“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption.” Romans 8:20-21
August 7, 2023
Is there any hope for planet earth? Are we headed for a creation catastrophe? Voices from everywhere are telling us that unless we eliminate fossil fuels we are doomed. Climate change, if allowed to go unchecked, is an environmental time bomb ready to go off. Get rid of those gas stoves and grills and buy an electrical vehicle. Does the Creator have anything to say about the creation? Plenty! In writing to Christians in Romans 8, we know that creation is waiting for the future glory of believers in Jesus Christ. Let this good news echo through the halls of academia. This hope of future glory has creation standing on its tiptoes to see what is coming (Rom. 8:18-19). Creation’s suffering is not its fault. By a judicial decree from God, creation has been placed under a curse because of sin. The earth didn’t ask to be cursed. Idolatry is in full bloom in thinking that we have to save mother earth. Much of modern environmentalism is the worship of nature, falsely believing that the cosmos is gradually evolving toward perfection. The truth is that everything is decaying, winding down if you will. Creation today is not what it use to be and not what it will be. Creation fell when Adam fell. No theory of ecology is complete without a proper understanding of man’s problem. The problem of man’s mistreatment of nature is bound up in man’s spiritual problems. Don’t be dismayed. Creation, though singing its sighs of death, still reflects the magnificence of the handiwork of God. Those humming birds fattening up for their flight to Mexico speak of the Creator’s grand design.
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“Set free from sin and earth’s imprisoning bonds I shall rise swifter than bird, fairer than dawning day, stronger than eagle’s wings I shall rise to meet my Lord.” Margaret Clarkson from “Flight Plan” in Nature Sings.