A sermon by Brian T. Lynch
(final revision 7/30/2025)
OUR FIRST READING is - Job 12: 7-10
In this passage, Job is debating men who hold him in contempt because they believe Job’s misfortunes are the result of sin. Job tells them he is “righteous and blameless,” while their wisdom is flawed. He quotes a passage that speaks of God’s superior wisdom reflected throughout creation. Listen to the first reading.
Job says, “… but ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”
Something troubles me every Sunday. It happens during the call to confession and during our intercession prayers. The discomfort is my awareness that a living species goes extinct every hour. These species aren’t just killed for food; They are erased from the Earth because of our abuse or indifference towards them.
Knowing this weighs on me, adding to my sense of collective guilt for not speaking up sooner. Many people are unaware of the extent to which human activity is stressing the planet. Amid the noise of manufactured controversy, we haven’t heard that small changes in CO2 played a role in major extinction events, or that the cycle is starting again. Rising CO2 levels is a ticking time bomb… or not, depending on what voices we hear.
But environmental damage is not limited to global warming. It also comes from industrial farming, which my wife (Roz) and I observed firsthand in South Africa. On a bus trip, we saw thousands of acres cleared of every living thing to plant neat rows of eucalyptus trees destined to become cardboard boxes for our online purchases. Extinctions can happen as farmers over use petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides that kill all insects to control a few pests. Other extinctions happen when poor indigenous people, who lived in harmony with the land for a thousand years, must now cut down tropical rainforests for money to feed their children. “Forever chemicals”, such as PFAS, are an extinction risk as these highly toxic substances spread throughout the world. They don’t break down naturally, but accumulate in soil, water, and living things, including us. The ongoing loss of forests and habitats due to overdevelopment contributes to a higher risk of extinction. And there are other man-made risks as well, such as over fishing the oceans and the threat of nuclear war.
Our disregard of nature—our “estrangement” from it, as I see it—is threatening my grandchildren's future. I am confident of this because the collective actions of eight billion people have pushed this planet to the brink of an extinction epoch. In biblical times, our small population made the idea that we could destroy God’s creation unimaginable. Some of us may still hold that belief. But today, our technology and population size make the risk of harming this planet unavoidable.
Long before the first humans, and up to a hundred years ago, our planet experienced a long period of stability, and the natural extinction rate was about 5 or 10 species a year. Today, the extinction rate has skyrocketed. It is 1,000 to 10,000 times higher. If the higher estimate is correct, we lose a living species every hour, maybe even during this time of worship. The situation is not sustainable.
When I think about this, I wonder: “Where is the church?”
Where does Christianity stand on the issue of a dying world? Where do all the Judeo-Christian-Muslim religions stand on the need for global salvation? Is it a sin against God to cause mass extinctions? If so, why are the pulpits so silent on this spiritual question? Most disturbing of all, how can we be sure of our own salvation if we are estranged from God’s creation?
Where do we find answers to these questions? I believe we can find them in the beginning, starting with the book of Genesis.
So, our second reading is from Genesis 1: 1-5
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day”, and the darkness he called “night”. And there was evening, and there was morning, the first day."
Sharing the creation story with people thousands of years ago was difficult. They lacked the knowledge we have today. Earth was the only universe they knew. They believed the firmament mentioned in Genesis was a large dome surrounding the Earth from which the stars were hung. We know a lot more and should use that knowledge to better understand the Creation story.
Based on what we know today, the first several sentences of Genesis best reflect the creation of our solar system and life on Earth. Yes, God created the heavens, but there is no description of that in the bible. The story begins with the formless, empty darkness of space that our solar system now occupies. With this view, verses 1-5 does a good job explaining it in terms that people in any century can understand.
Genesis describes a sequence of creative events that parallel our modern understanding. For example, there was darkness, and then light, clearly a reference to Sun as our star ignited with a brilliant flash. But there was no day or night until God separated one from the other. Doesn’t this suggest the creation planets? Isn’t day and night a feature of planets as they spin? The separation of light and darkness on Earth creates evenings and mornings, and literally, there once was a first day.
How many days all of this took is endlessly debatable, but the question is not relevant. The Genesis isn’t about how God created things. It is an affirmation that it was God who made it all, and a narrative about His and our relationship with creation.
Christian churches today seldom emphasize God’s relationship nature or the role we are meant to play. So, as I read some passages today, listen for these relationships.
If I ask you to name God’s first biblical command, some will say, "I am the LORD your God; you shall not have strange gods before me.”
In this passage, Job is debating men who hold him in contempt because they believe Job’s misfortunes are the result of sin. Job tells them he is “righteous and blameless,” while their wisdom is flawed. He quotes a passage that speaks of God’s superior wisdom reflected throughout creation. Listen to the first reading.
Job says, “… but ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”
Something troubles me every Sunday. It happens during the call to confession and during our intercession prayers. The discomfort is my awareness that a living species goes extinct every hour. These species aren’t just killed for food; They are erased from the Earth because of our abuse or indifference towards them.
Knowing this weighs on me, adding to my sense of collective guilt for not speaking up sooner. Many people are unaware of the extent to which human activity is stressing the planet. Amid the noise of manufactured controversy, we haven’t heard that small changes in CO2 played a role in major extinction events, or that the cycle is starting again. Rising CO2 levels is a ticking time bomb… or not, depending on what voices we hear.
But environmental damage is not limited to global warming. It also comes from industrial farming, which my wife (Roz) and I observed firsthand in South Africa. On a bus trip, we saw thousands of acres cleared of every living thing to plant neat rows of eucalyptus trees destined to become cardboard boxes for our online purchases. Extinctions can happen as farmers over use petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides that kill all insects to control a few pests. Other extinctions happen when poor indigenous people, who lived in harmony with the land for a thousand years, must now cut down tropical rainforests for money to feed their children. “Forever chemicals”, such as PFAS, are an extinction risk as these highly toxic substances spread throughout the world. They don’t break down naturally, but accumulate in soil, water, and living things, including us. The ongoing loss of forests and habitats due to overdevelopment contributes to a higher risk of extinction. And there are other man-made risks as well, such as over fishing the oceans and the threat of nuclear war.
Our disregard of nature—our “estrangement” from it, as I see it—is threatening my grandchildren's future. I am confident of this because the collective actions of eight billion people have pushed this planet to the brink of an extinction epoch. In biblical times, our small population made the idea that we could destroy God’s creation unimaginable. Some of us may still hold that belief. But today, our technology and population size make the risk of harming this planet unavoidable.
Long before the first humans, and up to a hundred years ago, our planet experienced a long period of stability, and the natural extinction rate was about 5 or 10 species a year. Today, the extinction rate has skyrocketed. It is 1,000 to 10,000 times higher. If the higher estimate is correct, we lose a living species every hour, maybe even during this time of worship. The situation is not sustainable.
When I think about this, I wonder: “Where is the church?”
Where does Christianity stand on the issue of a dying world? Where do all the Judeo-Christian-Muslim religions stand on the need for global salvation? Is it a sin against God to cause mass extinctions? If so, why are the pulpits so silent on this spiritual question? Most disturbing of all, how can we be sure of our own salvation if we are estranged from God’s creation?
Where do we find answers to these questions? I believe we can find them in the beginning, starting with the book of Genesis.
So, our second reading is from Genesis 1: 1-5
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day”, and the darkness he called “night”. And there was evening, and there was morning, the first day."
Sharing the creation story with people thousands of years ago was difficult. They lacked the knowledge we have today. Earth was the only universe they knew. They believed the firmament mentioned in Genesis was a large dome surrounding the Earth from which the stars were hung. We know a lot more and should use that knowledge to better understand the Creation story.
Based on what we know today, the first several sentences of Genesis best reflect the creation of our solar system and life on Earth. Yes, God created the heavens, but there is no description of that in the bible. The story begins with the formless, empty darkness of space that our solar system now occupies. With this view, verses 1-5 does a good job explaining it in terms that people in any century can understand.
Genesis describes a sequence of creative events that parallel our modern understanding. For example, there was darkness, and then light, clearly a reference to Sun as our star ignited with a brilliant flash. But there was no day or night until God separated one from the other. Doesn’t this suggest the creation planets? Isn’t day and night a feature of planets as they spin? The separation of light and darkness on Earth creates evenings and mornings, and literally, there once was a first day.
How many days all of this took is endlessly debatable, but the question is not relevant. The Genesis isn’t about how God created things. It is an affirmation that it was God who made it all, and a narrative about His and our relationship with creation.
Christian churches today seldom emphasize God’s relationship nature or the role we are meant to play. So, as I read some passages today, listen for these relationships.
If I ask you to name God’s first biblical command, some will say, "I am the LORD your God; you shall not have strange gods before me.”
This is the first commandment that God wrote down on the tablet given to Moses, but it isn’t God’s first biblical command. Hear this text from Genesis 1:20-23.
“And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the skies.” So, God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said be fruitful and increase in number and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds increase on the Earth.”
“Be fruitful and increase in number, and fill the sea and Earth” is God’s first command issued to all living things even before our time. God clearly wants life on Earth to thrive. He sees that life on Earth is good and blessed it. Life is sacred, and His creative force is still unfolding as life forms continue to evolve. This is the world as it is and we are its witnesses.
What do we know today about the “life” God created here? We know it is a self-sustaining and highly complex web of interdependent organisms. All are living within a narrow inhabitable zone that surrounds the surface of our planet like a halo. Scientists call this inhabitable zone the “biosphere.” All living things exist within it, and nothing living exists outside of it. The creation of life is the pinnacle of God’s unfolding creation. We know this because of how it is celebrated in the bible. Here are just a few examples:
Psalms 96: 11-12 says: “let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.”
In Isaiah chapter 55, we read: “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; The mountains and hills will burst forth into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”
And in Romans 1: 20: “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen being understood from what has been made so that people are without excuse.”
After God created life in the sea and on land, He made Adam and Eve. He made them in his own image so that they could: “…rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the livestock, and all the earth." He always intended for us to have some control over the natural world. This god-like power is a gift we call “dominion.”
And God saw that are species is good and blessed us.
Next, in Genesis 1:28, He issued His second command to Adam and Eve directly, saying, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” This command is nearly identical to His first command except for the last three words… “and subdue it.”
“Subdue” is a troublesome word in its modern connotation. It implies Subjugation. But it’s original meaning is more positive. We can and often do subdue nature, albeit in positive ways. Our survival depends on it. Science and technology, agriculture, medicine, engineering, and construction are all examples of humans subduing nature. It gives us a measure of control. No other species can do this. Having dominion is a God-like power that allows us to perceive the world deeply and stand in awe of God and His creation.
In verse 1:29, God says, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit and seed in it; they will be yours for food."
A few verses later, God also gave us all the beasts, birds, and creatures that move along the ground, making clear that plants and animals are our food. We need to respect them and not abuse them.
Then, in verse 31, we read: "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." The Earth and ALL people are blessed. This tiny planet, with its halo of life is a sacred place beautiful in God’s eyes. The biosphere is perhaps the crowning achievement in all of God’s creation. From the vantage point of deep space, as Voyager II space craft was leaving the solar system, it was directed to looked back at our tiny blue sphere against the backdrop empty space. That haunting image is proof that we still live in Eden.
Genesis chapter two gives additional details, especially in light of what we know. Verse 4 says:
"… and no shrubs of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plants of the field had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth, and there was no man to work the ground."
This is interesting and significant. Its interesting because we know there was no rain on Earth for the first half billion years. How did ancient writers come up with that detail? And the words, there was, “... no man to work the ground,” is affirmation that God intended for us to cultivate the land even before we got here.
Next, in verses 2: 8-9, it says, “God planted a garden in the east as a place for man to live when he was formed… And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground, trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food." This preceded humans and would not be possible if life were not abundant as God commanded.
When the garden was ready, verse 7 read, “The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
Notice we were not made from nothing. We came from the dust of the Earth. And what is this dust? We know it consists of elements created in the supernova of long-dead stars, and minerals from the formation and ongoing processes in the Earth, and also organic chemicals from the remains of long-dead plants and animals. We are made entirely from ingredients found on Earth. We are not physically exotic in any way. I find this fact humbling.
Verse 15, says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Adam was put to work in Eden. He was the gardener and caretaker, which is still our role today in this kingdom.
But, then came our fall from grace. God warned Adam, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it, you will surely die.” Genesis 2: 16-17
“And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the skies.” So, God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said be fruitful and increase in number and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds increase on the Earth.”
“Be fruitful and increase in number, and fill the sea and Earth” is God’s first command issued to all living things even before our time. God clearly wants life on Earth to thrive. He sees that life on Earth is good and blessed it. Life is sacred, and His creative force is still unfolding as life forms continue to evolve. This is the world as it is and we are its witnesses.
What do we know today about the “life” God created here? We know it is a self-sustaining and highly complex web of interdependent organisms. All are living within a narrow inhabitable zone that surrounds the surface of our planet like a halo. Scientists call this inhabitable zone the “biosphere.” All living things exist within it, and nothing living exists outside of it. The creation of life is the pinnacle of God’s unfolding creation. We know this because of how it is celebrated in the bible. Here are just a few examples:
Psalms 96: 11-12 says: “let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.”
In Isaiah chapter 55, we read: “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; The mountains and hills will burst forth into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”
And in Romans 1: 20: “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen being understood from what has been made so that people are without excuse.”
After God created life in the sea and on land, He made Adam and Eve. He made them in his own image so that they could: “…rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the livestock, and all the earth." He always intended for us to have some control over the natural world. This god-like power is a gift we call “dominion.”
And God saw that are species is good and blessed us.
Next, in Genesis 1:28, He issued His second command to Adam and Eve directly, saying, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” This command is nearly identical to His first command except for the last three words… “and subdue it.”
“Subdue” is a troublesome word in its modern connotation. It implies Subjugation. But it’s original meaning is more positive. We can and often do subdue nature, albeit in positive ways. Our survival depends on it. Science and technology, agriculture, medicine, engineering, and construction are all examples of humans subduing nature. It gives us a measure of control. No other species can do this. Having dominion is a God-like power that allows us to perceive the world deeply and stand in awe of God and His creation.
In verse 1:29, God says, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit and seed in it; they will be yours for food."
A few verses later, God also gave us all the beasts, birds, and creatures that move along the ground, making clear that plants and animals are our food. We need to respect them and not abuse them.
Then, in verse 31, we read: "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." The Earth and ALL people are blessed. This tiny planet, with its halo of life is a sacred place beautiful in God’s eyes. The biosphere is perhaps the crowning achievement in all of God’s creation. From the vantage point of deep space, as Voyager II space craft was leaving the solar system, it was directed to looked back at our tiny blue sphere against the backdrop empty space. That haunting image is proof that we still live in Eden.
Genesis chapter two gives additional details, especially in light of what we know. Verse 4 says:
"… and no shrubs of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plants of the field had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth, and there was no man to work the ground."
This is interesting and significant. Its interesting because we know there was no rain on Earth for the first half billion years. How did ancient writers come up with that detail? And the words, there was, “... no man to work the ground,” is affirmation that God intended for us to cultivate the land even before we got here.
Next, in verses 2: 8-9, it says, “God planted a garden in the east as a place for man to live when he was formed… And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground, trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food." This preceded humans and would not be possible if life were not abundant as God commanded.
When the garden was ready, verse 7 read, “The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
Notice we were not made from nothing. We came from the dust of the Earth. And what is this dust? We know it consists of elements created in the supernova of long-dead stars, and minerals from the formation and ongoing processes in the Earth, and also organic chemicals from the remains of long-dead plants and animals. We are made entirely from ingredients found on Earth. We are not physically exotic in any way. I find this fact humbling.
Verse 15, says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Adam was put to work in Eden. He was the gardener and caretaker, which is still our role today in this kingdom.
But, then came our fall from grace. God warned Adam, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it, you will surely die.” Genesis 2: 16-17
Along come a crafty serpent in Chapter 3:1. It approached Eve saying, “You will not surely die … For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Adam and Eve disobeyed God to be more like Him, but but lost paradise as a consequense. Since then, we regain paradise in the next life by serving God’s will and living as Jesus taught us to live. We can either care for our neighbors or exploite, neglect, and hurt them for selfish gain. Likewise, we can care for the web of life around us or neglect , exploit, and harm nature. We can obey God’s plan for us, or rebel. Our choice. Only one choice leads to abundant life and salvation.
Our theology of personal salvation may not covers all our sins anymore. Our physical and spiritual connection with God’s creation, along with our relationship to others and the natural world, changed when the first atomic bomb, ironically named "Trinity," was detonated on July 16, 1945.
From that moment on we knew we had ceased the power to destroy all life. This power has only expanded since then take many forms, as I outlined earlier. I am afraid we are eating again from the forbidden fruit. Our nakedness is exposed as we hide our guilt from God behind fig leaves of denial and excuses.
We have the power to stabilize our planet if we choose wisely, or interrupt the circle of life forever if we don’t change. We have not yet accepted this responsibility for our collective actions, nor thoroughly explored the consequences. We still have time to make this right. It is up to us to try.
In closing, I ask again, can we gain the kingdom of Heaven while ignoring our earthly home? What God wants us to do is perhaps reflected in the prayer Jesus taught us:
“Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.”
“… ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”
Adam and Eve disobeyed God to be more like Him, but but lost paradise as a consequense. Since then, we regain paradise in the next life by serving God’s will and living as Jesus taught us to live. We can either care for our neighbors or exploite, neglect, and hurt them for selfish gain. Likewise, we can care for the web of life around us or neglect , exploit, and harm nature. We can obey God’s plan for us, or rebel. Our choice. Only one choice leads to abundant life and salvation.
Our theology of personal salvation may not covers all our sins anymore. Our physical and spiritual connection with God’s creation, along with our relationship to others and the natural world, changed when the first atomic bomb, ironically named "Trinity," was detonated on July 16, 1945.
From that moment on we knew we had ceased the power to destroy all life. This power has only expanded since then take many forms, as I outlined earlier. I am afraid we are eating again from the forbidden fruit. Our nakedness is exposed as we hide our guilt from God behind fig leaves of denial and excuses.
We have the power to stabilize our planet if we choose wisely, or interrupt the circle of life forever if we don’t change. We have not yet accepted this responsibility for our collective actions, nor thoroughly explored the consequences. We still have time to make this right. It is up to us to try.
In closing, I ask again, can we gain the kingdom of Heaven while ignoring our earthly home? What God wants us to do is perhaps reflected in the prayer Jesus taught us:
“Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.”
The creation story is fundamental to three of the world’s great religions. It carries powerful messages that can unite us in a common purpose. It calls us to reconcile with everyone and every living thing. Genesis invites everyone to love life, love family, love neighbors, and cherish abundant life on the planet. Imagine how much better off we would be when we use our gifts sincerely and become better stewards. So, let’s have faith in God’s wisdom. As the scripture that began this message says:
This is my rambling reflections on this past week’s Sermon based on Genesis, chapter 6.
ReplyDeleteI liked the traditional sermon on the story of the flood that I heard this week. Hearing the story of Noah and the flood, however, filled me with ideas about the significance for our understanding of God’s relationship with creation and our role as His stewards of the Earth. Here are some of my thoughts:
To my ears, the story of Noah and the flood is not about the destruction and rebuilding of life on Earth or the mass extinction of a corrupt world. That is a much broader interpretation that doesn’t fit the narrative’s scope. I hear a story of a regional disaster that wiped out a corrupt society. Notice how much care was taken to ensure that all the animals most at risk of drowning were saved on the ark to prevent an extinction event. By taking animals in mating pairs, the continuation of their species was secured. However, this preservation effort did not include most other forms of life, such as plants, fungi, or all sea creatures. All of these would survive the flood.
The extreme efforts that God undertook to preserve vulnerable species are an underappreciated part of this story. It exemplifies His present and enduring love for His creatures. While many creatures died in the flood, which was intended to destroy corrupt and evil humans, no species we know of was lost to extinction.
The story of the great flood is a lesson about God’s priorities. For me, this is an example of God’s desire for global salvation. I see a story not just of God saving one righteous human family, but of God protecting his creatures from the harm caused by human corruption.
I see Noah as a biblical example of human stewardship in the service of God and His creation. Noah could have chosen to save his family in a much smaller boat for a lot less effort. But that would not be a righteous act. That would be selfish and disobedient. The vast majority of his efforts in building an ark so large was to save vulnerable species from extinction. Acting to save species from extinction today would likewise be a true measure of our righteous choices and obedience to God’s will.
And speaking of choices, The preacher did a great job of portraying the mental conversation Noah must have had in response to the enormous amount of work and responsibility he was given. Noah had choices and made all the right choices.
When it came to gathering up all the animals, the preacher correctly pointed out that this was not Noah's job. The animals were invited to go aboard the ark by God’s command. I hadn’t considered that before. It’s a reminder that God remains fully engaged with, and in charge of, the natural world. Unlike me, all other creatures perfectly obey His commands. I can’t imagine a single animal having the sort of mental conversations that Noah must have experienced, as was pointed out. Can you imagine a bear saying, “I like my cave. I’m not getting onto that boat. I’ll take my chances here.” I’m sure that God’s desire is the bear’s urge to board the ark with his mate. For the bears and all God’s creatures, there is no capacity to doubt or second-guess.
This points to what it truly means to be made in God’s image, in my view. We share God’s dominion, allowing us to understand the natural world and manipulate nature to create new things. We also share God‘s ability to make choices. We alone can make choices that can please God or defy His wishes. No other creature can say no to God. We do it all the time.