God loves all creation.
God delights in creation and cares for the well-being of all creatures (Gen. 1).

Creation reveals God’s character.
Through creation itself, God’s character can be seen (Rom. 1:19-20) and all things created give praise to God (Ps. 19:1-6; Ps. 148). Wilderness places facilitate close encounters with God (Exod. 3:1-2) and provide a place of testing and retreat (Mark 1:12-13).

Creation belongs to God.
“The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it” (Ps. 24:1). God is sovereign over the earth and everything it produces is a gift from God. It is through God’s grace, and not human effort, that the earth is fertile and supports life.

Human beings are an inseparable part of God’s creation.
Human kinship with creation is expressed in Genesis when God forms Adam from the dust of the ground (Gen. 2:7). Human beings also share their day of creation with the animals (Gen. 1:24-30). This highlights our dependence on and connectedness to creation.

Human beings have a special role and responsibility within creation.
Human beings were made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27). This gives us a position both of privilege and of responsibility within creation. Our role can be understood as stewardship: serving creation under the ultimate rule of God.

A moral relationship exists between humans and creation.
Creation is affected by human action. God blesses human faithfulness by causing the earth to flourish (Deut. 28:1-6), and uses the forces of nature to punish human sin (Jer. 14:1-10). Decay and destruction of the natural world is often a consequence of human sin.

God’s plan of salvation includes the restoration of creation.
Biblical visions of renewal and restoration include creation. Redemption causes the earth to produce bountiful gifts (Amos 9:13), the lion to lie down with the lamb (Isa. 11:6-9), and a new heaven and a new earth to be made (Rev. 21:1).

Jesus plays a role in both creating and restoring creation.
Jesus is the first-born of all creation and participates in the creation of the world (Col. 1:15-16). As such, Jesus has authority over creation (Luke 8:22-25), and its restoration is encompassed in the salvation that he brings.

Jesus cares for creation.
Through his teaching, his simple lifestyle, his concern for the weak and the poor (Matt. 5:3-11), and his attitude of service and humility (Phil. 2:6-8), Jesus demonstrates care for creation and exemplifies a creation-friendly way to live.

From Earth Trek: Celebrating and Sustaining God’s Creation, by Joanne Moyer, pages 20-22
(Adapted from William van Geest)