If you have ever studied the cosmogonies of ancient civilizations-their models to explain the origin of the universe you will find that all of them are mythological, not scientific. The biblical description, however, is different. It was given to speak to the heart of all people, regardless of their background or education. But this does not mean that it directly contradicts science.

The book of Genesis opens with the creation account: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty” (Genesis 1:1, 2). The author starts by affirming that it was God who created all things in the beginning. After that, he speaks specifically about planet Earth. He states that the world was “formless and empty.” In its earliest state, our planet was an uninhabitable chaos. From that point on, Genesis goes on to describe the process that turned such an inhospitable place into a cradle of life, something that took six days. 

On the first day, God called light into existence, a fundamental element for life to exist. On the second day, He separated the waters that covered the planet. One part formed the primitive ocean, and God used the other to organize the atmosphere. On the third day, the Bible recounts that He formed a single continent and covered it with vegetation. The Earth now had form; it lacked being populated. 

On the fourth day, the text says that the sun and the moon were established to illuminate the Earth and serve as markers for day and night, seasons, and years (Genesis 1:14). On the fifth day, God created the birds to populate the heavens and the fish to fill the seas. Finally, on the sixth day, He created the animals to live on the continent, as well as the man and the woman. 

Notice how the first day, when God called light into existence, connects to the fourth, when the sun, moon, and stars appear. The second day, when the ocean and atmosphere are organized, is associated with the fifth, when He populates the seas with fish and the heavens with birds. Finally, the third day, when the vegetation-covered supercontinent appears, is related to the sixth, when the land animals and human beings appear.

This account is simple, but it reveals an order. Furthermore, it is very different from the narratives used by other ancient peoples to explain the origin of life and humanity. See the coherence of the sacred account: in the beginning, God created the atmosphere containing oxygen, essential for life), the lithosphere (the Earth’s crust, serving as the foundation for animal and plant life), and the hydrosphere (the waters of the planet, in the continents, the atmosphere, and the oceans).

The combination of these three spheres forms the biosphere, the environment where life is possible.

It is not only the beauty and logic of the biblical account that catch the reader’s attention. Life on Earth was only possible because an intelligent and organized Being made it a reality. That in itself is a miracle! And so, the biblical account of creation ends with this verdict: “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

Beyond the fact that it is a God-given gift entrusted to humans, there is another reason why humanity should care for the conservation of planet Earth. 

STEWARDS OF THE EARTH 

God created humanity in His image and likeness—meaning we are called to care for the planet 

After describing the creation of life with such beauty and in harmony with science, Genesis turns to the origin of humanity—male and female: 

“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish 

in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ 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 1:26-28). 

This passage teaches us two things about human nature: (1) we are created in the image of God, and (2) He gave us authority over creation.

According to the biblical account, animals were formed from the dust of the Earth (“And God said, ‘Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds” [Genesis 1:24, in the same way as humanity (“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground” [Genesis 2:7]). Yet the text says the Lord placed His image upon us, setting us apart from the rest of creation.

Humanity should not only populate the planet, as the other living beings of the Earth were ordered to do, but also govern over creation. A superficial reading might suggest that humanity was authorized to exploit nature, justifying today’s ecological crises. However, this was not the divine intention. God delegated to humanity His own royal authority over creation. Therefore, as beings created in His image, humans should care for the Earth in the same way that God does. If we act as tyrants over creation, we will deny and destroy the image of God in us. Notice how the psalmist describes the way God governs nature: “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made” (Psalm 145:8, 9). It is in this way that He also expects humanity to treat nature.

Subsequently, creation cares for humans, since God, through it, gave us the natural resources for our sustenance. It is written: “Then God said, give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food” (Genesis 1:29). Today, the Earth provides us with food, clothing, and shelter. Many speak of nature as something passive and only worthy of empathy, but the Bible teaches that the environment takes care of us. It is through it that God offers us His grace and care every day. Everything we need to live is graciously offered by nature.

Genesis continues by saying that God prepared a garden to be the dwelling place for Adam and Eve. The world, when it came from the hands of its Creator, was perfect. Despite all its initial lushness, God took care to prepare a special place to be the home of His children. It was a garden within another global garden. “Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed” (Genesis 2:8).

The Bible explains that “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (verse 15).

Adam and Eve were to beautify, organize, and give their personal touch to the place where they lived. This was how they were to exercise their dominion over creation: by seeking to benefit creation, and not just humanity.

And that has not changed.

Why is this relationship between creation and humanity strained today? What happened? We will see that in the next article.