What Does “Dominion” Mean?

When God created the first two people, he made them in his image. And he gave them a purpose: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion.” Yes, we’ve been called to have dominion over God’s creation.

Now, dominion—that’s a word many don’t like. Sometimes people think it means we can just do whatever we want to the earth. But that’s not what it means. When we look to all of Scripture, we see that God loves his creation … and all the creatures he’s made. He formed earth to be inhabited … and not just by us, but by a huge variety of creatures.

So, what does “dominion” mean? It means being a good steward of God’s creation for God’s glory … and our good.

Dig Deeper

• Lasting Lessons from Mount St. Helens
• Three Decades Since Eruption of Mount St. Helens