Him, Not It

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “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 1:27-28

My wife and I once took a trip to the lower peninsula of Alaska. The sights and scenery were amazing and truly awe-inspiring. In spite of all the evolutionary speeches from our guides, we (who are committed creationists) were blessed to hear and gain a detailed understanding of how elementary forces (driven by an Almighty God) shaped that rugged land. As lifetime members of the chief of His creation (humanity), we also pondered our own responsibility to take care of it. What must we do with this power and rule we have been given?

God told Adam and Eve to subjugate, fill, and rule over everything that He had made. This was a lot of power to handle and, well, we know how that turned out. While we would not consider ourselves environmentalists, as followers of Christ we believe we need to take care of that which God has created. We also believe that God's creation exists for us to use. In other words, it is a resource to be ruled, not abused.

Without a doubt, there are many people in the world who place more value on an owl's egg than a human embryo, but this is not a position that can be biblically supported. Should we honor God's creation? Indeed, we must care for it on behalf of our Creator and worship Him (not it).

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists. – Charles Dickens