Good and faithful stewards
Really, for all practical purposes, we own nothing. None of us can truly claim or even honestly say that such and such is our own. We are only given, or more precisely loaned, what we seem to have. We know this because when we die, nothing goes with us. None of our possessions, none of our children, not even our own bodies go with us. They are all left behind as we climb into that next world (see the Study, Something Worse than Death).
When we say that these are my children, or this is my home, or that this is my job, we are of course speaking only figuratively, because none of it is truly ours. We are only temporary custodians, managing and caring for them while in this present life. Our Creator has loaned them to us that we might learn, and then demonstrate, how wisely we will tend and steward that which has been entrusted to us.
If we show ourselves to be good and wise and faithful stewards, then we may be given more to look after; and then if we prove faithful and responsible in those new and broader capacities, then we may eventually be given even greater things to steward.
- LUKE 16:11-12 NEB If, then, you have not proved trustworthy with the wealth of this world, who will trust you with the wealth that is real? And if you have proved untrustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?
So if none of our possessions are truly our own, and all are only on loan from GOD, then what is Yeshua (Jesus) referring to here as being our own? What is this real wealth, these true riches which are indeed our own?
That which is truly ours, that which we can proclaim as forever possessing, is our character. Those Christian virtues (2 PETER 1:5-8) which we have faithfully nurtured and developed over the course of our lives are the only things which we can honestly call our own. This is the only thing that we will indeed take with us into the next life. This is the single possession which is not on loan, but is genuinely our own (see the Studies, Nurturing and Harvesting the Fruit of the Spirit and New Bodies but Same Minds).
These Christian virtues are actually the ultimate goals and purposes for our learning to become good and faithful stewards. As such, just becoming a good steward isn't all that important in its own right, but rather it is an absolute necessity if we are to nurture and harvest the fruit of the spirit in our lives. It is in the developing the habits and tendencies to rightly steward the things of GOD that makes us able to learn to become righteous.
A steward is simply an over-seer, over seeing that which is another's. He is a servant or a custodian in his Master's house. If he proves himself to be faithful, and honest, and trustworthy, then his Master may very well set him over other and more substantial things. But, if he demonstrates himself to be weak, and lazy, and dishonest, then he may very well be stripped of even that which had first been entrusted to him (LUKE 8:18). Yeshua explicitly instructed His followers as to this reality on perhaps more than one occasion (MATTHEW 24:45-46).
- LUKE 12:42-44 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward [oikonomos], whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.
The word rendered steward here is translated from the Greek word oikonomos, which means, "the manager of a household or of household affairs" (The New Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon); and "one who had authority over the servants of a family, assigning their tasks, etc., and generally managing all the affairs and accounts" (E. W. Bullinger's Critical Lexicon and Concordance).
As we work our way through this present life, we may from time to time be given certain responsibilities by our Creator. How well we perform and are faithful to those tasks will determine what other tasks and talents we are then given, not only in this present life but apparently also in that which is to come.
The way in which we take care of our physical bodies is perhaps one of the first tests of our stewardship. How well do we prize and nurture and protect them? Do we poison ourselves with unhealthy foodstuffs and sedentary lifestyles, or have we learned to take especially good care of these earthly vessels? Are we wild and reckless and habitually throw caution to the wind, or have we learned to be more measured in our steps? (See the Study, Wise as Serpents)
The mind is a crucial aspect of that stewardship of our bodies. What do we feed our mind? Are we making sure that it is nourished from wholesome and healthy sources, or are we wallowing in a diet of filth, of envy and lusts? (see the Study, Keep Thy Heart).
Along with caring for our own bodies, we may also be handed the responsibility of that which is another's. How well do we care for the life of our spouse, our children, our employees and other associates? How frugal are we in stewarding that which another has entrusted to us? How wise and faithful are we with those things?
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Perhaps no other episode in Yeshua's life and ministry represented this truth more than did the two feedings of the multitudes with just a few fish and loaves of bread. The records state that after each those two occasions, that the disciples gathered up baskets full of leftovers. Even in both of these miraculous incidences, with an astounding abundance being supernaturally provided by GOD, nothing was wasted (MATTHEW 14:17-21; 15:34-38). Yeshua was no doubt continually teaching His disciples to always be good stewards of that which had been entrusted to them.
Time is also an important aspect of good stewardship. How well do we manage our time? Do we waste away the hours or do we make the best use of that which has been allotted to us? Scripture implores us to recognize that our time on this planet is limited and we should therefore milk the moment and squeeze everything out of it that we can.
- EPHESIANS 5:15-16 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
To walk circumspectly is to walk with measured steps, as perhaps a mountain climber ascending a perilous summit (E. W. Bullinger's Critical Lexicon and Concordance). Each placement of his foot is thoughtfully considered. The phrase redeeming the time has to do with "making the most of every opportunity, turning each to the best advantage since none can be recalled if misused", Vines Expository Dictionary.
In his epistle to the believers at Rome, Paul again warned his readers against wasting or squandering away that time which had been laid out before them.
- ROMANS 13:11-12a And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. . . .
The night is far spent meant that it was quickly passing away; and the day being at hand admonished his readers that the sun was even then approaching the horizon at daybreak; i.e. the crack of dawn. Therefore,
- ROMANS 13:12b-14 . . . . let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Of course for Paul and his readers this was referring to the then fast approaching return of Christ (see the Study, Whatever Happened to Timothy?). At the time of Paul's writing that current age was quickly approaching its end, at which time those to be resurrected were then going to be judged before the throne of GOD. Their Lord would then measure how well they had stewarded that which had been entrusted to them; nevertheless for us today there are striking parallels.
The night for each of us is also rapidly drawing to a close. If we are able to exercise a little discernment we will realize that our days are numbered. Indeed, the next hour might be our last. None of us are getting out of here alive. But then, our resurrection will be as the sun breaking forth from the night sky. As such, we should look forward to and strive to bask in the glory of that new day.
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This premise, that nothing except our character is truly ours, and that everything we possess is only on loan from our Creator, might also be applicable to the unborn. Concerning an abortion, if our bodies are not really our own, then that fetus is not one's own either. If that is true, then one can't shirk themselves from the responsibility for the unborn by claiming that, "it's my body" and then think that they can do with it as they please?
The fetus is truly the responsibility of the mother, but it is only in the capacity as a steward. That which has been conceived within her is only on loan. And though it is not her fetus, to do with as she pleases, is it also not the government's? Logic demands that only the mother is ultimately responsible to GOD for that unborn which has been entrusted to her care. Howbeit, we should expect that there will be consequences for whatever choice she decides upon concerning the life of that fetus.
We should then consider what exactly will those consequences be? If she decides to have an abortion, has she really murdered an innocent, or has she just terminated an unwanted pregnancy? These are critical but also very divisive questions, and because of the importance of this subject we should take some time to consider and ponder it.
When does a person's life actually commence? This is the ultimate question. When does a fetus become a person? Does its life begin at conception? Does it begin with a beating heart? Or does it begin at birth? We are safest if we can find the answers these questions from the Creator of that life. Only HE can plainly tell us what the truth is regarding this most important controversy.
The so-called pro-lifers believe that an abortion is the cutting up and dismembering of an innocent child, surely then an act of the most brutal and horrible imagined. But the pro-choicers contend that their bodies are their own and no government has the right to tell them or interfere with their own choices concerning that fetus. So let's venture out into this perilous arena and see if we can glean some truth, not from our preconceived notions or society's conflicting rational, but rather from a Biblical perspective.
We are offered an important clue into the truth of this matter in the early chapters of the Bible.
- GENESIS 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Thus, at almost the very beginning of the scriptures we are given the most important truth concerning this issue. Clearly we are twice told here that man became alive only when he breathed. Can we then apply this to a pregnancy? Can we then conclude that a newborn is only considered alive when it breathes?
We have this same idea repeated on a number of other occasions, that breath is the evidence of life. Even just a few chapters on we read, ". . . . in whose nostrils was the breath of life" (GENESIS 7:22). Apparently these early believers associated breath with life.
Then in the psalms we read,
- . . . . Thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust (104:29).
- His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; In that very day his thoughts perish (146:4).
Breath seems to routinely be the evidence of life. But did this fact apply also to the unborn? There is strong evidence that this is exactly how those of the Bible thought, that one was considered alive only when he had breath. We read in JOB, ". . . . the breath of the Almighty hath given me life" (33:4). As such, Job also recognized that his life began when he was given breath.
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Nevertheless, many today have made the presumptuous claim that the unborn should be considered a living person. As such, many of them suppose that the evidence that a person is alive must then be something else, like perhaps a beating heart. Howbeit, that conjecture is not supported by scripture. Instead, breath is always the evidence that one is alive.
To substantiate their assumption that the unborn is a living person, they often quote passages where GOD is said to have known someone before they were born, while they were still in their mother's womb. But let's take a straightforward and honest look at these passages whereupon these assertions have been based.
- JEREMIAH 1:4-5 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Surely any fair minded person can see that GOD was simply encouraging Jeremiah here by assuring him that he was chosen to be HIS spokesman long before he was ever born, or even conceived. The purpose of the word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah here had nothing whatever to do with the idea that a fetus was a living person, but rather it was to instruct him that in GOD's foreknowledge he had been called to be a prophet, even before he was "formed in the womb".
This is intimated by H. Wheeler Robinson in his book, The Christian Doctrine of Man, page 14.
- The only stages preparatory to life are the three named in Hos. ix. 11, namely, conception, pregnancy, and delivery. When Yahweh says to Jeremiah, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee" (Jer. i. 5), the reference is to predestination, not pre-existence.
Thus, it would have been far removed from Jeremiah's thoughts to understand that GOD was in any way referring here to when he became a living person. The passage has only to do with the prophet's predestination. This all flows right along with what Paul wrote of himself in his letter to the Galatians.
- GALATIANS 1:15-16 But when it pleased God, who separated me from [ek] my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me . . . .
That the apostle Paul was separated by GOD from his mother's womb, only tells us that his life and ministry was in GOD's foreknowledge. The Creator chose him and separated him to HIS purposes, evidently even as Paul took his first breath. Nothing is meant or suggested here about an unborn being considered an alive person who needed to have all of the rights and privileges of a member of society. (See also ISAIAH 49:1 & JOB 31:15).
It has also been claimed that when Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth and the babe "leaped in her womb" (LUKE 1:41), that this was somehow proof that an unborn child was an alive person. We should consider and ponder this passage thoughtfully.
Why did the babe leap in Elizabeth's womb? Are we to suppose that this fetus actually heard and comprehended and rejoiced in the salutation of Mary? Are we to understand that Mary's greeting somehow inspired the babe inside Elizabeth's belly, causing it to leap for joy? Surely not.
In his great and massive work entitled The Commentary of the New Testament, John Lightfoot has this interesting comment on the passage.
- Questionless, Elizabeth had learned from her husband that the child she went with was designed as a forerunner of the Messiah, but she did not yet know of what sort of woman the Messiah must be born till this leaping of the infant in her womb became some token to her.
Most likely, the child leaping in her womb was simply a sign or symbol, a token from GOD revealing to Elizabeth that her cousin Mary was indeed to be the mother of the Messiah. We can be confident that this is the case because she immediately said so.
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- LUKE 1:42-45 And she [Elizabeth] spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou [Mary] among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
Elizabeth affirmed that the unborn child, "leaped in her womb for joy". But a six month old fetus could not possibly have the capacity to hear and understand what was spoken outside of the womb. Howbeit, this is not at all an uncommon manner of speech for the oriental. They often communicated figuratively with great passion and extravagance (see GENESIS 4:10 & LUKE 19:40).
We read in Matthew Henry's Commentary also of this token.
- 2. Elizabeth was herself filled with the Holy Ghost, or a Spirit of prophecy, by which she was given to understand that the Messiah was at hand. The uncommon motion of the babe in her womb was a token of the extraordinary emotion of her spirit under a divine impulse. (from page 1412)
There may also have been other details which Luke had either not known or not thought pertinent to include in his record. Perhaps because of her old age Elizabeth had been concerned and even worried for the unborn's wellbeing. Maybe she had not yet felt any movement from the child and when Mary announced herself and the babe leaped in her womb, that gave comfort and encouragement to Elizabeth that all was well. That would have heartened her a great deal. But before we imagine that this unborn child was doing some kind of a song and dance inside of Elizabeth's belly, we should require more evidence than the record provides.
There were two great mysteries which ancient man wrestled with. How can a single kernel of grain grow into a complete stalk of wheat or barley, and how can the unborn miraculously develop within the womb (ECCLESIASTES 11:5). It was a complete and utter marvel to them how the bones and eyes and ears could seemingly spring from nothing within a woman's belly.
No doubt, many superstitious ideas were circulated concerning what went on inside the womb over the course of the pregnancy. We read in The One Volume Bible Commentary, on page 739, that "the Jews believed that children were intelligent before birth". Many of them apparently supposed that an unborn was somehow aware of events transpiring outside of the womb, but that does not make it true.
We are also told in this same chapter of another supposed proof that an unborn must be considered an alive person, because it was written that this same John was to be "filled with the holy spirit from [ek] his mother's womb" (LUKE 1:15).
The word in this passage rendered from by the KJV, does not necessarily mean that the unborn child was filled with holy spirit within the womb of his mother. This word from is translated from the Greek word ek, which according to Vine's Biblical Dictionary signifies out of (MATTHEW 3:17 RSV). The New English Bible even renders the passage as such.
- LUKE 1:15 . . . . From his very birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Alfred Plummer in his comprehensive work entitled The Gospel According to St. Luke corroborates this, noting on page 14 concerning this passage; "The expression does not imply that John was filled with the Spirit before he was born (ver. 41)."
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It of course goes without saying that a fetus, an unborn child is indeed alive and growing within the womb. Modern medical science has discovered that ever since its conception, when the sperm cell fertilized the egg, life was created. But is aborting that pregnancy equivalent to murdering a person? None of these passages suggest that. In fact, in the Mosaic Law under which all of these Jews goverened their lives, just the opposite is stipulated.
- EXODUS 21:22 If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.
As such, the punishment for causing an expectant mother to miscarriage was not death, as we had just been told was the penalty for murdering a person (verse 12), but was rather a monetary fine evidently determined later. Clearly then, though the death of an unborn was not a casual or trivial thing, it was nevertheless not murder, at least not from a Biblical perspective.
So, in returning to the subject of our Study, and to our consideration of good stewardship, each of us have the responsibility to do with that which has been entrusted to us, including a pregnant woman. We all are to be held accountable to our Creator for how well we steward those things which have been put under our care.
In his epistle to the Corinthians, Paul revealed that the believers were not only responsible to properly steward earthly things, but also the mysteries of GOD.
- 1 CORINTHIANS 4:1-2 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards [oikonomos] of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
As such, the believer was instructed to be a good and faithful steward of the mysteries of GOD. What are these mysteries? Well, the great mystery is the resurrection (see the Study, The Great Mystery is........). We are first and foremost to be aware of and treat as most significant the reality of the resurrection. We are not to live solely for this present life, but we are only to use this life so as to nurture and develop within ourselves the fruit of the spirit. We are expected to rise and walk each day in such a manner that demonstrates our seriousness and faithfulness towards that which has been entrusted to us.
Oftentimes Yeshua endeavored to drive this point home to His disciples, that they should be living for the next life, laying up treasures there (MATTHEW 6:20; 19:21 LUKE 12:33).
- MARK 4:11-12 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
Those who were without, were those who couldn't care less for the things of GOD. These were the ones who had closed their eyes and ears to the truth of the gospel. They were the ones who were unfaithful to that which they had seen and heard. As such, Yeshua immediately then proclaimed to them the familiar parable of the four seeds sown; some into the wayside, others upon stoney ground, still others among the thorns, and finally those seeds sown upon the good ground. Indeed, only the seeds sown upon the ground which had been cleared of stones and thistles thrived and produced an abundant crop (MARK 4:13-20). The faithful stewards were like those seeds sown upon the cultivated ground. They were the only ones who produced the everlasting fruit in abundance.
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If we have been fortunate enough to be entrusted with the true knowledge concerning the actual purpose of this present life, and how it is effecting and determining our future existence, then we will want to be good and faithful stewards of that knowledge. We will necessarily do our utmost to live day by day with this reality at the forefront our minds. All that we do or say will be prompted by this perception. We won't become so easily sidetracked with the frivolous and trivial pursuits this world would have us chase after and devote ourselves to obtain.
That is no doubt why Paul then encouraged and implored his readers in Corinth to " . . . . be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 CORINTHIANS 15:58). The steward's good and faithful labor will be well rewarded in that resurrection, of which Paul had so fully and precisely set forth throughout this same fifteenth chapter.
If we indeed recognize that the Almighty has laid out before us a path to righteousness, a journey through this life so as to teach us how to be godly, then each step must be welcomed with vigor. Each new episode in our life should be received with joy, not fraught with anguish. We should learn to recognize and grow to realize that we are being prepared for that next life, that resurrection life.
- 1 PETER 4.10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
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