Romans 8:18-25—The Hope of Creation
Romans 8:18-25 – The Hope of Creation J. Mark Lawson
Lynn White, Jr., and Jerry Mander, in their respective articles, have put the blame of the ecological crisis on God’s command in Genesis 1:28 that people “have dominion” over other forms of life and are to “subdue” the earth. Author J. Mark Lawson has observed that ecologists like Mander and White “dismiss Christian faith, not because of the hypocrisy of its members, but on the grounds that it is intrinsically exploitative” (Lawson, 559). The ecologists have also cited a restored French fort located near Syracuse, New York, that has an ancient French Bible opened to Genesis 1:28, which quotes “have dominion.” The caption essentially uses the quote as a philosophical foundation for the colonial assault on Native American cultures.
The author agrees that the command in the Genesis creation story has been bitterly misused in the past to “justify economic upheavals, destruction of native cultures, and abuse of the land” (Lawson, 559). Nonetheless, Lawson argues that the Jewish-Christian scriptures are not intrinsically exploitative like the above ecologists have understood them to be. Thus, the author’s purpose is apologetic in that he provides the interpretation of “dominion” that “precludes exploitation” (Lawson, 559). Romans 8:18–25 is the passage Lawson exegetes to shed light on God’s righteous purpose in giving people dominion over the earth, how man’s sinful nature has perverted creation, and all this in the hope of restoration.
Lawson provides some background before he introduces his major passage. The Apostle Paul states in Romans 6 that those who have trusted Jesus have received new life, rendering sin powerless over them. However, in Romans 7, he also says that they still struggle with sin. There is a constant battle between the new life and the old life, which Satan refuses to relinquish. In that, a believer experiences suffering. However, the glory that awaits a believer surpasses any suffering they may endure.
When God first created man and woman in the image of Himself, He also commanded that they “fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion.” The skeptics have used this cultural mandate to argue that Christians have thought about this command as a license to tamper with nature. Lawson denies such claims and says that God was inviting “people to live in and work the earth responsibly” (Lawson 560). By this, Paul and Genesis were suggesting the concept of “stewardship.” Deep ecologists believe that creation could exist for its own sake. Lawson believes that nothing has been created merely for its own sake. Self-validating both nature and humans is unbiblical. Thus, everything exists to glorify God and can only be used for His purposes. Lawson agrees that nature has been abused during the industrial age but maintains that “abuse of land does not invalidate all land use any more than the abuse of drugs invalidates all medication” (Lawson, 561).
Now, people were given dominion over the earth, but with the Fall, sin has affected everything. Since man and the earth have an intimate connection, when man became subject to futility, so did the earth. “We are fellow workers with God” (2 Cor. 3:6), but our role is perfectly played out only when people use God-given discernment according to His will. When God enacted punishment on Adam in Genesis, He foresaw the profound effect of his sinfulness on every aspect of His creation. Consequently, God intends for the creation to participate in man’s ultimate exultation for what the creation endured due to man’s Fall.
Lawson emphasizes again that God is up to glorious liberty and redemption for mankind, along with the creation that encompasses land, air, water, animals, plants, the landscape, and the seascape (special enumeration for ecologists) that are groaning together with people. In other words, this groaning, the author says, is not an end in itself but a means to the fulfillment of the kingdom of God. The creation has been in travail until now, and this groaning includes the Spirit’s groaning. We ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as children and the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:22–23).
Despite religious distinctions, Paul boldly compared nature to a woman experiencing the pain of childbirth, which invited the image of “mother earth.” Paul wanted to tie his words to Genesis 3, in which God said to the woman, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” The verse explains again “the close relationship between the pain of childbirth and the pain of creation, which further implies a close relationship between the sinful state of male dominance over females and human dominance over “mother earth” (Lawson, 562).
Lawson laments that in this industrial age people can hardly relate to “the groaning of creation” because man-made noises have replaced nature’s way of communicating to us. Certainly, how much of nature can we hear, see, or feel, and how much less can we still hear its groaning? If Paul in the first century could hear the groaning of creation, Lawson remarks that people today should hear the agonies of creation even louder because “humanity’s futile attempt to live only to itself has led to the pollution of the air and water, the rape of mineral-rich mountains and valleys, and the depletion of the ozone layer” (Lawson 562), bringing almost “the end of nature,” as Bill McKibbon puts it. The author further laments that technology has pushed people away from nature; we no longer listen and observe nature for weather, time, and so on.
Paul actually reminds us that he is speaking of material reality as he introduces the redemption of our bodies, despite what some people may doubt. Our body is the dwelling place of the Lord, through whose existence we interact with God and creation. Thus, it only makes sense that one cannot be redeemed in a disembodied state. However, when Paul states, “For in this hope we were saved,” he is referring to the hope of redemption. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? However, when we hope for what we cannot see, we wait for it with patience; modern readers again question whether Paul was referring to material reality at all. Lawson clarifies that the connection between “unseen things” and “disembodied existence” is a modern invention. “Paul’s hope is that fulfilled reality exceeds what we see now” (Lawson, 563).
If creation was such an important theological subject, why does Paul wait to introduce it until Romans 8:19? Some may ask. To answer this question, the author sheds light by saying that the subject was “consistent with the eschatology spelled out in other epistles of the Pauline corpus” (Lawson, 563). In his epistles to the Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Romans, Paul indicates that Christianity is primarily about “spiritual matters,” but he also emphasizes that the resurrection pertains to our “mortal bodies” (Romans 8:11, 2 Cor. 4:11), as cited by Lawson. Therefore, resurrection signifies that human beings are not disembodied existences but that a fulfilled life includes a redeemed body. Materialism is transient, not the material things that need to be redeemed, which Paul says they will be.
Finally, Lawson argues that the redemption plan of the whole universe is not unique to Paul; he actually believed in “cosmic redemption” and thus discussed it. Lawson also points out that modern Christians largely fail to realize that the early Church and ancient Israel revealed a far more ecological approach than they do. In fact, Old Testament books are full of events, days, commands, and songs that God engages in to confront humanity. Thus, Lawson states that Romans 8:18-25 is “not only consistent with the whole of scripture, but its truth is integral to the doctrine of salvation, standing midway between the purposeful creation of the world and the coming of the new heaven and new earth in Revelation 21.” They profess the full expanse of Christian hope” (Lawson, 564).
The Bible is consistent and coherent. Analogy of faith is a crucial principle in Hermeneutics that the author has applied. Analogy of faith, or Sacra scriptura sui interpres, states what we call “sola scriptura“—scripture interprets scripture, or sacred scripture is its own interpreter. New Testament students may run over issues like the one in the article that non-Christians or even laymen could stumble over. Lawson has intelligently and creatively used Romans 8:18-25 to interpret the idea of “dominion” as used in the Book of Genesis. The Bible’s layout is coherent and consistent, and the author has testified to the truth in this article. God pronounced “dominion” at the beginning of creation, and although the Book of Romans was written much later, it creatively clarifies one idea that could easily be misconceived by using another! It is thanks to God, the omniscient one, who has all these events already worked out.
When Lawson says, “dominion over the earth that precludes exploitation,” he means that God meant for people to be exemplary stewards of His creation, but He also knew that sin would pervade his creation and His redemptive plan was already at play.
We also observe that the author has explored the theology of eschatology. Eschatology is the study of end times. In fact, every Christian, including New Testament students, should understand that everything will be restored to its original form at Christ’s second coming. People might have abused God’s command to rule over the earth, but as Paul puts it, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. The creation was subjected to futility not by its choice but because of the one who subjected it, with the hope that it would be set free from its bondage to decay and would obtain the freedom that comes with the glory of the children of God. Lawson effectively highlights that the destruction caused by the abuse of “dominion” over the earth in the end times will ultimately be set free from its bondage to decay, just as the sons of God will be. The eschatological community is one where the relationships among the Creator, the creation, and human beings are completely restored. Abraham Kuyper’s quote emphasizes again what Paul communicated in the above verses: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’”
The challenges ecologists have presented to faith in God are not exclusive to the narrative of God’s command to His people to rule over creation. There are people out there who question polygamy, adultery, wars, and other events in the Bible; these horrendous events and lifestyles carried out in Bible history have put many people off. People involved in ministry will very often run into these problems. In the article, Lawson humbly accepts that people have misused God’s good intentions. After all, even King David—a man after God’s own heart—sinned. Lawson begins his article with humility, inviting readers to acknowledge that Christians also make mistakes. Christians, just as any other person, are merely people with flaws. However, Lawson has set out God’s redemptive plan.
Ecologists stumble over the idea that scripture allows exploitation of nature. This article is useful for missionaries who encounter such arguments. By explaining God’s plan of redemption as Lawson does in this article, missionaries could actually share the Gospel with those who argue against it. The way that “deep ecologists” express themselves shows their concern for saving nature and using it for survival, but only when absolutely necessary. Saving the creation is what Romans 8:18-25 talks about. “Creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay,” this very verse in Romans 8 is the hope of creation for “deep ecologists.” Could there be a better Gospel introduction for “deep ecologists” than the above verse, which offers hope for what they are so passionate about?
One major element necessary in ministry that this article seems to imply is humility. Those engaged in ministry should refrain from being ostentatious and boastful regarding their Christian faith and salvation. We cannot deny how people have abused the Bible for their ulterior motives in the past. The heart of Christianity is to accept that we are sinners and ask for forgiveness. What a beautiful picture of humility! Lawson has portrayed it by accepting our mistakes. Furthermore as he progresses with his argument, we recognize his confidence in God’s definite plan. As ambassadors of Christ, we are sent out as sheep among wolves, preserving the innocence of doves while maintaining the wisdom of serpents. When wisdom comes from the Bible, confidence follows.
