Stewardship in Biblical Anthropology · Stewardship in Biblical Anthropology “Stewardship is the lifestyle of one who accepts Christ’s lordship, walking in partnership with God

INTER-EUROPEAN DIVISION Ferbuary 2020

Stewardship in Biblical

Anthropology

“Stewardship is the lifestyle of one who accepts Christ’s lordship, walking in partnership with God and acting as God’s agent to manage His affairs on earth.”

Nowadays, some people have doubts about the validity of these concepts. When we think about this matter, we must place the subject in the light of an existential macro view. It is, therefore, appropriate to understand the subject of Christian Stewardship within the wider context of Biblical anthropology.

The Origins of Stewardship

It’s in the beginning of human history that we find the reasons and the purpose for a stewardship theology. In the Biblical account of Creation, we find the stewardship principles that should be naturally reproduced in the life of the believer. There, we are marveled when we realize that God shared His image with us, and we received the solemn responsibility to reflect it. God wanted to share His intimacy with us so we could live as God’s friends. He shared His dominion with the human being, we are God’s managers on this earth. God chose to keep a constant interdependency with man. We work hand in hand with Him: we expect everything from God and God expects everything from us! “This shared image and shared intimacy are foundational to understanding the spirit and

Stewardship Department Newsletter �1

NEWSLETTER STEWARDSHIP DEPARTMENT


dynamics of biblical stewardship.” Have you ever wondered why God wanted to share His dominion with man (Gen. 1:28)? The Creator wouldn’t be able to manage the nature created by Himself? Why did God want man to keep and take care of the Garden (Gen. 2:8)? Wouldn’t God, the Creator, be able to take care of the Garden? The original plan reveals the divine intention: have an interactive partner that would represent Him on this earth. But, this earth and that beautiful Garden, handed to man and under the dominion of man, didn’t belong to him. The Owner left a simple evidence: there was a tree that man wasn’t supposed to touch (Gen. 2:17). This tree was outside of man’s dominion. The tragic fall happened when man didn’t respect the limits imposed by the Creator and, as a result, he was expelled from the Garden. From that moment on, the dominion that had been given to man was usurped by the enemy. Several biblical texts confirm this sad reality (Job 1:7; John 12:31). God immediately presented a rescue plan for man and the lost dominion (Gen. 3:15). The woman’s offspring would crush the serpent’s head and would take away his dominion. Jesus Christ would be the solution and would reestablish the conditions for a restored stewardship (Mat. 1:21).

The Reason for Stewardship

God is the Owner. God was still the Lord. Abraham saw Him as his Lord: “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward” (Gen. 15:1, NKJV). “Abram said, “Lord Yahweh, what will you give me? (Gen. 15:2, WEB). Yhaweh is the Lord! Abraham, despite his


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frailties, accepted the divine promises of the Covenant and walked with God. In the book of Isaiah, God mentions Abraham, after having changed his name and status (Gen. 17.5), quite admirably: “Abraham My friend” (Isa. 41:8, NKJV). Abraham, God’s friend, acknowledged Him in all his ways. One day, by the power of God, he defeated a great army. Abraham couldn’t forget his Friend and returned His tithe through the priest Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18-20). Jacob, his grandson, in a moment of distress and deep consecration, made a promise: “And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You” (Gen. 28:22, NKJV). In those days of human history, there was no legislation, known today, that promoted th is practice. The reason behind Abraham and Jacob’s attitude was their relationship with Yhaweh, the Lord. Abraham, God’s fr iend, had made a covenant with God (Gen. 15:18)! We can see, through the inspired pen of Ellen White, that “the tithing system reaches back beyond the days of Moses. Men were required to offer to God gifts for religious purposes before the definite system was given to Moses, even as far back as the days of Adam. In complying with God’s requirements, they were to manifest in offerings their appreciation of His mercies and blessings to them. This was continued through successive generations, and was carried out by Abraham, who gave tithes to Melchizedek, the priest of the most high God.”

Through the centuries, the descendants of Abraham turned away from God and became slaves in Egypt. The God of Abraham sent Moses to set the people free with a clear goal in mind, “and the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me” (Exo. 8:1, NKJV). Due to their condition as slaves, they had to be set free so that they could serve Yhaweh again, with Whom, mercifully, they still had a covenant. “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure



above all the peoples on the face of the earth” (Deut. 7:6, NKJV). Now, this holy people (Exo. 19:6), a descendant from God’s friend, could serve God again. Within three months (Exo. 19:1), after leaving the Egyptian slavery, God met with the people of Israel by Mount Sinai and revealed them explicitly His will. He revealed Himself to them as the only God (Exo. 20:3); the Deliverer (Exo. 20:2); God Creator (Exo. 20:11) and they renewed their covenant (Exo. 24:7). God gave several laws, through Moses, that should guide and signal this renewed relationship: “Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God” (Lev. 20:7, NKJV). This sanctifying relationship placed them back to the position as stewards that had been given to man since Eden. They should recognize this special relationship in the stewardship of time: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Because I am the Creator (Exo. 20:8, 11, NKJV) and the Deliverer (Deut. 5:14, 15). This acknowledgment involved all the blessings and resources: “But you shall seek the place where the Lord your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go. There you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices,

your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks” (Deut. 12:5, 6, NKJV). No one, at any point in history, could or will ever be able to put this stewardship into practice, with ownership and joy, unless they have first been set free from the materialistic and spiritual bondages of this

world.

Unfortunately, centuries later, the people of Israel rejected this special relationship. They returned to the condition of servants, now in Babylon. God provided another deliverer – Cyrus (Isa. 44:28). In the restauration records, these tokens of friendship and stewardship were reestablished. Nehemiah struggled to redirect the people in this renewed relationship, in the stewardship of time – the Sabbath (Neh. 13:19-22). The prophets admonished the people to return to a priority relationship with God (Zac. 1:2, 3).



Tithes and offerings were again brought in a very joyful atmosphere (Neh. 12:44). Nevertheless, some neglected the signs in this special relationship and started to feel the consequences: “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins? … You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house.” (Hag. 1:4, 9, NKJV). The neglect continued and, after some time, the prophet Malachi accused the people of robbing God! (Mal 3:7, 8). They were robbing Him because they weren’t faithful to the covenant they had with God.

The Sovereign Deliverer

In the turn of history, the Verb, the Word, dwelled among us (John 1:14). “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son” (Gal. 4:4). The Son of God came to restore the Covenant: “Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant …” (Heb. 12:24, NKJV), came to once again rescue His people, the children of His friend Abraham. “Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham” (Gal. 3:7, NKJV).

Soon, the stewardship signs of the covenant that was broken will be forever restored. The revelation prophecy says: “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God” (Rev. 21:3, NKJV). This will be the ultimate deliverance, the scatologic hope proclaimed in the jubilee will become a reality: “And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family” (Lev. 25:10, NKJV). We are living now in the expectation of that New Earth (Rev. 21:1) where we will fully serve the Lord forever (Rev. 22:3); where we will perfectly reflect the image of God, which now is imperfect (2 Cor. 3:18); where we will again take care of the Garden and God’s Creation (Rev. 22:2), because now, sadly, we are doing a lot more to destroy it. Only then, will stewardship be completely fulfilled.

Stewardship and Waiting

The concept of stewardship dates back to the lost Eden and goes so far as the restored Eden. But, in this final time of the Christian era, what are the practical manifestations of God’s steward, the son of Abraham, God’s friend? Jesus did not omit



the importance of faithfulness while waiting: “Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing” (Mat. 24:46, NKJV). Doing what? The previous verse explains it: “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?” (Mat. 24:46, NIV). Some may qualify this statement as strictly spiritual or catechetical. But how can there be catechism without sustenance? How can there be spirituality if we don’t acknowledge the Lord? When Jesus sent His apostles, we gave some simple recommendations, in line with the simple and profound way He always taught: “He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts— but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics. Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place” (Mark 6:8-10, NKJV). Later, the apostle Paul used the authority of the Word of God when he declared: “For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” (1 Tim. 5:18, NKJV). This connection between the human, the material and the Divine is fundamental because “everything we have belongs to Him. But that is not the half of it. Everything He has is available to us.” The book of Revelation describes the church of the end of time as “the rest of her

offs p r i n g , w h o k e e p t h e commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 12:17, NKJV). These are the same that Jesus mentioned: “Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing” (Mat. 24:46, NKJV). These servants, the remnant, sons of Abraham, delightfully keep all the signs of the Covenant in all aspects of

their life.

Stewardship in Biblical Anthropology describes a long story of usurpation and deliverance, eternal love and interaction, between God and His creatures and between the



creatures and their Maker. There are many, even among believers, who haven’t fully understood this story. Maybe they are still fighting for that internal deliverance. We need to pray and understand that “stewardship is not a part of life. We are stewards because we have life.” As long as God gives the breath of life, we can all experience what it is to give Him back life – our being, and everything it contains, our possessions. It would be risky to forget that God is the One who kindly gives us everything (1 Chr. 29:14)!

Fernando Ferreira

Associate Director of Stewardship of the PUCh

©2018 Inter-European Division Stewardship Department / Schosshalden str. 17 3006 Bern, Switzerland, Phone 41 - 31 - 359.1515


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Stewardship in Biblical Anthropology · Stewardship in Biblical Anthropology “Stewardship is the lifestyle of one who accepts Christ’s lordship, walking in partnership with God