"For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." [Rom 8:19-23]

In Genesis, after God made man, He said, “subdue [the earth]: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” [Gen 1:28b] And again, after Noah exited the ark in safety, The LORD said, “and the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.” [Gen 9:2] Through these verses we see that God has given man dominion over the earth and the creatures therein contained. He “madest [man] to have dominion over the works of [His] hands; [and] hast put all things under his feet.” [Psa 8:6] As men, we have a responsibility given to us of God to tend to the earth and its creatures: to take care of and control these things, to be good stewards. The LORD has lovingly given these things which His hands have made, into our hands, that we might be managers of His goods and affairs. He has given us plants to grow and prune, animals to train and eat. No matter what it is, we do well to remember our Father’s words, “every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.” [Psa 50:10-11] It is He who owns all, and who shall, for all those things which He has placed into our hands, require an answer, because it is written, “all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we must give account.” [Heb 4:13b]

It is clear that we should take care of what God has given us. When Adam and Eve were first created, before they sinned, the creation of God was marvelously maintained no doubt, for they were at that state without sin and thus very fit for such a task. However, after the fall, when sin corrupted all things, including the mind and heart of man, it was not so. We can presume that the way we treat and take care of God’s creation does not reach that ultimate goal, nor does it perfectly reflect the diligence and care Christ would show. We can see this in the passage today from Romans; notice there how “the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” And for what? For that same thing for which we eagerly groan: “for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” But why is this? For two reasons. Firstly, because the curse shall be utterly rid of and death cast into hell. All things shall be made new, as it says, “and He that sat upon the throne said, behold, I make all things new;” [Rev 21:5] and again, “and I saw a new heaven and a new earth;” [Rev 21:1] and again, “nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for a new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” [2 Pe 3:13] In that new creation, all things shall be made right and new. “There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” [Rev 21:4] The new creation, which shall occur after “the redemption of our [bodies],” will afford that which dwells in it a far more comfortable, pleasurable existence, and so it is eagerly awaited by all who experience the evils of the present corruption handed down to us from Adam.

And secondly, it is because man shall receive new bodies; and with the reception of that long-awaited and glorious gift, man shall never again sin. Having received a body like Christ, one not subject to sin, there shall no longer be that lusty flesh tempting man: man shall be set free from that corruption – as Paul wrote in Romans, in our passage today, “the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption.” In that we shall receive bodies like Jesus, it is manifest; for it is written, “when He shall appear, we shall be like Him.” [1 Jn 3:2] And in the fact that we shall not sin, we see written regarding that future city in which we shall dwell, both “the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them;” and, “there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth…but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” [Rev 21:3; 22:27] Therefore, seeing that man dwells with God in the city, and no defiling influence whatsoever shall enter therein: we conclude that man shall never again do that which defiles or causes death, and so lacks sin. This reveals to us that the creation groans and longs for man to be sinless. For in that sinless state, man shall take much better care and thought for the creatures and plants contained in God’s creation. Much of the suffering and crookedness in God’s creation is due to man, due to man’s sin. Therefore, we see in the fact that creation longs for man to be sinless, having received their glorified bodies, that creation suffers due to man’s sin. For God intended man to tend to His creation with love and care and grace, much as He does – as it is written, “The LORD is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works.” [Psa 145:9] However, man does not do this at present. So then, let us seek to be more like Christ: to do good and show mercy toward God’s creation. If we are the master of an animal, as the dog pictured, let us take care of them, let us show them some measure of love and mercy. For we are told, “a righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.” [Prov 12:10] Let us strive to train and rule the creation in a way that glorifies Jesus’ character.