18th January, 2007

SIU FUNG WU

Where has the rain gone? Victorians started 2007 with the introduction of stage three water restrictions. Similar restrictions are currently enforced in Sydney (level three) and Brisbane (level four). In many parts of Australia people are enduring much tougher water restrictions and indeed experiencing a severe drought.

NECESSITY OR LUXURY?: While we in Australia endure tough water restrictions, more than a billion people around the world still don't have access to clean drinking water. PICTURE: Sarah Barth (www.sxc.hu)   "While we endure tough water restrictions, unsafe drinking water is a global tragedy. Clean water, what God created for humankind’s enjoyment and sustenance, is a luxury for many."

Interestingly, Melbournians just had their city’s coldest Christmas day on record, which came with rain, hail, and snow in the mountains. Yet it was seen as the best Christmas gift for eastern Victorians as they battled a prolonged bushfire, which was in turn a result of extremely dry weather.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, 2006 was the second driest year for south-eastern Australia, and the nation’s average temperature had risen by 0.9 degrees Celcius since 1910 - presumably a significant change for the earth’s delicate climate system.

While we endure tough water restrictions, unsafe drinking water is a global tragedy. Clean water, what God created for humankind’s enjoyment and sustenance, is a luxury for many.

More than one billion people worldwide (about one in five persons) have no access to clean water, and 2.4 billion have little or no sanitation. In India, water-borne diseases cost an annual $US600 million in lost production and medical treatment. No wonder one of the UN Millennium Development Goals aims to halve the number of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

What is wrong with our world? What has gone wrong with God’s creation?

God’s Creation in Romans 8
Interestingly Paul mentions the creation several times in his letter to the Romans - a letter of great importance for the theology of the church.

“For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” (Romans 8:19-21; NRSV)

Many Christians regard Romans as a letter primarily about God’s solution to the “spiritual” problem of sin, and hence find the reference to the (non-human part of) creation somewhat perplexing. But given Paul’s Jewish background, one only has to read Genesis to see why the renewal of creation is important to him.

Scholars generally agree that verses 20 to 21 allude to Genesis 3:17-19, where it says that the earth is under a curse because of Adam’s sin. In line with other ancient Jewish traditions (e.g. 4 Ezra 7:11-12; 9:19-20), Paul thinks that the creation was subjected to futility as a consequence of the Fall.

Because of the first human’s transgression, the creation is no longer perfect. Famine, earthquake and tsunami are the result of that imperfection. But are we 21st century descendants of Adam better than our oldest ancestor?

According to Robert White, professor at Cambridge University and associate director of the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, nine of the 10 warmest years on record were in the last decade. He says that there is “now little doubt that it is caused by injecting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels - oil, gas and coal".

White goes on to say: “A consequence is the likely increase in extreme weather events...The effects fall disproportionately on the very young and very old, on the poor and the marginalised in places such as sub-Saharan Africa...Already the number of environmental refugees is estimated as 20 million, exceeding those from war and political repression combined.”

Cosmic Renewal
But Paul also envisages the Old Testament prophets’ vision of a final cosmic renewal, where God will restore his creation to its fullness. (See Isaiah 11:6-9; 43:19-21; 55:12-13; Ezekiel 34:25-31; Zechariah 8:12.)

For the apostle, the creation will be released from its present bondage of decay and corruption. God’s salvation plan includes the renewal of the entire creation at the end of the present age, which includes the bodily resurrection of believers as well as the restoration of the rest of the created order (Romans 8:21, 23).

This is in sharp contrast to the common misunderstanding that life after death for the Christian consists of a disembodied eternal bliss in heaven. While the Bible does not give us all the details, it paints a picture of a future embodied life enjoying the goodness of a renewed creation in God’s presence. Hence John’s vision in Revelation is about a new city coming out of heaven (21:10).

Christianity is not so much about a ticket to heaven, but a new creation free from bondage and decay (which includes a renewed humanity as well as a new heaven and a new earth).

What Does This Mean to Us?
The implications to us are huge. Both humans and the physical world are part of God’s good creation - from the beginning to eternity. Marred it is now because of the Fall, but it still belongs to Him.

On the one hand, it is absolutely important to realise that the Christian hope is about eternal life. This is Paul’s affirmation in the face of immense sufferings in the present age (Romans 8:18-39).

On the other hand, Christians must be God’s restorative agents in this imperfect world. An integral part of Christian witness must include caring for people’s physical, social and economic needs. Nothing in the Bible suggests otherwise. The Law says heaps about socio-economic structures that ensure justice for the disadvantaged (e.g. Exodus 22:16-23:9; Deuteronomy 15). Jesus heals the sick. James talks about faith in action (James 2:14-17), and John speaks of love in action (1 John 3:17).

Based on the creation account in Genesis 1 to 2, respected scholar Christopher Wright says that “the goodness of creation is not merely a human reflexive response to a pleasant view on a sunny day". Instead, the created order has “intrinsic value - that is to say, it is valued by God.”

Wright asserts that human dominance over the earth is not a licence for abuse based on arrogant supremacy. Instead, as God’s image-bearers, we should reflect God’s character by caring for the earth, despite its current imperfection. Failure to do so does not only lead to the earth’s further decay, but also causes harm and injustice to those who are more vulnerable to the effects of that decay.

Thus, let us be agents of the biblical vision of hope in this present world of suffering, corruption and decay. How do we do that? We can pray for those who are rebuilding their lives after the tsunami and earthquakes. Through sacrificial giving we can support agencies working towards safe drinking water and proper sanitation for everyone. We can urge the government to fulfil our obligation in meeting the UN Millennium Development Goals. (Contact your MP in this election year!) And let us live responsibly and care for our local environment.

In Closing
We may close with a look at the first words of John’s Gospel - “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” No one reading this can miss the parallel to the creation account in Genesis 1.

John proclaims a profound truth of the Gospel: The Word who was there in the beginning at creation became a human being to proclaim God’s grace (John 1:14).

The Gospel is about Jesus, the embodiment of the Creator God in our fallen world (cf. Colossians 1:20). We who seek to proclaim the Gospel must then embody Christ in our lives, and do what God’s image-bearers should do in caring for this world and its inhabitants.

Siu Fung Wu is Global Education Officer, Church Relations, World Vision Australia.

References and useful links:

Brendan Byrne, Romans (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1996).

Robert White, A burning issue: Christian care for the environment. Cambridge Papers, Volume 15, Number 4 (December 2006).

Christopher Wright, Old Testament Ethics (Leicester: IVP, 2004).

World Vision Connect website: www.worldvision.com.au

The Millennium Development Goals: www.micahchallenge.org.au

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