I remember recently, I came across a video on Facebook showing a bus repeatedly falling, nose first, on a trampoline. Each time the experiment was reset, the gravity was adjusted to reflect how fast a bus would fall on each celestial body. Even the sun and moon got a mention. But what really caught my attention was the caption: "What planet would you like to live on?"
My simple response was "Oh, I don't know, probably the one with air I can breathe, plants I can eat, living people I can hug etc." But presumably, the original poster had a scenario in mind by which each planet is terraformed to be hospitable to life. Maybe, if we could make Mars habitable, people might want to move there?
But if we're being honest with ourselves, Earth is the obvious choice, because the only way we could want to move to these other planets is if we could make them more like Earth. Even Earth's gravity is ideal for our lives. During space flights, astronauts have been known to experience atrophy in their calf muscles in particular.
According to Scripture, God did not form the Earth to be empty, but to be inhabited (Isaiah 45:18). This makes perfect sense of why it is so well designed for life, whereas even our moon is not. It may be fun, for sake of science, to visit the moon, or even Mars, but when push comes to shove, this Earth is literally all we've got. Even the other celestial bodies play their part in making our planet ideal for life. The sun is an obvious example. It gives our planet a "home", so that we're not just drifting from nowhere to nowhere, and keeps us in orbit at exactly the right distance from it so that we neither freeze, nor fry. We inhabit what is called the "Goldilocks zone", meaning we are positioned just right for life to exist here. Other planets closer to the sun, of course, are too hot, and others far away are too cold.
But of course, we know that temperature is not the only thing required for life. Nor, indeed, is liquid water. There are so many factors required for life that the Earth is literally the only known planet that possesses them all. Of course, every now and then, some article will be published with the sensational story that some "Earth-like planet" has been discovered, but you'll never find a planet quite like Earth. Not one that can sustain life, and certainly not one that actually contains it.
Exceptions might include bacteria. This, I believe, has been discovered (though, ironically, contamination from Earth has not been ruled out). But let's be honest here, bacteria hardly counts. It is life in a biological sense, for sure, but it wouldn't exactly shake our world if we find bacteria on another.
The fact that we have never discovered life elsewhere is not due to a lack of trying. Take, for example, SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence). In the FAQs section of SETI.org, we read "SETI is an acronym for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. It is an effort to detect evidence of technological civilizations that may exist elsewhere in the universe, particularly in our Galaxy. There are potentially billions of locations outside our Solar System that may host life. With our current technology, we have some ability to discover evidence of cosmic habitation, and, in the specific case of our SETI experiments, to find beings that are at a technological level at least as advanced as our own." (1)
The irony of SETI is that it isn't necessarily searching for the life itself. As much as I'm sure they would rejoice if they found a little green man wondering around on Mars, they are actually using Creationist logic as a criteria for when we will know we have found life. As the SETI@home page on Berkeley's website says, "SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) is a scientific area whose goal is to detect intelligent life outside Earth. One approach, known as radio SETI, uses radio telescopes to listen for narrow-bandwidth radio signals from space. Such signals are not known to occur naturally, so a detection would provide evidence of extraterrestrial technology." (2)
In effect, what they are saying is "this kind of signal would clearly indicate intelligent design, and so if we find it, we will have found evidence of an intelligent designer". And yet, we have similar evidence of an intelligent designer in the form of DNA. Language is not known to just occur naturally. Of course, you could argue that DNA is known to occur naturally. When you find DNA, you know it is a natural copy of a natural copy of a natural copy etc. However, this doesn't solve the problem, because although it occurs naturally, it does so from pre-existing DNA.
But if you go back in time, you have to admit that at some point, it cannot have occurred this same way. Unless you want to come up with some strange time travel scenario wherein the last living organisms go back and reproduce to create the first, there has to be some beginning. But this is not known to occur naturally. In fact, as well-designed as our planet is for life, it is also well-designed to be as inhospitable to life as possible. This is why you don't walk up to mucky ponds and find brand new, self-created microbes. Any micro-organisms you find anywhere on Earth, you know are descended from pre-existing micro-organisms.
From this alone, we see the truth of Romans 1 on full display: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things." (Romans 1:18-23).
As much as mankind runs from God, He has actually created an interesting system wherein our right foot rebels against our left. What I mean by this is that we have, in effect, two natures. One half runs from God, loving our sin, and hating the light He shines on it. But because we are made in the image of God, and He has even written His law upon our hearts (Romans 2:14), we can never escape His gravity.
The result of this is that even the most hostile worldviews will inevitably have to borrow from God in order to sustain themselves. As an example, atheism. Atheism, in effect, means "no God-ism". And that's actually a quite literal translation, too. A = no, Theism = Belief in God. It's rather difficult to get more hostile towards God than to literally deny that He exists.
Yet, atheists rarely act as if there is truly no God. In fact, what you'll find is that even the Scriptures that most seem to address atheists aren't actually aimed at them. We've all heard Psalm 14:1, for example: "The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good." Well, as much as that certainly does apply to atheists, when we read on just one verse more, we see that it applies to all the children of men. It applies to you, whether you're an atheist or not. It applies to me, though barring some kind of serious head injury, I could never see myself denying the existence of some kind of god.
Biblically speaking, foolishness is not actually a comment on one's personal level of intelligence. You can be a very intelligent fool, and you can be a very stupid wise man. In Scripture, folly is a comment on one's moral character.
Of course, there can be some overlap. Paul is an obvious example. "...I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief." (1 Timothy 1:13). This tells us that when you suppress the truth in unrighteousness, it's all too easy to deceive yourself. In fact, when we read the rest of Romans 1, it seems that God will personally ensure that eventually, you will just become locked into your own choices. "Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, (...) who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." (v24-25). "For this reason God gave them up to vile passions...." (v26). "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind..." (v28).
All of this makes it clear that when you get into a tug of war with God, there comes a point where He lets go of the rope. And what happens when He does? Well, you fall backwards in the direction you pulled, of course. So if you tug against God in the direction of atheism, when God gives you over, you might well become an atheist for real.
But you will never escape that God-shaped hole.
Ultimately, just as the Earth was designed for us, we were designed for the Earth. And not just to live here. Where did God place us in the beginning, but a garden? A garden, where we were supposed to work. We were supposed to provide for the plants, and in turn, they would give us food, as it is today, albeit with greater toil due to sin (Genesis 3:17-19).
But pay close attention to the conclusion of Genesis 1. Starting from verse 26 until the end, we read "Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day."
We are stewards.
When God created man, He set us over the entire creation, not just so we would work on it, but so it would be given over entirely to us. We are supposed to care for it, but also to use it. Even later on, in Genesis 9, God repeats and expands on this mandate: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs." (Genesis 9:1-3).
And He goes on further still! "But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man. “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man. And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; Bring forth abundantly in the earth And multiply in it.”" (v4-7).
Along with all of this, God gives us a covenant. Starting slightly earlier, in Genesis 8:21-22, God promises "I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”" And He reiterates this again in Genesis 9:9-17: "And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth."
We see, then, that the Christian worldview presents mankind as stewards with a cut of our Master's bounty. This Earth does not belong to us, it belongs to God, and He will certainly judge us for what we do on it. Occasionally, that judgement is physical. Initially with a flood, though this specific judgement is ruled out for a second time, God has never been afraid to destroy sinners. When you look at Sodom and Gomorrah, when you look at Edom, and even, showing us who God truly is, when you look at Israel, you see that God takes vengeance upon mankind whenever He sees fit.
Thus, we cannot be surprised when things go wrong for us, be it by way of miraculous destruction, or even just as a natural result of our folly. If we mismanage our resources, how can we expect anything other than destruction? If you don't store water for seasons of drought, you're going to get thirsty. If you let highly flammable undergrowth grow out of control, you're going to get uncontrollable wildfires. If you use toxic pesticides, you're going to kill off pollinators. It all makes sense.
Of course, the flip side of this is that while we are supposed to look after the planet, since it belongs to God and not us, God has also given it to us, both for our flourishing, and our pleasure. Thus, there are things we can do that aren't necessarily ideal for the environment, but are good for us. We can clear forest areas to plant farms, or even just create living spaces for us. We can use fossil fuels to ensure we have clean water, temperate domiciles, efficient travel, and even luxury items. And we don't have to be vegans, either. Eggs and cheese, fair game. Beef and chicken, acceptable. Strictly speaking, even animals considered sacred in some countries are permissible to eat.
Now again, there are limits. The dominion mandate does not extend to other people; you cannot own another person. The dominion mandate is not willy nilly, you will be judged according to how well you manage it, and sloth is literally a deadly sin. The animals, while they are less valuable than we are, are still valuable to God, and so He not only tells us that righteous men care for them (Proverbs 12:10), but there is even a strong case to be made that when they die, they have their place in Heaven. The dominion mandate is not equal: God gives some people more, some people less, and judges them according to how they use what He gives (Luke 19:11-27).
But just as there are limits to how much destruction God will morally tolerate, His covenant makes it clear that there is also only so much destruction God will physically permit. He has promised us that the next (and last) global judgement will be by fire (2 Peter 3:1-13), and water will never again destroy it all. He has promised us that day and night will never cease as long as the Earth endures, nor will seed time and harvest, nor summer and winter. His symbol of this promise? The rainbow.
But those of reprobate mind have taken that rainbow to mean many other things. Rejecting God's commands, and indeed being proud of it, they use 6 colors to represent the many diverse ways in which they rebel against Him. As predicted by Paul, "...Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error." (Romans 1:26-27).
But notice, just one verse earlier, "They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen." They worshiped and served created things.
This begins with Climate Alarmism. For decades now, we have been constantly warned of an impending climate crisis. The apocalypse has never been more than 10 years away, even though it's been a little under a century that they've been saying this. It started with "Global Warming", which was supposed to melt the ice caps, kill off the polar bears, and flood us out. This, of course, is a simplistic statement, it's not the fullness of the original claims, but that's about the sum of it.
As time went on, however, scientific data continued to pour in, and obviously, the world didn't end. The mythical climate crisis has never happened, even with all the warnings. Climate change predictions seem to consistently fail, and eventually, the very name was changed from "Global Warming" to "Climate Change" precisely because the predictions continuously failed. The ice caps were supposed to be gone by 2014, they're still just as icy as they normally are now in 2023. Polar bears were supposed to be nearing extinction due to the aforementioned ice cap shrinkage, their numbers have grown significantly. In 2007, rainfall was supposed to be so rare in Australia that they couldn't fill their reservoirs, but they've had major floods since then.
Now, to be clear, climates do change. This is to be expected. It's the natural order of a fallen world. But making the Earth uninhabitable would require God to fail in His promises, which He has literally never done. Thus, while we can certainly cause ourselves a few problems by detonating atomic bombs, blowing up nuclear plants, or heck, simply dropping crisp packets all over the local park, the Earth will always be capable of sustaining human life.
What we see with all of this is a major inconsistency in the worldview of anyone and everyone who rejects God. In fact, the only real consistency in their position towards God is their rebellion against Him. They will obey His commands, but only for their own benefit. They will reject His promises, but act as if they should bring them into reality in their own way. As we were designed to work, they will work. As we were designed to eat, they will eat. As we were designed to be stewards over the Earth, they will be stewards over the Earth. But they will do all of this in their own name.
This is why we often see Climate Alarmists showing a genuine care and appreciation for the planet. But in so doing, they act as if humanity is a stain upon it. Many of them claim we are actually a part of nature, as much as any other animal, which we supposedly evolved from. But at the same time, they impose a higher responsibility upon us, as if we truly are responsible. And while they claim we are just another animal, they seek to impose dietary restrictions upon us, because eating meat is evil... unless you're a lion, a tiger, a crocodile, a spider, a snake, you name it, the world is full of predators. But what does the word of the Lord say? "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer." (1 Timothy 4:1-5).
And so we see this one common thread: "...you will be like God..." (Genesis 3:4-5). The devil is alive and kicking. In fact, Scripture tells us he roams as a lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). And so we see his fingerprints all over it. Satan hates the image of God, and so while God tells us to fill the Earth, he has a different message. As much as he encourages reproductive acts, especially among those too young and immature to practice them, he does not seek for them to be done correctly. He hates marriage with a passion, and when it produces Godly offspring, it really angers him. But he's happy for us to have sex. Just woe betide you if any resulting children exit the womb alive. Gay sex is even better; it damages the body, has no chance of producing children, and kills the soul for sinning against the Author of life. Transgenderism? Better still! Mutilate the reproductive system permanently! No more Godly offspring even if the sinner repents.
God tells us to subdue the Earth, but again Satan has a different message. We must not subdue the Earth; it must swallow us whole. Man must die so that Earth may live. Of course, his servants are still permitted to live in luxury. You can become very rich by selling Satanic ideas. You will often find Climate Alarmists flying in private jets, not even being so humble as to just fly first class.
And those polar bears we talked about earlier? The ones that were supposed to be nearing extinction, yet turned out to grow in numbers? It turns out, they do not thank us for our conservation efforts. As even the WWF admits, "As powerful predators, polar bears pose a major risk to human life and property. Throughout the polar bear’s range, attacks on humans and property continue to rise. In recent years, more than 20 direct attacks on humans have been reported within the polar bear’s range." Now of course, that doesn't mean we should be actively seeking to exterminate the polar bears, but God does demand an account for human blood from every animal, whereas He does not demand a reckoning for polar bear bloodshed from humans. The devil rejoices when a polar bear kills a man, but as humans, it is our job to preserve human life, even if it means polar bears decline.
But as much as the selfish listen to Satan (of course, while most of them deny his very existence), they ultimately show eternity in their hearts Ecclesiastes 3:11). See, the logical end of atheism is Nihilism. Death shouldn't matter at all. Death is inevitable. Denying it is delusional. Delaying it is futile. And it's all out of our hands. Of course, we all want to live pleasant lives, and certainly no one wants to live an unpleasant one. But even the truest believer in climate change, who is not a true believer in a higher power of some kind, is kidding themselves if they think anything we do makes any difference at all in the grand scheme of things. They may well care, and of course I, as a Christian, would argue that they should, but in their worldview, why should they? Will it be remembered? Will it be rewarded? If we're just accidents heading to oblivion, the answer is no.
Thus, the common elements of our worldviews only really make sense in one. It makes sense for Christians to care for our one planet, because we believe we will be judged for how we treat it. It makes sense for Christians to value animal life, because our God does too. It makes sense for Christians to value human life, because our God has told us that we are His very image!
But it makes little sense for atheists to believe the same things. This is actually why they very often don't. They don't all believe this is our one planet, they just believe it's the only one we've actually found. They don't all believe animal life is valuable, they have many internal debates about the ethics of Veganism, among many other things. They don't even all value human life equally, they will callously advocate many forms of murder. Look at Canada. Atheists ultimately lack unity because they lack foundation for it.
The devil's house, then, is quite divided against itself, and it will not stand for long. But then why does it continue to stand at all? The Lord tells us: "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9). It is God's patience that has allowed us to survive many years beyond the innumerable climate apocalypses were predicted. He sustains the Earth, just as He promised. His rainbows fill our skies as a sign: "I will never destroy the Earth as I have". But He is not absolving us of all judgement. Quite the opposite. While the death of the wicked brings Him no pleasure, each of us is appointed a time to die and face judgement. At that time, all of our sins will be taken into account. And not just those related to the environment.
This is a problem. When sinners face the Holy God, what is appropriate but death? It would be quite fitting for the Lord to destroy us all. But that pit was designed for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 12:9), not us! And so, in His love, the Lord gave us a better option. We may face the penalty of our sins ourselves, a price we can never afford to pay in full. But He can.
And so the fullness of Godhead took up a bodily residence in Jesus (Colossians 2:9). Born through the womb of a virgin, Jesus lived a fully human life, being subject to all our temptations (Hebrews 4:15), yet never being drawn away by them. He knew no sin, and yet He became sin for us, so that we may become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our sin has been punished already! The wrath of God was satisfied at the cross.
Because of this, we have the option to turn from our sin (called "repentance"), and receiving eternal life. To claim this, we must confess Jesus as Lord, and believe in our heart God raised Him from the dead. This is the only way of salvation. Eating bugs will not save us. Switching to electric cars will not save us. Erecting solar panels will not save us. Salvation will only come through Jesus, and those who seek it in Him are absolutely saved.
References
1. SETI Institute, About, FAQs, What is SETI? (link)
2. The science of SETI@home (link)
3. Arctic WWF, "POLAR BEARS AND PEOPLE" (link)