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what implications does a divinely ordered creation have for how we approach environmental stewardship today?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Genesis 1:28

“God blessed them. 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 sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.””

This verse is found in the first creation account in Genesis, which describes God creating the world in six days and resting on the seventh. After creating humanity, male and female, on the sixth day, God speaks these words of blessing and instruction directly to them.

How does understanding humanity's original instruction to 'subdue' and 'have dominion' inform our responsibilities toward the natural world today?

Then — the setting

This passage, likely written or compiled during the Israelite exile in Babylon (6th century BCE) or soon after, aimed to establish Israel's foundational identity and relationship with God and creation. In a world where other cultures often attributed creation to warring deities or accidental processes, Genesis presented a single, benevolent God creating an orderly world and entrusting humanity with a special role within it. The concepts of 'subdue' and 'dominion' would have been understood in an agrarian context, involving managing resources, cultivating land, and tending to animals for sustenance, rather than an unbridled exploitation of natural resources.

Across the Testaments

In the Old Testament, this mandate establishes humanity's unique role as God's vice-regents on Earth, reflecting God's order and care. The New Testament, particularly through the teachings of Jesus, expands on the nature of this dominion by emphasizing servanthood and love. While not explicitly overturning Genesis 1:28, passages like Philippians 2:5-8 (Christ's self-emptying service) or the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30, emphasizing faithful management) reframes authority and power in terms of responsibility, care, and accountability, implicitly extending this to the created world. The New Testament highlights that true dominion is exercised not through oppressive control, but through loving, self-sacrificial service, aligning with God's character.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Genesis 2:15
Describes humanity's role to 'work' and 'keep' the Garden, adding nuance to the idea of dominion.
Psalm 8:5-8
Echoes humanity's exalted position and dominion over creation, reflecting on God's glory.
Colossians 1:15-17
Presents Christ as the one through whom all things were created and hold together, placing creation under His ultimate sovereignty.

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