It is common and in vogue today to talk about what we should do to “save the planet.” But only Christians have the real context and reason for such concerns. It is in the gospel that we have the full and true story • that God created a perfect world, a world that we broke but that He is restoring, and as those who bear His image, we are to be part of that story, that redemption, and that care for what He has created.

Of what value is a person? Is a human (old or young) of any greater or special value compared to a dog, or a whale, or a baby seal? And is that value simply arbitrary, bestowed (or removed) according to our whims, or is there a more lasting and a greater source for the value and worth of mankind?

So much ink has been spilled, so many churches have been split, and so much confusion has come from how Christians are to interpret the verses of this text. Perhaps a way through can be found when we learn to stand clearly and firmly where Scripture is clear – and to rest faithfully and peacefully in the sufficiency of God’s word in areas that are not clear.

The Bible starts out with a radical and a controversial statement: God Is. And truth of that claim, whether or not it can be trusted and He can be known, makes all of the difference – in our lives and in this world.