Up until now, we studied about the economy of
God – God’s governing activities and instructions for his household as a whole,
which is a macroeconomic aspect. Today, we expect that the economy of God –
God’s governing activities – is entrusted to the government. Now, we will move
to each individual’s or individual household’s economy, that is, decision
making for himself/herself or his/her household, which is the microeconomic
aspect of our study.
Maximization of Satisfaction
In economics each individual’s economic goal is to maximize his/her
utility – satisfaction or happiness – as a consumer or to maximize profit as a
business owner. As we examined, the first meaning of an economy (oikonomia)
is “stewardship or the management of a household.” Each individual as a manager
of a household, whether he/she is a consumer or business owner, he/she wants to
maximize satisfaction for himself/herself and for his/her household. How can an
individual maximize his/her satisfaction in his/her economic activities? What
are economic activities? In economics a person’s economic activities are
his/her decision making in his/her daily life – in his/her consumer behavior
and/or producer behavior. An individual’s satisfaction may be larger when
he/she makes more money for his/her consumption or from his/her production or
business. Like non-Christians, Christian households/consumers want to maximize
their utility and Christian firms/producers want to maximize their profit.
However, the ways and/or the methods that they maximize their
utility/satisfaction or profit are different from those of non-Christians as
God is at the center of their life. That is, by pleasing God and following the
command of Jesus Christ, Christian households/consumers can maximize their
utility/satisfaction and Christian firms/producers can maximize their profit.
What about us as a
Christian? A Christian’s satisfaction can be maximized when he/she has a good
relationship with God. A Christian as a steward takes care of a household that
God entrusts to him/her. That is, a Christian takes care of his/her household
that belongs to the household of God.
Stewardship
Hugh Whelchel in his article, “Four
Principles of Biblical Stewardship,” lists 1. the principle of ownership, 2.
the principle of responsibility, 3. the principle of accountability, and 4. the
principle of reward.[1]
Whelchel’s four principles make sense when we acknowledge that all things
belong to God and our job on this earth is to take a good care of a small
portion of God’s that is entrusted to us while we live here in this world. That
is, acknowledgement of God’s ownership of everything is the starting point of a
Christian’s stewardship or management of (a small unit of) his household. God
placed Adam in the Garden of Eden and let him work and take care of it (Genesis
2:15). God considered Adam as a steward or a manager of his garden or
household.
God tells the Israelites
through Moses in Leviticus 25:23-24: “23The land must never be sold
on a permanent basis, for the land belongs to me. You are only foreigners and
tenant farmers working for me. 24With every purchase of land you
must grant the seller the right to buy it back” (NLT). Although many people
think that they own the land, the house or household, or money, all these
belong to God and we are his stewards working for him and our duty is
stewardship for God’s household. We can find many more Bible verses regarding
God’s ownership and our temporary possession as his stewards or tenants.
Moses tells the Israelites
in Deuteronomy 10:14: “To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the
highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.” Psalm 24:1-2 states: “1The
earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2for
he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.” When God calls his
people – Enoch (Genesis 5:22), Noah (Genesis 6:13), Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3),
Moses (Exodus 3:4ff.) and the Israelites, and others, each one of God’s people
starts his life as a steward or a manager of his household, separating himself
from the secular world and acknowledging God’s ownership and also our delegated
ownership.
Moses in Deuteronomy 8:17-18
reminded the Israelites of this fact: “17You may say to yourself,
‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ 18But
remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce
wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it
is today.” Yes, it is God’s grace that we produce wealth and increase it, but
we know that all things belong to God and we are his stewards who manage his
properties until we meet him for accounting.
David in 1 Chronicles 29:14
says to God: “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to
give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you
only what comes from your hand.” Although some may think they offer their money
to God, they should recognize that they give what God allows them to possess
(as everything comes from God).
Management of God’s Household
Jesus in Luke 16:2-4 tells a parable of a
shrewd steward: “2And he (a rich man) called him (a steward) and
said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your
stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’ 3And the steward
said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship
away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4I
have decided what to do, so that people may receive me into their houses when I
am put out of the stewardship.’” In this Jesus’ parable of the shrewd (or
wicked) manager, the master commended his dishonest steward because he acted
shrewdly although he was accused of wasting his possessions (v. 8). However,
his dishonesty or wickedness cannot be justified. What Jesus emphasizes here is
not that God’s steward can be dishonest if he/she acts shrewdly but that God’s
steward should be more shrewd and wiser than the worldly manager in managing
the household of God.
Jesus in Luke 16:10-12 says:
“10Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with
much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with
much. 11So if you have not been trustworthy (πιστοὶ from πιστός) in
handling worldly wealth, who will (en)trust (πιστεύσει from πιστεύω) you with
true riches? 12And if you have not been trustworthy (πιστοὶ from πιστός) with
someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?” We as a
manager of God’s property or household should be trustworthy (πιστός). Then,
later, in God’s kingdom, God may give us property of our own. Paul in 1
Corinthians 4:1-2 states: “1This is how one should regard us, as
servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2Moreover
it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy (πιστός).” Although
our ownership in this world is not a true ownership but an entrusted or
delegated ownership but our ownership in God’s kingdom will be our real
ownership.
In Jesus’ parable of the
talents (Matthew 25:14-30), the servants who received different talents would
not consider that the master gave the talents to them but that the he entrusted
his property (talents) to them and let them manage the talents while he was
going on a journey (Matthew 25:14). However, the master who returned from his
long journey (which implies Jesus’ second coming) did not collect the talents
from his servants but let them have them – the initial talents and the
earnings. Jesus in Matthew 25:28-29 says: “28So take the talent from
him and give it to him who has (owns) the ten talents. 29For to
everyone who has (owns) will more be given, and he will have abundance; but
from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
God gives spiritual gifts to
his people (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12-13; Ephesians 4:11; and 1 Peter
4:11), letting them manage God’s household more effectively and wisely. However,
some people boast about their spiritual gifts without knowing the true purpose
of spiritual gifts. No matter what (wealth, land, spiritual gifts, or other
things, etc.) God entrusts us, God’s will toward us is to take a good care of
his household.
[1]
Hugh Whelchel, “Four
Principles of Biblical Stewardship,” Institute
for Faith, Work, & Economics. (November 26, 2012). Retrieved from
https://tifwe.org/four-principles-of-biblical-stewardship/
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