The Fall

Notes and Sermon by Stephen Weeks

 Summary of Genesis 1 and 2.

God

The subject of all the Scriptures – , Not Man, Not Animals. God.

“In the Beginning God”

God, Eternally existing, Always has been, Always will be.

We have to get this. The Bible is primarily a book about God. Does it speak to man and tell us much about ourselves, yes. But we have to see He is Primary.

Creation of all things for His pleasure.

This God we saw, is the Creator of All,

Think about His power. He simple Spoke and things came into existence.

Creation ex Nihilo- Creation out of Nothing,

And God Said….And there was.

And it was Good.

Creation reflecting his power, His awesomeness and Glory.

All things reflecting His goodness.

Everything was perfect- Reflecting His perfection

Everything was sinless- reflecting His holiness.

God, The giver and sustainer of Life.  Creator of Thoughts, Emotions, love, everything. Everything he created was good and for His pleasure.

Creation reflected His power, His beauty, His goodness, His perfection, His holiness.

Genesis 1:26

Man

The Pinnacle of all of His creation.

 He created us for Himself, For His pleasure.

 Different than everything else in Creation,

Gen 1:26 - created in his image,

Man has the capacity to know Him and walk with Him and have fellowship with God

Look at the Dominion mandate-

1:28- We saw that God placed man on the earth and tells him to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth

God desired the earth to be filled with Mankind bearing his image -The Result. The Whole earth would be full of worshippers and thus full of His glory.

This is an awesome command, be fruitful, Multiply, fill the earth- God’s Glory is throughout the Whole earth

This is an awesome command for us- Think about it.

            -Be fruitful, Fill the earth, Multiply,

            How you think that’s happening.

            God is promoting lots of God honoring Sex between Husbands and wives.

Implication

God is for Sex, He created it and encourages it, even commands it, but commands it in purity, in Marriage that we will see.

He goes on in the dominion mandate to say that man was to.

Subdue it and have dominion over it

And as God is the Creator of all things including man by His creative right He is our Ruler. We have all been created by Him and for Him.

Let’s pick up the story,

Genesis 2

God creates all, He rest,

He now expounds on in detail the creation of Man and the Garden,  The dwelling place of God and man.

Genesis 2:7-9

God Created man from the Dust, He breathed life into Him and placed Him in a Garden in Eden.

Two trees were in the Garden that it makes note of.

1.)  The tree of Life

2.)  The tree of the knowledge of good and Evil.

Genesis 2:10-17

Everything man needed, water, resources, work, food.  

Verse 16-17

You can eat of all the trees,

 Verse 17

“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Verse 18

But man was lonely. God saw it wasn’t good he was alone.
God had the most amazing plan.

Stop and praise God for this. He did not make man marry some animal or another man.

He creates a Helper, fit for Him. God creates Woman.

 You know its good. -  Woe Man. 

And thus we see Marriage instituted.

V 24-

Naked and unashamed!

There is no sin, Everything is perfect. Man and God walk together in Relationship.

 We look at the World, What’s up? Something has gone wrong.

 We look out at creation

1.) Earthquakes and Floods,

2.) Tsunami’s and Hurricanes. Volcanoes and Tornadoes.

3.) Enormous forest fire blazing through Colorado

 Something has Gone wrong.

We look at Mankind

1.)Sandusky trial of Penn States assistant coach who has been accused of having sex with boys at a football camp.

2.)Rocky Mount –Greed, Racism, Pride, Hatred, Murder,

3.)Our own hearts – pride, selfishness, hate of God, desire to be God

Something has Gone wrong.

What happened to God’s good and perfect creation? This perfect fellowship they had with Him?

Why is the world the way it is today?

 And Why do we have to wear clothes, Weren’t Adam and eve created naked?

Genesis 3

Fall of Man.

Sin enters the World.

Glimpse of God’s great plan of redemption.

Read Genesis 3:1-5

 Temptation By Satan

Verse 1

The Serpent- Scripture makes clear Rev 20:2 - This is Satan

      -         We are not told here how the serpant became evil, We won’t talk tonight about how evil came into existence.

-         But the writer points out he is Crafty- We should be seeing potential danger.

Satan comes and talks with the woman- He has a plan.

Notice His question – V 1

“Did God actually say, you shall not eat of any tree in the Garden”

-         Satan is getting her thinking about what God has said,

 He is tempting the woman to question God.

-         He should not be questioning His wisdom and commands, or Questioning His goodness.

-         God has given Adam and the woman everything they needed.

-         The women though plays right into his trap.

 This is where sin starts, Not in an action but first in the heart. For the Woman She put herself in the Place of God.  She wanted to be God.

verse 2-3

She corrects Him.

Notice her addition, “Neither shall you touch it”

She portrays that God’s command is stricter than it is. Giving her wisdom on His command.

Where Satan has previously had her questioning God, wanting her to assume His role. Now He speaks forth a Lie.

  Verse 4-5

Let’s examine what satan has said.

“You will not surely die.” – This is a clear contradiction of what God has said, God has lied to you, He has deceived you.

-         Satan calls into question the goodness and truthfulness of God. He wants her to question Him.  

Not only will you not die,

God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, you will be like Him, You will know Good and evil.

Satan now has her questioning the goodness of God.

God is Holding out on you.

You can be like Him. You can know good and evil.

Application thought

How many of yall have heard this lie from Satan?

God is holding out on you. He doesn’t want what is best for you.

Just try this, Just take a look, Just enjoy this.

Thus you question the goodness of God.

            You are desiring to Be God.

Satan is whispering

 Don’t listen to Him. You are in charge. You are God of your life.

As You read this you want to say, Wait, Woman,( She has no name yet, Watch when it is given) God has not held out on you. He has only bestowed blessing after blessing on You. Don’t listen, don’t go there. But she does.

The Fall, Sin enters the World.

Read V 6

She saw the food was good for food,

It was a delight to her eyes

It will make me wise, like God

She took it and ate.

 I can see this progression even take place in my daughter Charlotte at 10 months old

Implications in our own life

You see this progression of Sin,

Tempted, Questioned God’s goodness, Desired to be God,  Dwelled on temptation, pursued it, and fell.

 Again, this is noteworthy to us. Beware, when you are tempted. Stop immediately and turn to Christ, Repent, Cry out to God, Do not start down that path. It will lead to bondage, destruction, wrath.

Then it led her to get Adam to Join

 She gave some to her husband, Who was with her and he ate.

Thus we see, Where was Adam, right there with her. Failing to protect His family, participating in this rebellion as well.

 Men, there is no cop out. Adam Failed His family here. He was right there.

 You might be saying, “Big deal Stephen, They ate some fruit.”

No HUGE Deal!

 It’s not about the Fruit. It was not poisoned,  Look at their Heart! They have acted in the place of God and have set themselves up against God almighty.

Tim Keller states- They have tried to be their own God.

 They are declaring their judgment and wisdom to be greater than His.  

 They have questioned His goodness and disobeyed.

 They have sinned against the Holy God!!!!

This sin is like taking a revolver and pointing it in the face of God!- piper

The mouse has just tried to steal the dinner of the Lion, and as you will see, He has been caught. -chandler

 Well that’s just Adam and Eve, Not me.

No, Sin has spread to all of us, We all have this same desire. To Be our own God, to be our own Savior, To be our own Judge. We have all entered this rebellion.

 Sinful by nature

Romans 5: 12 makes clear- “Just as Sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.

We now have all received this sin nature.

 Example

My Daughters first phrase  "No, No, Daddy!!"

We are in this bondage to sin, death and in rebellion to God.

Sinful By Action too

Romans 3:23- states, that we have all sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.

 Man’s Response to their sin and guilt

Verses 7-13

      1.)  Tried to Cover their guilt,- V 7

            Man’s response to His sin, He tries to deal with it, He tries to cover it.

2.)  Tried to Hide Verses- 8-10

3.)  Tried to shift blame – 11-13

None of these responses work, Man is guilty and cannot do anything to mend what he has done.

Reflect

This is the state we find ourselves in today as well. We stand guilty before a Holy God and we know it. We have all sinned and rebelled against God.

We know something must be done, But we can’t do anything. We Hide or respond wrongly as well.

1.)  Some try to impose a new set of rules they could keep.

Well if I do more good than bad, that will cover it.

But we are not God.

2.)  Some try to say that God will just overlook sin.

But this would violate His holiness and justice. A just judge has to punish sin.

3.)  Some try to earn their salvation.

But they can’t. They can’t deal with their sin. We can’t actually do anything good.

Isaiah 64:6-states that are righteous acts are like filthy wrags.

None of these attempts to clean ourselves up will suffice.

 So what are the Results of this Sin seen here???

This is Terrible!

 Let’s see – V 7

1.)  Their eyes were opened.

Satan had promised, Their eyes would be opened. They were. He had promised they would know Good and evil. They did.

       

But here is the deal. They not only knew good and evil. They experienced evil. They know right, But now they are bent towards evil.

      2.)  The Serpent (Satan)- V 14-15

1.)  You will be destroyed.

a.     It may look like he has won, But God promises His triumph

      3.)  The Woman v 16

2.) Pain in Childbirth

3.) Marriage will be hard.

4.)  Man – 17-19

5.)  Your work will be hard

a.     Ground is cursed, thorns will come up.

6.)  You will return to the Ground

You will die physically.

Did Death Come???

            It appears at first glance No. They are still alive.

Yes, 2 Ways you see this.

1.)  But stop and think, What is true life. True life in the scriptures is pointed to as knowing God. This is only possible if one is in a peaceful relationship with Him.

a.     That Day they sinned, They were banished from the Garden. They died, they lost true life.

b.     John 17:3 - Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

2.)  Spiritually man has died. He is now a slave to sin, and a dead man.

3.)  Physically he is heading towards death and judgment .

Another Result of Sin

Yall must leave the Garden! The Place where God and man walked together. This relationship has been broken. 22-24

If you look outside of Genesis to the whole of Scripture we see a few more Results of our sin.

Wrath

Romans 1:18- The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.

We are all under God’s wrath. Rightly so, we have rebelled against Him.

Hell

We are all heading towards hell with no hope in ourselves.

How bad is this hell,

 It’s bad enough that Jesus says in Matthew 18:8-9

It would be better for you cut off your hand or foot and throw it out than to go there. HE goes on to say it would be better for you to gauge out your eye and throw it away than to go there.

Hell is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. A place of unending torment and burning.

Good grief, This is terrible news. A terrible story.

-        This is the story of Man and the state we are in.

Wait, As we read through Chapter 3 did you notice anything.

The Gospel is in here. Words of grace, and mercy and triumph. Words of a promised Messiah!

Genesis 3:8-10

1.)  God comes searching for His lost sheep.

Genesis 3:15

2.) Satan Crushed through coming Messiah

            -God is revealing Their will be hatred between Satan and His people and the and the people of faith who are God’s that will come through the woman.

Here is extremely good news.

It goes on to tell us that the woman’s seed, Offspring, Will bruise the serpents head,

And he shall bruise your heal.

This is a Messianic Prophecy,

Satan has blown a terrible blow to mankind. He has bruised his heal.

But God is announcing that through the Messiah, Jesus, Will bruise, or crush Satan’s head.

If this isn’t enough,

Look at V 20-

3.     Eve “Mother of the Living”

Though death has just entered, Now we see Adam name His wife Eve Mother of the Living. This is because Adam believes that God is going to bring life through her seed like God has promised.

And How will this be done?

Look at V 21-

4.)  Blood shed, Crucified Messiah

God took away the fig leaf which was insufficient. He killed and animal which would require shedding its blood and he covered man and woman with its skin.

This is revealing that Forgiveness and Salvation would come through the shed blood of a sacrifice. But we will see later. This animal’s blood isn’t sufficient. This is merely a picture of the blood of Jesus that will be shed on the Cross.

Conclusion.

1.)Where do you stand before God. How will the Holy God of the universe declare you forgiven and righteous. You are guilty.

Repent and Look to Christ. The Crucified lame of God who died for your sins and triumphed over sin and death in the Resurrection.

2.)If you are in Christ. Rejoice in Your salvation, Proclaim Him. Beware of the enemies lies, resist Him remembering Christ has defeated Him and His ultimate destruction is coming.

Here is where we are in the story, Man has fallen. Sin has come. All mankind is under his wrath. But God has promised to send a Savior through the seed of the Woman. Satan will be conquered. Victory will be won.

Creation

The Bridge                                                                                                                                                          June 22, 2012

Notes and Sermon By Tim Griffin

Genesis 1-2 – Beginning with the Beginning (God the Creator)

Ø  Introductory Thoughts

o   Welcome to “The Bridge”

§  Believers & non-believers in a weekly gathering that incorporates passionate worship & Christ-centered preaching in the context of an authentic community.

·         Believers & Non-Believers –

o   This is a time of investigation, wrestling, searching honestly, & considering the implications of what the Bible has to say about Who God is & What He’s about in this world.

o   Whether you claim Christ as Lord or haven’t come to that point yet, but are interested to know what real Christianity might look like in Rocky Mount in the 21^st century, this is the place for you.

o   That said, can we pray before we start, acknowledging our need for God to help us share (to be true to what the Bible actually says, not what we want it to say) & to help us hear & see what is real & true through the gift of the Scripture.

·         Weekly Gathering –

o   Friday Nights at 7pm.

o   People are busy & mobile (especially in the summer).  If you miss a week, come the next.

o   Good conversation before the gathering time & afterwards will catch you up on where we are in the context of where we’ve been.

·         Authentic Community – Said last week, but bears repeating.

o   No plastic people allowed!  We aren’t perfect.  If someone presents himself to you as though he were, he’s a poser (cover blown – join all the imperfect people).

o   There is nothing more refreshing than to be around people that are real/transparent/genuine/what you see is what you get.

o   There’s nothing more freeing than being one of those people.  That said, come with real questions/ real problems & hear real solutions to all that life is.

o   It won’t make life superficially easy (maybe harder by some standards).  But it will give bedrock peace & ease of heart when life does suck.

§  So, you ready to go?  Let’s do this – together with a heart to know God & live life together to His glory & our good.

Ø  Every Story has a Beginning

o   Beginning, Plot Line, Conclusion/Resolution

o   Miss the beginning & you miss it all!

§  Ever come into a movie halfway.

·         At the end, you may conclude that makes no sense.

·         Or throughout the movie, you become “that guy” who’s constantly elbowing (& annoying, I might add)the person next to you asking “beginning” type questions.

o   Kind of like watching the NBA finals last night with someone who knows nothing about the rules of basketball (“He tried to make that ball go in the basket & that other player knocked it away.  How mean!”  Get it?)

o   Think you already know the ending & you’re constantly jumping ahead to the conclusion/resolution.

§  Watching a movie with Graham

·         Excited about the outcome & wants to tell you who matters & what they are doing that you don’t see yet (which might have been the directors intention!).

§  Christian Pitfall – OT is out of date.  It’s got a few stories of how God worked in another time with another group of people.  It may give us some stories about good behavior & bad consequences if I don’t keep God’s rules.  We have the NT! We know about Jesus – so don’t waste time on that other OT stuff.  Just tell people about their sin & what Jesus can do for them.

§  Seeing the whole story is helpful in understanding, after the fact, the start.

·         E.g.- “The Notebook” – Old man reading a story to his wife with Alzheimer’s, only to find out that the story that she is hearing as if it is new is actually their story.  Not knowing that at first actually draws you into the drama & gives a shocking & beautiful picture at the end.  Instead of “Ah, bless their hearts,” you walk away with “Wow, that was cool.”

§  Don’t negate the start because you think you know the end.

·         Foundations are laid in the beginning that are crucial in understanding the reason for & the magnitude of the resolution to the story.

o   Main Characters / Focal Points / “First Things” (Presuppositions upon which everything else that you conclude or draw from the story are based.)

·         This is especially crucial in the Biblical Story.

o   Wellington Boone – “If you get Genesis 1-3 right, you get the rest of the Bible right. If you get Genesis 1-3 wrong, you get the rest of the Bible wrong.”

o   Missing the foundational trajectories of the Biblical story leads to more than just a little mistake – it leads to “heresy!”

§  “In the Beginning” – a statement of a definite beginning of all that is. Only “God” pre-exists & is outside of this Created Order.

§  To ignore this “first thing” is to lead us down the path of all kinds of wrong conclusions:

1.       Belief in some sinister (evil) Demiurge that pre-existed creation & fashioned this world contrary to God’s better intention, setting up an eternal evil “deity” of sorts.

2.       God’s use of eternally pre-existing material to form the universe.

3.       Creation being just a spill over (emanation) of the Divine being, making us (created order)a part of the eternal One.

o   So let’s begin at the Beginning. The place where the story of the Bible begins.

§  First, let’s think through what are the primary elements of the Biblical narrative that are laid out here in Genesis 1-2 that will be the filter through which the rest of the Scripture will be understood?

§  After that, let’s consider some of the implications of the “Beginnings” discovered here at the opening of the greatest book ever – God’s Word to us, the Bible.

Ø  Primary Elements of the Biblical Narrative

o   A Quick Caveat

§  If you thought this text would turn into an argument for creation over evolution, I hate to disappoint you.

·         This is the story of Creation, so clearly that’s the perspective that we will walk away with tonight.

·         But is the winning of an argument the point of the text?  Especially some of the arguing over the specifics of the creative process that are good & fine, but the history of the beginning is NOT the focal point of the beginning of the Biblical narrative.

·         So we’ll hold those arguments for another day.  For tonight, let’s see what that focal point is & how it’s going impact everything.

o   Opening Salvo – GOD!

§  An abrupt announcement

·         No introduction, no justification or verification, no permission seeking, no “hook,” & (strange to some of us) no proof – just a bold assertion – God.

·         In Scripture, God is simply the “Great Presuppositional Person” (i.e.- that which is posited underneath in advance)

·         Let me read this statement regarding this bold assertion that I believe capture the gravity of this bomb dropped on our worldview: “This opening line…reminds us once again to start where the Bible starts, with God, and then move out from there.  Otherwise we are unable to get started at all, or we get off on the wrong foot.  In Scripture the existence, reality, & presence of God are assumed to be utterly self-evident. Accordingly it arrests us at the very beginning with its most fundamental affirmation: God is the absolutely Prior, the wholly Other, the Source & Origin of all that is.” – Spykman

·         At the definitive beginning, God is. When time passes, God is. When time is or when it will be, God is. He is the “first thing.” He is the given. There is no source or origin for Him, God is. There is no thing or cause prior to Him, God is.

·         As such, God becomes the main character of the story of Scripture.

o   Remember English grammar. Deconstructing a paragraph meant finding the main idea or theme statement.

o   Here’s the Main Idea – Subject of the Whole Narrative – GOD! (Not you, not me, not “mother earth,” not the beluga whale or endangered species of the world)

o   Opening Act – CREATION

§  Heavens & the Earth

·         All of the Universe is seen here as the Created Order. There is nothing that is other than God Himself which is not under this dimension.

·         What did God make all that is out of?

o   Latin – “Creatio ex nihilo” i.e.- to create out of nothing

o   Not explicitly, verbally expressed, but it is everywhere present in the Scripture.

§  e.g.- Heb.11:3 – “By faith we understand the world was created by the Word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear.”

o   All that exists has a definitive beginning. It is not made of pre-existing material. This is absolute creation, not a new form made via precursors. It was not, then it was.

o   Note that it was, & the Spirit of God was over it (v.2). Implications made in a moment.

·         How did God make all that is?

o   The creating & shaping process was brought about by the spoken Word of God.

o   “Let there be light,” & there was light. “Let there be an expanse…” & there was. “Let the waters be gathered unto one place…” & there were seas.

o   Creation, made by the God who is, submits to His spoken Word, which embodies the goodwill of His pleasure.

o   Spoken Word Poet “Propoganda” says it this way: “The greatest story ever told that’s hardly ever told – God, yes God. / The maker & giver of life, & by life I mean any & all manner & substance. / Seen & Unseen, what can & can’t be touched. / Thoughts, Image, Emotion, It’s Love, Atoms, & Oceans – God. / All of it His handiwork…”

·         What implication does God’s creating of all that is have upon all that is?

o   If God, out of nothing & for His own good pleasure, created all that is, then He by Creative Right Rules & Reigns as Sovereign over all that is.

§  He speaks, & whatever He speaks is.

§  He declares whatever He declares to be good, & it is good.

§  He determines the order of all that is created

1.       Cosmically – e.g.- Day 4 - sun, moon, & stars for times & for seasons, for days & for years

2.       Hierarchically – e.g.-man as the image-bearer to rule & have dominion (Let us make…let them have…v.26)

o   If God declared that it was good, then that which He created is intrinsically “good.” Distortion of function/use cannot erase essential God-declared “good” structure.

o   Ultimate Moment in the Act – MAN AS IMAGE-BEARER

§  The creation of man is the apex of the creation story.  Man is not the point (that is God, as seen in v.1), but he is penultimate & is the aspect of creation to which all other parts relate.

·         Note v.1 – Created “heavens & earth.”  Of all the galaxies & planets, systems & stars, the earth is the focal point of the created entity.

·         Note v.26-28 – Man is made as the dominion taker & governor of the created order. His image-bearing is not to point to the autonomy or grandeur of man, but to reflect the sovereign rule & grandeur of God Himself.

·         Spoken Word would put it, “… All of it His handiwork, one of which His masterpiece made so uniquely that angels look curiously. / The one thing in creation that was made in His imagery. / A concept so cold, it’s the reason I stay bold. / How God breathed into man & He became a living soul. / Formed with the intent of being infinitely, intimately fond. / Creator & Creation held in eternal bond. / And it was placed in Perfect Paradise…”

o   Ultimate Purpose in the Act – CREATOR (GOD)/CREATURE(MAN) TO LIVE IN RELATIONSHIP TO GOD’S GLORY & MAN’S GOOD

§  Relationship to the Created Order (1:26-28) – “Man is to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it, & have dominion… (specifically over living beasts).”

·         Vice-Regency is on behalf of & in accordance with the goodwill of the God who made it all. Man administers his own life & his creational stewardship for the God of Creation, for the God of Creation.

§  Relationship Mirrored in Male / Female “Oneness” (2:20-25)

·         Man, the Relational Being of God’s created order, finds himself “alone” (v.20).

·         God, of His own initiative, provides another out of the man (v.21-22).

o   Taken literally out of Adam (rib) & fashioned for him

o   By application, every husband/wife from that day on are to forsake all others for a relationship of “oneness” (i.e.- identity in one another, transparency before one another, acceptance of one another)

Ø  Primary Implications of the “Beginnings” of Genesis 1-2

o   God is distinct from His Creation

§  Not just the good ol’ boy around the corner or the grandfatherly figure on the front porch. He’s not one of us, just maybe a little smarter & a little wiser.

§  He is the transcendent One. All things owe their existence in a dependent state to Him. He alone is self-sufficient.

§  Our response – Awe, Reverential Fear, Worship

o   God is Ruler over His Creation

§  He made it all by, through, & for His own good pleasure.

§  As a result of such, He is in fact the ruler over it by Creative Right.

·         e.g. – Kids making boats into armies in the bathtub. Kid decides that the red ships will sink the blue ships. Or he decides to play with the ships one night but not another. Or he decides to share his ships with his friend. Or he chooses to… you get the picture.

·         If this is reasonable for a kid with bathtub toys, how much more for the God who called the very material out of which the child’s toys are made into being with His spoken Word?

§  Who is there to challenge Him? To question Him? To establish what is right or fair or worthwhile or common?

o   God Created You & Me (Huge Applications to Think through)

§  I am not my own, He is Sovereign over every man by Creative Right.

·         Defy as you may, His autonomous control & reign cannot be thwarted. (e.g.- Night at the Museum” – Jedediah, tiny cowboy threatening Ka-mun-ra. Scream all he wants, it makes no difference.

§  I am not Random, Meaningless, Worthless, Purposeless.

·         The God who called all that He created “good” created you.

·         The God who called the conclusion of the creation in an image bearer commissioned to rule under Him created you.

§  I am not an Island to Myself.

·         I must relate to God.

o   He is my Sovereign by Creative Order. I cannot change that relationship by speaking it away or wishing it away or ignoring Him. He is there. I am here. I must relate to the Sovereign of the Universe.

·         I must relate to Men.

o   As fellow vice-regents, I must engage mankind.

§  To seclude myself is to defy the mandate to fill, subdue, & have dominion over the earth.

§   To use others for reasons other than God-directed ambassadorship is not an option.