jesus.
Well if the great commission emphasizes the difference between unbelievers and beleivers, or what some call the antithesis and seeks to rectify it through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The creation mandate, what we are looking at this morning, recognizes the commonality between all those who are made in the image of God. Put simply, if you are a human then this message is for you.
This World Matters
God’s Designed Creation for Our Good
But I don’t want us to merely think about the tension. I also want us to think about and meditate on the design. God designed this world for our good. He has given us all that we need and called it Very Good. This world and the things it in – even after the fall – are beautiful and delightful. We can enjoy the goodness of God’s creation. From the sunset to the things that people create with the raw materials that God has given us. Too often we neglect the goodness of this world or deny it in an attempt to appear spiritual. My professor, Mike Wittmer, said it well
There are two ways to ruin our relationship with the giver of all things. The first is to ignore him and focus entirely upon his gifts. This temptation to idolatry is ever present, and we must remain vigilant against it. The second way is to ignore the gift and focus entirely on the Giver. What would we make of an insufferably pious child who opened ever Christmas present only to toss it aside and say, “Thanks, Mom and Dad, but all I really want is you!” Wouldn’t the parents throw up their hands and say, “I’m glad you love us best, but you know what, you’re impossible to shop for!” If the first temptation ignores the God who gives, the second refuses to let him be the God who gives.[1]
God cares for all of His creation
While God is above all things and distinct from his creation, he is still involved in and cares for his creation. All of it. One commentator puts it this way, “The simple fact that the first page of the Bible speaks about heaven and earth, the sun, moon and stars, about plants and trees, about birds, fish and animals, is a certain sign that the God whom we acknowledge in the Creed as the Father of Jesus Christ is concerned with all of these creatures, and not merely with humans. A God who is understood only as the god of humankind is no longer the God of the Bible.[2]”
We see this in the last couple verses of this section. God provides for the needs of his creation by supplying this earth with food. It is not a restrictive gift, but one that sees the landscape of creation for their good and flourishing. God is a generous creator who has provided abundantly for His creation. Just look at the langauge in verses 29 and 30!
This World Still Matters To God
We will talk about how the fall changes things next week, our minds might already go there. But – now this world is different. Sin has infected it. What really matters now is focusing not on temporary things, but on lasting things.
I once sat under the teaching of a pastor who talked about his time as a teacher. He said very frankly, “I would teach subjects and do my work and think, wait, none of this will really matter in 1,000 years. What will endure is people and God’s Word. So, I need to focus on those things, so I quit my job and went into full-time ministry.” This might remind you of one of the distortions we discussed last week.
This implies that things that are temporary do not matter or are a waste of time. Maybe you have heard this as well. What really matters is the spiritual, all other things won’t last. This sounds good, but it’s not really Biblical. It fact, it is more Platonist than Christian. We worship a God who created a physical world with various colors, smells, shapes, and designs. We celebrate Jesus who rose physically in victory.
Whenever I hear this verse in sermons, it is usually followed by a variation of the following: “There are only two things that last forever, the Word of God and souls. Everything else is going to burn, so live for what matters most!” One pastor explained, “You will not be in heaven two seconds before you cry out, Why did I place so much importance on things that were so temporary? What was I thinking? Why did I waste so much time, energy, and concern on what wasn’t going to last?”
I appreciate the sentiment, though I’ve never heard a balding, middle-aged man lament the many hours he washed his hair as a teenager or a weary mother mourn the fact that her family ate all of her Christmas dinner. “I worked all morning on my ham dinner, and now it’s gone! What a waste!” Many things that don’t last forever are still worth our time. More important, I’m convinced this is not Paul’s point in 2 Corinthians 4:18.[3]
This world matters because it matters to God. Think about this, I think this is where we can go wrong sometimes as Christians. This world does matter to God. God actively takes care of the world. We see this in Matthew 6:26-30
26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
We also know that God is redeeming all things in Christ and that
Your Work In This World Matters
Not only does creation matter, but with creation comes the mandate to develop and build. As image bearers of God one of the ways we reflect him is by working.
Psalm 8
Humanity reflects God in Our Work
We reflect God in the way we work. Look at Exodus 20:10-11.
Exodus 20:10-11
While discussing the sabbath, we get the reasons the command is given. The reasons are related to us reflecting God’s work in creation. Just as God worked and also rested. We work and are called to rest. While the command is focused on rest, rest implies rest from something. Rest from work. Work is a good gift from God and can be seen right away.
Author Nancy Pearcey writes,
In Genesis, God gives what we might call the first job description: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.” The first phrase, “be fruitful and multiply” means to develop the social world: build families, churches, schools, cities, governments, laws. The second phrase, “subdue the earth,” means to harness the natural world: plant crops, build bridges, design computers, compose music.[4]
Development and Progress are good
We are called to develop and create from the world that God has made. Just as God did not create a fully populated earth, He also didn’t create a world fully furnished and developed. As Al Wolters says, the Bible begins with a garden and ends with a city. Perhaps that might sound weird to you if you love the country and outdoors, and we should be careful not to push the language too far, but the point he is making is based on a Biblical theme that is easy to see. That the development and use of technology and harnessing this creation is a good thing. God himself gives instruction for the development of technology – think of the examples of the Ark and the tabernacle.
JD Greear is helpful here. He says that God did not create Adam and Eve as park rangers but gardeners. A park ranger merely looks to preserve things how they are, a gardener looks to use and develop. Again, this principle extends beyond merely gardening.
Genesis 1:28 is often called the creation mandate. It is a passage of scripture that gives God’s intent for mankind on his newly created earth. This mandate was not just for before the fall; this is something that continues today. We are called to go forth, multiply and subdue. These two are related. God could have populated the earth himself, but chose not to. He decided to use Adam and Eve and their descendants to accomplish this. In the same way, God could have provided Adam and Eve with indoor plumbing, solar panels, and a red Corvette. But he chose not to, for His good purposes.
Humanity develops and stewards creation
Develop
The idea of working the land and subduing it and exercising dominion is a good and honorable thing. This is often worked out today as we work. Our various vocations are a way that we live out our call to subdue the earth. God gave Adam a task in the garden. We see in Genesis 2:15, 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.[5]
Let’s take a closer look at these two commands to “work” (abad) and “take care of” (shmar) the garden. God did not create a static world. He didn’t want his pristine creation to remain the same but commanded Adam and Eve to make it better. I’m always a bit surprised that God didn’t take the safe route, content to merely warn Adam and Eve not to mess things up. He could have said something like this: “Children, here’s a wonderful world for you to enjoy. Have all the fun you want, just don’t break anything!” But he didn’t. God created a stunning Garden of Eden in the midst of a beautiful earth, placed Adam and Eve there, and then told them to change things. But how could they improve an already glorious world? By developing it in a distinctively human fashion: Plant the geraniums over there, learn what grows best where and what they most enjoy eating. God wanted Adam and Eve to participate in his ongoing work of creation, to take the raw materials of a perfect world and arrange them to produce the highest possible benefit. This task continues today. We call it the development of culture. Cultures advance as people learn to cultivate the resources of God’s creation, learning how to grow more wheat with less energy, pounding the earth’s metals into automobiles and musical instruments, and mastering the lengthy process of turning the extra wool on a lamb into a hand-knit sweater.[6]
The beauty of people working is the beauty of them living out the call to exercise dominion in this world. To harness this earth for flourishing.
Creation Care Matters
Can this development and creating go wrong? There have been some who have blamed the Christian understanding of subduing the earth for catastrophes, pollution, and other environmental issues. There was a famous article published in 1967 by Lynn White, a medieval historian, that shaped the imaginations of many and was profoundly influential about how people thought about Christians and their relationship with the rest of creation.
The present increasing disruption of the global environment is the product of a dynamic technology and science which were originated in the Western medieval world.… Their growth cannot be understood historically apart from distinctive attitudes toward nature which are deeply grounded in Christian dogma. The fact that most people do not think of these attitudes as Christian is irrelevant. No new set of basic values has been accepted in our society to displace those of Christianity. Hence we shall continue to have a worsening ecologic crisis until we reject the Christian axiom that nature has no reason for existence save to serve man.… Both our present science and our present technology are so tinctured with orthodox Christian arrogance toward nature that no solution for our ecologic crisis can be expected from them alone. Since the roots of our trouble are so largely religious, the remedy must also be essentially religious.[7]
The goal, writes White, is to rethink religion. We have seen an outworking of that in many circles today. This is where we see the worldview clash when it comes to creation care.
Caring for Creation and Wordlviews
Many have looked to Eastern Religions for an answer. Many Eastern religions are pantheistic. In this system, creation is elevated to the status of God. Everything is joined together and part of the deity. To attack any aspect is to attack the whole, to attack the divine. If you remember from a few weeks ago, this is very different from the Christian worldview. The Christian worldview shows that there is a creature-creator distinction. God is not a part of creation, but is above and outside of creation.
There can be twin dangers when it comes to our relationship with the rest of creation. On the one side, it is worshipping creation itself or elevating it to the status of God, as we’ve just talked about. This is always a danger. In fact, Romans 1 tells us that instead of giving thanks to God, we can exchange glory for idolatry and worship created things.
The second danger, though, is one that we also need to recognize. This could be the conservative danger. It’s the danger of recognizing the special place that people have in the plan of God and even some of our responsibilities, but failing to acknowledge or understand our role. To understand our role, it is helpful to first look at God.
Image Bearing Means Creation Care
As we mentioned earlier, God cares for his creation. He is concerned with us but also with all of it. Not only is God concerned with the rest of creation but he calls us to be concerned as well. Humans are given the unique task of ruling over creation well. The word rule is used elsewhere the in Bible to talk about caring well for servants of Solomon’s shalom rule. It carries with it the idea not of subjugating the rest of creation or domineering over it but attending to and caring well for it.
This means that our rule is not ultimate owner, but steward for another. He are his vice-regents ruling for Him showcasing his generous and good rule off to others. Creation ultimately belongs to God. It is His. He gives it for our good, but he was also responsible to Him for how we care for it and cultivate it. If he takes care to make sure that all of creation is fed and taken care of then we should follow this model.
Now what does this mean in real life? How does it work when there seems to be competing responsibilities of stewardship and development? And how can it function in a fallen world? Each of these are important questions, ones that we could only scratch the surface if we tried to cover today. Also ones that good Christians might come to different conclusions. I like how John Frame summarizes the main tension that we need to hold,
Human dominion over the earth does not mean paving it over or replacing all forests with factories. The human race itself has an interest in preserving species (some, at any rate), forests, wetlands, and the beauties of God’s world. But neither does Scripture justify the generalized suspicion of technology that is common in the secular environmental movement. So the cultural mandate calls us to plan for balanced use of the earth’s resources, for the well-being of mankind and for the glory of God.[8]
Conclusion
What is the thought behind having Adam and Eve be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth? What is the additional beauty behind having them cultivate the earth? By doing so, the boundaries of the garden are expanded. Adam and Eve and their descendants are to fill the earth and cultivate it – the whole earth was to become a reflection of God’s glory – as His image bearers live out their callings. Not only that, but in a world where this God is in their midst! What! That would have been amazing.
But you may be wondering… but this world is not Genesis 1. There is so much brokenness. So much hurt and pain. Creation itself seems to be rebelling. Here is the beauty. God made it and declared it very good. As Al Wolters has said, “God doesn’t make junk, and he doesn’t junk what he has made.”
One day, the whole earth will be made new. It will be redeemed and renewed and filled with those who not only image God but have been redeemed by the work of Jesus. They will enjoy the presence of God as they live as they were created to live.
Is this you? Do you have hope that you will one day experience the garden that stretches around the globe? If not, what are you waiting for? The King of Kings calls you to come and see He is good. He invites you to enter into His making all things new. He is the One who made all things and said, “very good.” This is true of his creation and his re-creation. Humble yourself. Turn from your sin. Believe in the One who sits on the throne and says, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
[1] Michael Wittmer, Becoming Worldly Saints: Can You Serve Jesus and Still Enjoy Your Life (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015), 65-66.
[2] Claus Westermann, A Continental Commentary: Genesis 1–11 (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1994), 176.
[3] Michael E. Wittmer, Becoming Worldly Saints: Can You Serve Jesus and Still Enjoy Your Life? (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015).
[4] Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 2004), 47.
[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ge 2:15.
[6] Michael Eugene Wittmer, Heaven Is a Place on Earth: Why Everything You Do Matters to God (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2004), 124-125.
[7] Mark D. Liederbach and Evan Lenow, Ethics as Worship: The Pursuit of Moral Discipleship (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2021), 389.
[8] John M. Frame, The Doctrine of the Christian Life, A Theology of Lordship (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 745.
Boonstra Babble 