Six Reasons Why Stewardship Goes Beyond Tithing
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully
administering God’s grace in its various forms (1 Pet. 4:10).
Living a life of purpose and significance begins with understanding the foundational
principles of biblical stewardship. Unfortunately, many Christians have been taught a
narrow definition of stewardship that only involves tithing and managing personal
finances. This limited view of stewardship has led many to believe that everything
outside of those arenas belongs to them and can be used however they want—especially
their work.
We need to recover a biblical view of stewardship—Stewardship with a capital “S,” if you
will—that encompasses our whole lives, all of which belong to God. Here are six
principles that help to flesh out this larger definition of stewardship:
1. God Owns Everything
Paul writes in Col. 1:16:
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible
and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things
were created by him and for him.
2. Everything We Have Is a Gift From God
Everything you have, eat, drink, breathe, wear, or use is because of God’s
grace.
We must echo Job’s declaration from Job 1:21: Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.
3. God Has Given Us Authority Over His Earthly Creation
The biblical term for this idea is “stewardship.” God the creator, owner of
everything, gives human beings provisional rule and ownership in this
earthly realm. We see this first in the opening chapters of the Bible in what
is called the Cultural Mandate (Gen. 1:28).
4. Man’s Private Property Rights Are Established by God
The biblical idea of Christian stewardship firmly establishes the right to private property as we clearly read in both the Old and New Testaments. At first, this might seem like a contradiction. If God owns the cattle of a thousand hills, how can I put my brand on one of those cows? But consider this: if God gives you stewardship over a house and other property, that property, although a gift from God, becomes yours in a concrete, definite way. Only you have the responsibility to watch over and
care for it. Those rights and responsibilities over your house and other things do not belong to the government, to the community, or to your neighbor.
5. The Work of Our Hands Matters
This provisional stewardship provides us with incentives to be productive
and strive toward the flourishing—the peace and prosperity of our cities—to
which God desires for us. Property rights are one tool that can help us live
out biblical stewardship.
In economics, we think about property rights as crucial aspects in a market
and opportunity-based society. Property rights put parameters around that
for which are accountable and responsible. They are not just windfall gains
that we get to use however we wish; rather, God has gifted us with skills and
talents to actually create more out of what we are given.
This is what happens in the Parable of the Talents—the master gives
resources to his servants with the expectation that they will increase his
investment.
6. We Will Be Held Accountable
Only you have the call to steward the gifts that God has given you. It is only
in this concept of biblical stewardship that we find the beautiful balance
between God’s gifts and man’s obligations. It is by requiring stewardship of
us that God sets up a wall of protection around what we possess. And at
some point we will have to give an account to God for the way in which we
exercise that stewardship.
As Christians, our faith requires us to live out an understanding that
ownership of property is a God-given right, and the stewardship of that
same property is a God-given responsibility.
“Stewardship with a capital ‘S'” requires rethinking stewardship as
accountability over all of our choices, decisions, and resources. This type of
stewardship is all-inclusive, touching every area of life, including our time
and talent as well as our treasure. It is faithfully using whatever God gives
us (opportunities, interests, skills, employment, family, talents, spiritual
gifts, land, money, etc.) for his glory, to serve the common good and to
further his kingdom.
This is not only biblical. It helps us not just to want to do good, but to
actually do the good we hope to carry out.
