At recent beach clean-ups organised by a collaboration of local churches in Goa, volunteers were struck by the number of plastic bottles and straws on popular tourist beaches that were destroying the shorelines. There is a growing concern that while people come to Goa and other tourist destinations to experience rest and beauty, they often come with a mindset to consume and discard. They travel to experience a place, but without a sense of responsibility to care for it and preserve its beauty.
In Acts 20:35, Paul quotes Jesus’s words: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” We often apply this verse to financial giving, but what if this verse also shaped how we inhabit God’s world? What if creation care is one of the ways that we, as followers of Jesus, give rather than merely consume? What would our nation look like if Indian Christians became givers who left every place—whether their cities or churches, beaches or forests—healthier than they found it?
The Gospel Begins with Creation
The gospel story starts with God’s good purposes and design for all of creation in the first two chapters of Genesis (Gen. 1, 2). Creation is not merely the backdrop for redemption. God delights in his creation, calling birds, animals, hills, rivers, and forests “good.” Psalm 24:1 reminds us that the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.
Sadly, human rebellion, greed, and indifference fractured relationships not just between God and man, but also with nature itself (Gen. 3:17-19). All of creation has been groaning under the effects of the fall (Rom. 8:22).
When Jesus came, Scripture tells us that his purpose was to reconcile all things to himself (Col. 1:20). Ultimately, we know that God will renew and restore the earth and all of creation; God will not abandon it (Rom. 8:21).
We are meant to govern creation benevolently, stewarding God’s gifts with care.
In this span of time, between when the kingdom of God has already been ushered in and has not yet come in all its fullness—the “already, not yet” stage—the Spirit calls us to live as people of the coming kingdom. We are to be agents of renewal and agents of reconciliation, reconciling all things to God.
Dominion Includes Stewardship
Genesis 1:28 is the foundational creation mandate, where God blesses mankind and says, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Dominion was never meant to be careless consumption or the exploitative use of the created world.
God put man in the Garden of Eden to take care of it (Gen. 2:15). Man’s first vocation was to tend it with care and to cultivate it so that there would be flourishing. We are meant to govern creation benevolently, stewarding God’s gifts with care.
Throughout the Scriptures, we see glimpses of God’s heart for creation. God plans for and preserves the birds and animals even as he plans for and preserves Noah in the ark (Gen. 6:18–21). We see God’s concern for the animals in Nineveh (Jonah 4:11). We see God’s good provision for the birds (Matt. 6:26), for all creation (Ps. 104:27–28), and his protection of the sparrows (Matt. 10:29). Proverbs 12:10 highlights that “a righteous man regards the life of his beast.”
The Law of Moses required protecting fruit-bearing trees during wartime sieges (Deut. 20:19–20). The question is asked, “Are the trees human, that they should be besieged by you?” (Deut. 20:19). By asking this rhetorical question, the text emphasises that trees cannot defend themselves, nor are they the enemy in a war. God cares deeply about all of his creation. And in Christ, we see One whose dominion brings life for all (John 10:10).
Renewal Is All-Encompassing
Colossians 1:20 tells us that Christ reconciles all things, in heaven and on earth, to himself. In our work as individuals, churches, and networks of churches across our cities, our efforts in creation care can sometimes be mistaken for a diminished emphasis on the proclamation of the good news. But this is far from the truth.
Creation care is an implication of the gospel rather than a competing social cause. There is no dichotomy. Creation care is not a substitute for proclaiming the good news of Jesus; it is one expression of discipleship under the lordship of Christ.
The Great Commission is all-encompassing. Making disciples includes teaching followers of Jesus to obey everything he commanded, including the creation mandate (Gen. 1:26-31, Rom. 1:20, Col. 1:15-16). Our proclamation of the gospel loses some of its impact when we do not live out the whole gospel, which includes the renewal and restoration of creation (Eph. 1:8-10). The two go hand in hand.
The church proclaims forgiveness of sin while also anticipating the ultimate renewal of creation (Rom. 8:22-23). What could it mean for our churches, institutions, cities, and even our cultures to become living previews of the coming kingdom?
It Is More Blessed to Give Than to Receive
Receiving is easy. Giving is inconvenient because it costs something. In India, we often receive breathtaking beach views, lush forests, and rich biodiversity. But as the Indian church, we must ask: what are we willing to give back in response to all the beauty and goodness we receive through creation?
As local churches, giving may mean refusing single-use plastics at our gatherings or organising clean-up drives in our neighbourhoods. I often think of the disciples gathering the leftovers after the miraculous feeding of the thousands as the initial gospel-documented effort toward sustainability, cleaning up, and zero waste (John 6:12-13).
The church should be recognised not only for the sermons it preaches, but also for the places it blesses.
Churches can do more together than they can alone. The power of the gospel often bursts forth through collective obedience. When churches act together, they can become a visible sign of the coming kingdom (2 Cor. 8, 9).
Giving together may involve collaborating with other denominations and churches on tree-planting drives, raising awareness of environmental issues in your area, or simply organising nature appreciation walks so that people may grow in a sense of wonder at the extravagance of our Creator, as evidenced in his gifts of creation. In all this, the hope is that our churches will leave creation healthier because our generous Creator calls his redeemed people to reflect his generosity by giving rather than merely consuming (Heb. 13:16).
Even on Vacation, We Bear His Name
On your next vacation, wherever it may be, ask yourself: when followers of Jesus arrive at this place, do local people experience blessing? Do hotel workers, taxi drivers, beach cleaners, and local residents see people who consume or people who genuinely care?
All of us have been neglectful in our care of creation at some point, and possibly even neglectful of stewarding creation wisely when we are on holiday. But because Jesus died and rose again, we are not condemned for past neglect (Rom 8:1). Instead, we are invited into his work of renewal (Ps. 8:6-8).
The church should be recognised not only for the sermons it preaches, but also for the places it blesses. Until the day Jesus makes all things new, may his people become known as those who leave every city or town, every neighbourhood, and every landscape better than they found it—for the earth is the Lord’s, and we are his stewards.
