Biblical Stewardship

BIBLICAL STEWARDSHIP

Jonathan M. Menn

B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1974

J.D., Cornell Law School, 1977

M.Div., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2007

Equipping Pastors International

714 S. Summit St., Appleton, WI 54914

(920) 734-0709

www.equippingpastors.com

September 2008; revised November 2008;

revised February 2009; revised May 2009;

revised August 2009; revised November 2009;

revised December 2009; revised January 2010;

revised May 2010; revised July 2010;

revised November 2010; revised December 2011;

revised May 2012.

An exposition and application of God’s Word concerning biblical stewardship, which covers the meaning, creation, and nature of biblical stewardship, and our roles and responsibilities as stewards in major areas of our lives. Particular attention is given to stewardship of the environment, our minds, time, bodies, relationships, money and possessions, and the church: its basic mission and purpose; the church and finances;

and the church’s responsibility to the poor and needy.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OUR CALLING AS STEWARDS……………………………………………………………...........….....4

I. The Meaning of “Steward”………………………………………………………………………………4

A. Stewards in the Old Testament………………………………………………………………………......4

B. Stewards in the New Testament……………………………………………………………………...…..4

II. The Creation and Nature of Human Stewardship…………………………..………………...............4

A. From the time God first created mankind, he made human beings stewards over

everything that exists…………………………………………………………………………..…....4

B. Our first responsibility as God’s stewards is to be in right relationship with God himself……….…....5

C. Jesus describes the nature of our stewardship in three parables………………………………….……6

STEWARDSHIP OF THE ENVIRONMENT……………………………………………………………7

I. The World and Everything In It Belongs To God………………………………………………....…...7

A. God is the creator of the world and everything in it………………………………………………….....7

B. God owns the world and everything in it………………………………………………………………...7

II. The World and Everything In It Reflects God and His Glory…………….………………………....7

A. Everything that God created has intrinsic worth and value because God created it…………………..7

B. Everything reveals God…………………………………………………………………………………..8

III. Implications of Creation and Mankind’s Stewardship Over Nature……………………….…........8

A. We are to worship God alone; we are not to worship the stars, the earth, the plants,

animals, or any created thing……………………………………………………………….……...8

B. God gave mankind authority to “subdue,” “cultivate,” and “keep” the entire earth

and all creatures in it (Gen 1:28; 2:15)…………………………………………………………....9

C. We are not to exploit, ravage, or despoil nature, but should treat it well……………………….……...9

D. We are to act thoughtfully and wisely in exercising our dominion over nature……………….……..10

E. We should bring substantial healing to nature………………………………………………………...11

F. We should strive to increase natural beauty…………………………………………………….……..12

STEWARDSHIP OF ONESELF AND OTHERS.…………………………………….………………..12

I. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..………..….12

A. The Christian life is a journey, not an event…………………………………………………………..12

B. All Christians are stewards of their own bodies and souls……………………………………………12

II. Stewardship of the Mind…………………………..……………………….………………..………..12

A. Everyone, in every culture, has a view of the world that determines how they live their lives………12

B. The Holy Bible is God’s special revelation to mankind………………………………………………12

C. Our worldview needs to be shaped and determined by Scripture…………………………………….13

D. Specific characteristics of a renewed mind…………………………………………………………...14

E. Because our new worldview is based on the Bible, we must rightly interpret the Bible……………..15

III. Stewardship of Time……………………………………………………………………………..….17

A. Time is life……………………………………………………………………………………………..17

B. Where and how we will spend our eternity depends upon what we do with our life now…………...18

C. Basic principles of time management…………………………………………………………….…..18

D. Delegation of work and responsibility………………………………………………………………...20

E. Additional considerations concerning our stewardship of time……………………………………...21

IV. Stewardship of the Body………………………………………………………….…………….…...23

A. Our bodies are important and wonderful gifts of God……………………………………………….23

B. Our bodies are unique in that we are created in the image of God, and our bodies are

the temple of the Holy Spirit……………………………………………………………………..24

C. There is an intimate connection between our physical condition and our mental,

emotional, and spiritual condition…………………………………………………………….....24

D. We are accountable to God for our stewardship of the bodies he has given us……………………...25

V. Stewardship of Our Relationships…………………………………………………………………...27

A. Performance-based versus grace-based relationships………………………………………………..27

B. We are called to demonstrate love in all of our relationships………………………………………...28

C. How we treat people shows what we really think of God……………………………………………..29

D. What we do in this life—especially how we treat people—will be the standard by which we are

judged at the final judgment……………………………………………………………………..30

E. A basic priority list of important areas of life……………………………………………………..…..30

F. Practical ways to demonstrate love: the five love languages………………………………………….31

STEWARDSHIP OF MONEY AND POSSESSIONS…………………………………………………34

I. A Biblical Overview of Money and Possessions…………………………………………………..…..34

A. God is sovereign over everything, including money and possessions………………………………...34

B. Whatever we have is not really “ours”—it all has been lent to us by God; we are his stewards

(i.e., managers of his possessions) and will have to give an account of our stewardship………34

C. God may bless us with money and possessions, but the way that he will bless us is if we work

well, having placed him and his interests first in our lives………………………………………34

D. The most important thing for us is to have the right attitude and priorities toward God, money,

and possessions…………………………………………………………………………………...34

E. Good stewardship of money and possessions includes the following………………………………....35

F. At the heart of our stewardship of money and possessions is giving……………………………….…35

G. God blesses and rewards the faithful use of our money and possessions…………………………….35

H. Because it is a stewardship from God, our use of money and possessions is actually a spiritual

matter of great spiritual importance……………………………………………………………..36

I. Practical applications of the stewardship of money and possessions………………………………….36

II. Giving…………………………………………………………………………………………………..38

A. God is a giver…………………………………………………………………………………………...38

B. Giving under the Old Covenant: the law of the tithe………………………………………………….39

C. Giving in the New Covenant: voluntary, generous, and proportional giving to meet real needs……45

D. Giving According to Jesus……………………………………………………………………………...49

E. Giving According to the Apostles………………………………………………………………………53

III. Critique of the Prosperity Gospel…………………………………………………………………....57

A. What the “prosperity gospel” is………………………………………………………………………...57

B. The “prosperity gospel” has a wrong view of God, God’s plan, and the gospel………………………58

C. The “prosperity gospel” has a wrong view of faith and prayer………………………………………..61

D. The “prosperity gospel” has a wrong view of money and prosperity………………………………….64

E. The “prosperity gospel” has a wrong view of giving…………………………………………………...67

F. The “prosperity gospel” has a wrong hermeneutic…………………………………………………….67

G. The “prosperity gospel” wrongly interprets the biblical texts on which it relies……………………...69

H. Additional comments concerning the prosperity gospel……………………………………………….74

APPENDIX—Prosperity Preaching: Deceitful and Deadly…………………….……………………...75

STEWARDSHIP OF THE CHURCH……………………………………………………….……..……76

I. The Mission and Purpose of the Church………………………………………………………….......76

A. The church exists by the grace of God for the glory of God……………………………………..……76

B. God’s grace is demonstrated in us, and he is glorified by us, through our faith in him………..…….76

C. WORSHIP—the mission and purpose of the church is found in worshipping God………….……....77

D. DEVELOPMENT (NURTURE)—the mission and purpose of the church is found in

equipping the saints for the work of the ministry…………………………………………..……78

E. SERVICE (OUTREACH)—the mission and purpose of the church is found in service

and outreach to those outside of the church………………………………………………..……80

F. UNITY (WHOLENESS)—the mission and purpose of the church is found in demonstrating

unity and wholeness……………………………………………………………………………...81

II. The Church and Finances………………………………………………………………………….....84

A. The church needs to demonstrate financial accountability…………………………………………...84

B. The church needs to allocate its money and resources based on a written budget…………………...86

C. The church should pay its pastor……………………………………………………………………....87

D. Financial management directly relates to the spiritual mission and well-being of the church……...88

III. The Church’s Responsibility to the Poor and Needy……………………………………………....90

A. Throughout the Bible caring for the poor and needy is emphasized………………………………....90

B. A major passage detailing how the church should care for the poor and needy is

1 Tim 5:3-16…................................................................................................................................90

C. Paul discusses various principles to determine who the church should support…………………….90

D. Other considerations concerning 1 Tim 5:3-16 and helping the poor and needy…………………....91

E. Results that occur when the church meets its responsibility to care for the poor and needy…..…….93

REFERENCES CITED…………………………………………………………………………………..93

OUR CALLING AS STEWARDS

I. The Meaning of “Steward.”

A. Stewards in the Old Testament.

1. The Hebrew phrase that best describes a steward is ha ish asher al bayit, “the man [or, the one] who is over the house [or, household]” (see Gen 39:4-5; 43:16, 19; 44:1, 4, which all pertain to the man over Joseph’s household).

2. Although different wording is used, the same concept is used of Eliezer, the steward over Abraham’s house (see Gen 15:2).

3. A steward is a person who oversees another’s house. He is delegated and entrusted with authority and is accountable to the master for the management of the master’s affairs. The steward was responsible for the master’s family as well as his property. That is clearly seen with Eliezer, who was even entrusted with the responsibility of getting a wife for Isaac.

B. Stewards in the New Testament.

The concept of a steward as one who has been entrusted with authority over a master’s household and is accountable to the master for the management of the master’s affairs is also found in the NT.

1. Two Greek words are used in the NT to denote the position of a steward:

a. Epitropos—a manager, foreman, steward, guardian (see Matt 20:8; Luke 8:3; Gal 4:2); and

b. Oikonomos—manager of household or estate, steward, manager (see Luke 12:42; 16:1, 3, 8; Gal 4:2). In Rom 16:23 the term refers to the public treasurer of a city.

2. Both terms are found together in Gal 4:2, where they are translated “guardians and managers” (NASB), or “guardians and trustees” (NIV), or “tutors and governors” (KJV), which indicates that they are essentially synonymous terms.

3. In the NT oikonomos also has been given the meaning of one who has been entrusted with the management of spiritual matters.

a. All Christians are called “stewards” in the NT: 1 Cor 4:1-2 states: “1Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.” 1 Pet 4:10 similarly states: “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

b. Leaders of the church are also specifically called “stewards”: “For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward” (Tit 1:7).

II. The Creation and Nature of Human Stewardship.

A. From the time God first created mankind, he made human beings stewards over everything that exists.

1. Gen 1:26-28 reflects the beginning of mankind’s stewardship over all of creation. 26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

a. God’s command to Adam and Eve is often called the “dominion mandate” (because mankind is told to rule or have dominion over creation), or the “cultural mandate” (because mankind is to fill and subdue the earth).

b. The stewardship over nature which God gave to humanity was given equally to men and women (Gen 1:28).

c. “Filling the earth” and the fact that the stewardship mandate was given to both men and women gives a relational component to our stewardship. In other words, we are not just stewards over the “things” of the earth, but are also stewards over the people with whom we are involved and our relationships with those people.

d. In Gen 1:28 the Hebrew term for “subdue” is kahvash. It implies the use of controlled, thoughtful force. In other words, people are to act upon God’s creation using all of the knowledge and wisdom they have available to them.

2. Gen 2:15-17 establish additional terms and conditions of our stewardship. 15Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. 16The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

a. In Gen 2:15 God tells Adam to “cultivate” and “keep” the garden (see also Gen 2:5; 3:23).

(1) “Cultivating” (abad) means “work,” “till,” “serve.” There are two aspects to “cultivating,” as given in the cultural or dominion mandate:

(A) Cultivating or working is to create that which is good and valuable.

(B) The Hebrew word for “cultivate” or “work” (abad) also literally means “serve” as well as “work.”

(C) Thus, our stewardship over creation involves creatively working to beauty, with an attitude that we are servants of our own creator in service to others.

(2) “Keeping” (shamar) means “keep,” “watch over,” “take care of,” “preserve,” “protect,” “do something carefully,” “guard.” That means that we are responsible for taking care of and protecting that which is under our authority as stewards.

b. The proper exercise of man’s dominion over nature is indicated in Gen 2:19-20. The first explicit example in Scripture of man’s dominion over nature is found in Gen 2:19-20, in which God gave Adam task of naming the animals. To name something is a means of exercising control. It involves distinguishing, grouping, and categorizing. All of those things are based on observation, understanding, and reasoning. That indicates that Adam exercised this part of his mandate in a thoughtful way.

3. In Gen 2:15-17 God retains the ultimate ownership and authority over creation.

a. God gave man delegated authority and responsibility, but God sets the rules and limits of man’s authority, since God keeps ownership of everything.

b. God holds man accountable for how man exercises his stewardship (see Gen 3:14-19).

c. Even after mankind’s fall into sin, although God expelled Adam and Eve from the garden, he did not revoke the stewardship he gave them over the earth and its creatures (Gen 3:14-24; Ps 8:4-8).

d. As God’s stewards, we will be held accountable by God for what we do with our stewardship (see Matt 25:14-46; Luke 12:35-48; 16:1-13; Heb 9:27-28; 2 Pet 3:7; Rev 20:11-15).

B. Our first responsibility as God’s stewards is to be in right relationship with God himself.

If we are to be faithful stewards, we must be in right relationship with our master instead of being in rebellion against him. The only way that is possible is through Jesus Christ. The essence of establishing a right relationship with God through Christ is as follows:

1. God is perfect. In His presence is no sin at all. He has established perfect rules for mankind. God is love (1 John 4:8). He does not wish that any should perish (2 Pet 3:9). God is also Holy (Isa 6:3; Hab 1:13) and just, and therefore must punish sin (Rom 6:23).