This lesson's objective is stated in the positive and the negative: a Christian's stewardship begins with the attitudes and perspectives of a godly heart. Godly stewardship is an expression of a godly heart controlling a godly Christian. Stewardship cannot be produced by forced behavior that submits to requirements or by mechanical compliance to "correct" responsibilities. Stewardship involves what a person is as well as what a person does. What a person is begins with his or her heart, attitudes, and perspectives.
The stewardship principle is not commonly included in a Christian's view of Christianity. That should be no surprise. How could people who do not understand the biblical concept of servants hold an accurate concept of stewardship? If Christians commonly fail to understand the concept of stewardship, how can the importance of the stewardship principle be recognized?
The stewardship principle reveals the Christian's common failure to grasp the basic, biblical concept of Christianity. While we affirm we understand the deep meaning of Christianity, our ignorance betrays us. Ignorance of Christianity's basic nature is revealed in our attitudes and behavior. Stated simply, if many Christians understood Christianity, their feelings and behavior would change.
This is the commonly believed, widely accepted concept of Christianity among too many Christians: God will give Christians eternal life when we successfully do one of the following. (1) "We are 'good enough' for God to love. God loves only people who are 'good enough' to receive His love. So we must dedicate our lives to 'being good.'" (2) "We do more 'good things' than 'evil things.' If our good things offset the evil things we do, God will save us." (3) "We successfully hide from God the 'evil things' we do. We do [did] too much evil to offset our evil with our good deeds. Our only realistic solution is to hide our evil from God." (4) "We successfully deceive God. We actually live two lives. We live by the principles of evil when we are not with Christians. We live by the principles of godliness when we are with Christians. When we successfully deceive other Christians, we also deceive God."
Suggestion to teachers: lead your students to an understanding of these four common views of "acceptability before God." Explain some Christians spend their lives trying to be "good enough" to receive God's love. Christians who do this often come from or are in situations created by conditional love. ("I will love you if you meet my expectations and conditions. If you do not meet my expectations and conditions, I will not love you.") If God's love for humans depended on people meeting the divine standards of perfection, God could love no one. That cannot be the basis of God's love for people. God loved people before He sent Jesus. God loved people when humanity as a whole was evil. Never can a Christian deserve God's love. Never can a Christian be worthy of God's love. Each Christian can appreciate God's love.
Evil is so much a part of our minds, emotions, and behavior that it is literally impossible to do enough "good" to offset our "evil." Our hope cannot and must not rest in human accomplishments. It must rest in God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ. A Christian devotes himself or herself to doing good. However, his or her motivation is never to deserve salvation. He or she does good in appreciation of salvation and to develop a godlike heart.
It is impossible to hide anything from God (1 Corinthians 4:5).
It is impossible to deceive God (Galatians 6:7,8). The Christian who thinks he or she deceives God deceives only himself or herself.
Incredibly, many professing to be Christians live by one (or a combination) of those views. They actually believe they can be good enough to be loved. Or, they think they can do more good than evil. Or, they think they can hide evil from God. Or, they think they can deceive God. Obviously, Christians who come to these conclusions fail to understand forgiveness, mercy, atonement, or grace. They do not understand the purpose of Jesus' death.
Note a basic, critical truth: in each of these approaches, the foundation problem exists because of attitudes and perspectives. The solution: change attitudes and perspectives. For attitudes and perspectives to change, hearts must change. Only a godly servant's heart produces the attitudes and perspectives of a godly steward.
Suggestion to teachers: help your students realize any approach to Christianity that places confidence on external acts and controlled behaviors completely misses the New Testament's concept of Christianity. Christianity is a whole person response to God. The person responds to God internally and externally. The body follows the heart. All obedience is based on faith and love. Obedience from necessity or from ungodly motives is meaningless to God.
Consider a contrast:
Suggestion to teachers: quickly guide your students through a basic remembrance of each parable or situation. Do not spend much time on each character or situation, but make certain they have it in mind before you begin the contrasts.
Review the scriptures that present the following characters. Contrast their attitudes and perspectives. Examine attitudes and perspectives by looking at their view of "life's big picture."
The rich fool (Luke 12:15-21): How did this man view "the big picture of human existence"? First, note God was not in his picture. Second, note he was the most important person in his picture. Third, note nothing but physical life is part of his picture.
The rich fool gave no consideration to God.
The rich, young ruler (Mark 10:17-22): How did this man view "the big picture of human existence"? First, note God was in his picture if God was represented by rules and regulations. Second, note the young man was the central figure in his picture. Third, note life involved a separation of physical and spiritual realities. When combined, the physical was of greater significance and priority.
The rich, young ruler gave serious consideration to God's commands, but he had a poor understanding of what it meant to be God's person. He believed you could do what was required without belonging to God.
The prodigal son's older brother (Luke 15:25-32): How did this man view "the big picture of human existence"? First, note God was not in his picture. Second, note he was the central figure in his picture [he was to be considered before his brother and in spite of his father]. Third, note life was centered in the physical and in consideration for him.
The older brother was completely self-absorbed in what he regarded to be personal injustices.
The repentant prodigal son (Luke 15:11-24): How did this man view "the big picture of human existence"? First, note God was in the center of his picture (verses 18,21--"I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.") Second, note he was not the central figure in that picture. He asked to be a servant. He did not regard himself worthy of being a son. Third, note he acknowledged and accepted responsibility for his evil against heaven and in the sight of his father before he hoped for physical acceptance as a servant [under the control of his older brother].
The prodigal son left home thinking that he was everything and in total control of his life. He returned home knowing he was nothing and realizing that he had wasted life.
The first Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 2:37-47): How did these people view "the big picture of human existence"? First, note God's revelation of Himself by making Jesus Lord and Christ was the whole picture. Human existence was about God's promises in Christ. Second, note they were in the picture only if they related to God through Christ. To them, this was a wonderful, joyful discovery. Third, note they expressed love and devotion to God by (1) understanding more about Jesus, (2) praising God, (3) fellowshipping each other, and (4) sacrificially, generously caring for needy people.
Many Christians who study Acts 2 have a poor background in God's Old Testament work and preparation. The first Christians in Acts 2 realized and understood that the events in Jesus' death and resurrection combined with the events of Acts 2 fulfilled God's promises to Israel in the Old Testament. The "big picture" was not the nation of Israel. The "big picture" was Jesus Christ. The "big picture" was God and all that He accomplished in Jesus Christ. What God did in Christ defined existence on earth and existence in eternity.
Attitude and perspective are essential in stewardship.
Suggestion to teachers: you want your students to view this scripture as the heart response of Christians who understood God's salvation through faith and grace. These instructions are not merely a set of commands. These instructions reveal the heart response of a people who understand and appreciate their salvation in Christ.
In Romans 1-11, Paul explained to Christians in Rome (1) God's intent to save all people (Jews and people who were not Jews) through Jesus Christ; (2) God's ability to save all people in Jesus Christ through His grace; (3) God's salvation by grace through Christ did not require anyone's exclusion. Christians in Rome had a huge attitude and perspective problem.
Beginning in Romans 12, Paul made clear how proper attitudes and perspectives would change relationships and behavior. Consider Romans 12:11-21. (1) Love would be genuine and unselfish. (2) Commitment to each other would be real. (3) Assisting others would be fundamental to a Christian's personal identity. (4) Christians would be a blessing, not a threat, to their enemies. (5) Christians would sincerely empathize with others. (6) Christians would establish real relationships with others. (7) Christians would refuse to treat others as they were treated. (8) Christians would be concerned about correct behavior in the sight of the evil and the godly. (9) Christians would regard vengeance as God's exclusive prerogative. (10) Christians would accept and live by this truth: the only human option for overcoming evil is doing good.
Suggestion to teachers: you want your students to understand these responses can occur only when attitudes and perspectives are godly and heart felt. These responses are not the product of mechanical, unfeeling obedience. Unless the attitude and perspective are correct, these responses will not occur.
Again, note the obvious. Each of these behaviors depends on attitudes and perspectives. They occur only when a heart changes. They cannot occur in the life of a self-centered person, a hypocritical person, a person who lives by a double standard, or a person controlled by anger. These are the actions, attitudes, and perspectives of a steward. They are not the actions, attitudes, and perspectives of someone who is self-centered, or hypocritical, or deceitful, or angry.
This lifestyle cannot be faked. It is not the product of forced behavior. It is heart behavior that reflects an existence based on Jesus Christ. It does not reflect a mere religion.
Suggestion to teachers: guide your students' thinking in a manner that produces this awareness: a converted person can become a steward. Help them understand the difference between conversion to Christ and obligation to authority. Only conversion can produce stewardship.
Link to Student Guide Quarter 4, Lesson 5