What does the Bible say about the environment?

Understanding Genesis 2:15

The relationship between Christianity and environmental care has been debated intensely since Lynn White Jr.'s influential 1967 essay 'The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis,' which blamed Christian theology — specifically the Genesis 'dominion' mandate — for Western civilization's exploitative attitude toward nature. White's thesis was too simple, but it raised a legitimate question: Does the Bible promote environmental stewardship or environmental exploitation? The answer, when the full testimony of Scripture is examined, strongly favors stewardship — and provides one of the most comprehensive frameworks for environmental ethics available to any worldview.

Creation: Good, Very Good

The opening chapter of the Bible establishes a foundational principle: the material world is good. After each act of creation, 'God saw that it was good' (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25). After creating humans and the entire created order, 'God saw all that he had made, and it was very good' (1:31).

This may seem obvious, but it was counter-cultural in the ancient world and remains counter-cultural today. Many ancient Near Eastern religions viewed the material world as the byproduct of divine conflict or as inherently inferior to the spiritual realm. Greek philosophy, particularly Platonism, taught that the physical world was a shadow of the real (spiritual) world. Gnosticism — a major rival to early Christianity — taught that the material world was created by an evil or ignorant deity and that salvation meant escaping it.

Genesis stands against all of these: the physical world was made intentionally by a good God, and it is declared good. Rocks, rivers, trees, animals, ecosystems — all are the deliberate creation of divine wisdom and care. Psalm 104 celebrates this at length: God waters the mountains, causes grass to grow for cattle, provides food for every creature. 'How many are your works, LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures' (Psalm 104:24).

Dominion and Stewardship: Genesis 1:28 and 2:15

The dominion mandate — 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground' (Genesis 1:28) — has been the most controversial environmental text in the Bible.

Lynn White argued that this verse established an anthropocentric worldview that desacralized nature and paved the way for environmental destruction. This critique reflects a serious misreading of the biblical text. The Hebrew words radah (rule) and kabash (subdue) do imply authority. But the kind of rule envisioned is not despotic exploitation; it is the rule of a wise and benevolent king. In the ancient Near Eastern context, kings were expected to rule for the benefit of their subjects.

Genesis 1:28 must be read alongside Genesis 2:15: 'The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.' The Hebrew words abad (to serve, to work) and shamar (to keep, to guard, to protect) are words of stewardship, not exploitation. The same word shamar is used for the Levites' sacred duty of guarding the tabernacle (Numbers 3:7-8). Humanity's relationship to creation is one of sacred trust.

The Earth Is the LORD's

A foundational principle for biblical environmentalism is that the earth does not belong to humanity. Psalm 24:1 declares: 'The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.' Psalm 50:10-12: 'Every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine.'

Human beings are not owners but stewards — managers entrusted with someone else's property. The parable of the talents illustrates this: a master entrusts resources and expects faithful management. God has entrusted His creation to human stewardship and will hold humanity accountable.

Sabbath Rest for the Land

One of the most remarkable environmental provisions in the Old Testament is the sabbatical year (Leviticus 25:1-7): every seventh year, the land was to lie fallow — no sowing, no pruning, no commercial harvest. Every fiftieth year, the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:8-12), the land rested again.

These provisions recognized that the land has limits, that perpetual exploitation is unsustainable, and that nature needs restoration. When Israel failed to observe these provisions, 2 Chronicles 36:21 explains that the exile allowed the land to 'enjoy its sabbath rests.' God took the land's need for rest so seriously that He enforced it through exile.

Animal Welfare

The Bible extends environmental concern to animals specifically. Proverbs 12:10: 'The righteous care for the needs of their animals.' Deuteronomy 25:4: 'Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.' Deuteronomy 22:6-7 regulates the taking of bird eggs, prohibiting capture of a mother bird with her eggs — an early conservation measure.

Jonah concludes with God's concern for the animals of Nineveh alongside its human inhabitants: 'Should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people... and also many animals?' (Jonah 4:11).

Creation Groans: Romans 8:19-22

One of the most theologically significant environmental passages is Romans 8:19-22: 'The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.'

This teaches: (1) The Fall affected the entire created order, not just humanity. (2) Creation is not passively waiting for destruction but eagerly anticipating redemption. (3) The destiny of creation is tied to the destiny of God's people — human redemption and cosmic restoration are inseparable.

New Heavens and New Earth

The Bible's final vision is not the destruction of the physical world but its renewal. Revelation 21:1: 'Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.' The Greek kainos means new in quality, not in origin — suggesting renewal and transformation rather than replacement.

If God's ultimate plan is to redeem and renew the physical creation, then the material world matters. The earth is not a disposable container for the spiritual life; it is the theater of God's glory and the object of His redemptive concern. Christians who care for the environment are participating in the trajectory of God's cosmic plan.

The alternative view — that the physical world will be annihilated (often based on 2 Peter 3:10) — has been used to argue environmental care is pointless. But most scholars now recognize the best textual reading says the earth will be 'laid bare' or 'found' (heurethesetai), suggesting purification rather than annihilation.

Christian Environmental Voices

Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) celebrated 'Brother Sun' and 'Sister Moon' in his Canticle of the Sun and is the patron saint of ecology. Francis Schaeffer wrote Pollution and the Death of Man (1970), arguing that a Christian worldview — recognizing nature as God's creation — provides the strongest basis for environmental ethics. Pope Francis's Laudato Si (2015) called for an 'integral ecology' connecting creation care with care for the poor. The Evangelical Environmental Network and the Lausanne Movement's Cape Town Commitment represent evangelical creation care efforts.

Dominion Theology vs. Creation Care

Within evangelical Christianity, tension exists between 'dominion theology' (emphasizing human authority over creation, economic development, and poverty reduction) and 'creation care' (emphasizing stewardship, the inherent value of non-human creation, and moral obligation to protect the earth). Both claim biblical support. The key lies in recognizing that biblical dominion is stewardship — authority exercised under God's sovereignty for the benefit of the whole creation.

Practical Principles

Several principles emerge from the biblical material: (1) Gratitude — the earth is a gift. (2) Moderation — Sabbath provisions remind us perpetual consumption is unsustainable. (3) Justice — environmental degradation disproportionately harms the poor (Proverbs 29:7). (4) Hope — God's promise of a renewed creation gives environmental action eschatological context. (5) Humility — we are stewards, not owners, and we will give an account.

The Bible presents a comprehensive framework for environmental responsibility. The earth is God's creation, declared good, entrusted to human stewardship, groaning under sin, and destined for glorious renewal. Far from being indifferent to environmental concerns, biblical faith provides one of the strongest foundations for caring for the world God made and loves.