| Most Recently Posted Ask a Question | |||||||||
| Q: | This question once came up at one of our Bible studies on Genesis. Is it safe to assume that if man had not fallen into sin, and subsequently not earned the punishment of death, and continued to follow Gods original command to be fruitful and multiply, that our planet would be able to support all this life, without being overpopulated? This question is somewhat rhetorical in that I know and believe our heavenly Father did not create us with the idea that we would one day sin, and disrupt the very order he had planned for mankind. However there is a lot of talk in the secular and scientific world, as you probably know, that our planet is being overpopulated, and that the resources are rapidly being depleted. I would like to know if there has been any Bible believing scientist or creationist who has done any kind of a comprehensive study on this matter. | ||||||||
| A: | Although there does not appear to be any readily available scholarly writing on this topic, some conclusions can be reached by looking at the references of Scripture. The command to be “fruitful and multiply” is often called the one command of God that has been kept. The reality of a world full of people sounds like faithfulness to being fruitful and multiplying. Some theologians have interpreted this passage to be more spiritual than physical. In other words, they acknowledge the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) as the clear directive for Christians to evangelize the world. The surmise, therefore, the directive to “be fruitful and increase in number” can be understood spiritually as describing the role of increasing the number of Christians in the world. The more “self-interpretative” explanation is the safest and that is to address the command within the context of its origination. The first command to be fruitful was given to the animals of the earth, sea, and sky (Genesis 1:22) (regardless of specific species). Animals were created with the divine intent that they reproduce and “increase in number.” God did not place limits or goals for this directive. It simply was the general two-step instruction to procreate and to so in a way to provide representation of earth, sea, and air animals throughout the world. The similar directive to “be fruitful and increase in number” was given to mankind just a few verses later (Genesis 1:28) but with an important contextual addition. In Genesis 1:26 we see that a primary role of the human race is to “subdue” the earth and to “rule over” the fish, birds, and every living creature. Those directives are tied directly to the words “be fruitful and increase in number.” Whereas the previous directive to do the same was given open-ended to the creatures of the earth, sea, and sky, man was assigned to “be fruitful and increase in number” in conjunction with subduing the earth and ruling over creation. In this way God established an order in creation where human beings are the primary species. This point was reiterated a little differently in the account after the flood and the directives given to Noah and his offspring (re: Genesis 9). Note that animal and plant life is subordinate to human life. Again, it is sustaining (even after the fall into sin) of man’s dominion over creation. In summary, the directive to be fruitful and increase in number does not have limits or goals attached. It appears to be a directive reflecting God’s providential interest in preserving his creation. So long as created life continues and man is the superior species, then it would appear this directive is satisfied. As relates to concerns about over-population, it does not appear to be a violation of Scripture to share in that concern. It is part of being stewards over the blessings God has given. What would be a concern is using methods that cost lives or diminish the role of the human race as the predominant element in all that is created. As for the idea that this is an evangelism reference to expanding the number of Christians in the world, let it be said that it is praiseworthy for the Christian community to increase in number through evangelism efforts. It appears, however, to be little more than conjecture to suggest the “fruitful and increase in number” directive to be an evangelism reference. | ||||||||
This is recent question #5 of 50
| |||||||||