Col

Col. 1:24-2:3

2/18/2007

“According to the Stewardship from God”

Although the word “stewardship” is mentioned only once, it is a central concept in our passage. We can say that everything Paul says here is concerned with what his stewardship is about and how he carries it out.

How does his stewardship matter to us? Quite significantly in many ways. But simply put, his stewardship as an apostle of Jesus Christ (1:1) was to lay down the once-for-all foundation of the church (Eph. 2:20). As Herman N. Ridderbos says,

“Because [the apostles] not only received revelation but were also the bearers and organs of revelation, their primary and most important task was to function as the foundation of the church. To that revelation Christ binds His church for all time; upon it He founds and builds His church” (Redemptive History and the New Testament Scriptures, p. 13).

It was through Paul’s (and other apostles’) stewardship, then, that we have “the source and standard of all future preaching of the gospel” (Ridderbos, p. 13). We know the significant contribution Paul made in this regard: he authored almost a half (13 books, not counting the Hebrews) of the 27 New Testament books. And it was through the apostles’ ministry and supervision, through their stewardship, that the gospel expanded beyond the borders of Israel into Gentile regions. And we know how crucial Paul’s ministry was to the Gentile mission of the early church. We, who were once Gentiles in the flesh, have much to be thankful for his faithful stewardship as an apostle to the Gentiles.

In addition, there is the Bible’s reference to us as God’s stewards (e.g. 1 Pet. 4:10). Many of Jesus’ parables also imply our stewardship to God as well as the certainty of the day of our accounting with God our Master. We must not forget, of course, that there were many unique features to Paul’s stewardship as an apostle, the apostolic office being non-repeatable. Even so, there are still many areas that overlap between Paul’s stewardship and ours; after all, both are stewardship. In this sense, examining Paul’s words about his stewardship can shed some light on what it means for us to be God’s stewards and how we must carry out our stewardship in the hopes of God’s rich rewards on the last day.

But who is a steward anyway? A steward is someone who manages property or other affairs for his master. A steward is not the master of himself; he serves someone else. Also, whatever is at his disposal is not his but someone else’s--his master’s. Therefore, his mission is not to seek his own benefit but his master’s. This doesn’t mean that he gains no benefit from his work. But his benefit must come from first seeking the benefit of his master. A steward who seeks his benefit first betrays his calling; he may very well be committing embezzlement if he reversed the order.

Paul says that his stewardship is from God: “of [the church] I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me…” (1:25). We know of the extraordinary manner in which he received this stewardship: the resurrected Lord appeared to him in a blinding light on the road to Damascus. Christ chose him as His special instrument to carry His name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel (Acts 9:15). He was thus handpicked by Christ to be His Apostle.

I don’t think any of us has received our stewardship in such a remarkable way. Nor has any of us received such an extraordinary, non-repeatable, non-transmittable stewardship. Our stewardship is much more mundane and ordinary: we are stewards of our respective families, children, relationships, possessions, jobs and bodies, etc. Our stewardship of the local churches we belong to must not be forgotten, of course. But even those of us who are officers in the church are elected and ordained in an ordinary way to the ordinary offices of the church. This is not to deny God’s intimate involvement in this process. Even so, the church no longer has extraordinary offices of the apostolic era. Does this mean that our stewardship is less important, not requiring as scrupulous and rigorous a care and attention from us? Of course not! Granted that Paul’s apostleship had some unique and greater dignity and import to it, we must not think that the importance of stewardship depends on the extraordinary manner of endowment or the extraordinary tasks entrusted. Rather, the importance of stewardship depends on the source, the dignity of the One, who entrusts stewardship to us; that is, our stewardship is important, we must take even the most mundane stewardship of ours most seriously, because it comes from God, the high King of heaven, the exalted Lord over all.

Doesn’t this make sense? There is a world of difference between a king’s command and a friend’s request. This is not to say that we should take our friends’ requests lightly and ignore them. However, we cannot ignore the difference between a king’s command and a friend’s appeal in gravity and urgency. If such a difference exists because of the varying degrees of honor among men, how much greater is the difference between men’s requests and God’s command? For infinitely greater is God’s authority than that of any human dignitaries. So then, does it matter how unimportant or insignificant our particular stewardship seems to us or to others? What about taking care of your house, doing those mundane chores and raising your children, etc.? Are they simply chores to be done because they are so mundane and ordinary? If God is the One--not our spouse, not our parents, not our boss--who entrusted them to us, they deserve our utmost attention and devotion, don’t they? Are they not significant simply because the most glorious God entrusted them to us? Oh, how His glory deserves our utmost care!

Paul goes on to say about his stewardship, “according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you…” (1:25). There is no doubt that the stewardship he received was ultimately for God’s glory. But it is also clear that he was to serve God by serving others--just like loving God (the First through the Fourth Commandments) cannot be separated from loving others (the Fifth to the Tenth Commandments). Paul’s stewardship, he says, was for the Colossians and for the Gentile Christians.

Do you see the significance of what he is saying here? His stewardship was for them! God entrusted the stewardship to him for them! Whatever authority God bestowed on him was not for him but for them! Whatever privilege God conferred on him was not for him but for them! Whatever special endowment God granted on him was not for him but for them! Whatever he possessed, whatever he had at his disposal by the grace of God, it was not for his own glory and honor; it was for them!

When we think of our stewardship to God, we often view it as no more than being financially responsible. So we try to be frugal with our money and save as much as we can for emergency and children’s education. We try to make good, sound investments to beat the inflation and prepare for our latter years. And we also try to leave something behind for our children. This is important because we don’t want to be a burden to our society and those around us. However, this is only a part of biblical stewardship. Yes, we must be frugal. Yes, we must save. Yes, we must make good investments. But we must also ask, “For what?” We must be frugal not just for the sake of being frugal. If we save, it cannot be just for the sake of saving. Again, there is nothing wrong with it in and of itself, except that it is not how Scriptures present our stewardship. Our financial responsibility cannot be self-focused because true biblical stewardship has an outward orientation. So Peter says in 1 Pet. 4:10, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.” Paul, too, says in 1 Cor. 12:7, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” One of his exhortations to the Ephesians is, “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Eph. 4:28). How extraordinary! The thief is called to work hard not just to stop harming others by stealing from them but also to share with those in need! The ultimate goal of working hard is not to be self-sufficient but to share with others! Sharing with others, then, is not an advanced phase in Christian life reserved only for mature Christians. Even a recently converted thief is called to share with others the benefit of his honest labor and hard work. What clearer evidence can we have about the others-centered, outward orientation of Christian stewardship?

As you can see through his own words, Paul understood this very well. But he was not bitter. He did not say, “What about me?” He rejoiced in his sufferings for the sake of the Colossians. He understood the true nature of the honor he received from God: he was chosen by God for a difficult mission. “I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name,” said the Lord concerning Paul’s ministry. Herein lay Paul’s honor. How so? What does it mean to a true friend when his friend turns to him when he could not turn to anyone else? What does it mean to an official when the king always turns to him for something important, something that’s got to be done, when failure is not an option? Isn’t it the sign of a deepest confidence on the part of the king? To be chosen, to be looked to in such a way, to have such an unwavering confidence of someone important--isn’t it a greatest honor one can have? Paul knew that and he needed no other honor than just to be entrusted with the apostolic stewardship from God--however difficult it might be! And difficult indeed was the task given to him. Great and many were his sufferings and afflictions (1:24); he had to toil and labor hard (1:29); he was faced with great struggles (2:1), including imprisonment, frequent scourging, constant threat of death, etc. These troubles he went through were not for his own glory and reputation; they were for others--for the Colossians and other Gentile Christians (1:24; 2:1). Yet he did it with joy, rejoicing (1:24)! How was it possible? As we read in Acts 5:41 about Peter and John, “Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” The reward for Paul was not some peripheral benefits--applause from others and reputation among men, etc. His reward was the work itself--a sign of God’s confidence in him. That was his honor.

We must not think that Paul received this honor by his merit. He himself said, “I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am…” (1 Cor. 15:9, 10). Even in our passage he says, “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” (1:29). So he was doubly honored by God’s grace: he was chosen by God’s grace for an important stewardship, which God’s grace enabled him to fulfill.

What was Paul a steward of? He was a steward of everything he possessed, I am sure, just like all of us. But the stewardship he particularly mentions in our passage is, of course, the mystery of God (1:26, 27; 2:2). We dealt with this mystery last week. Today we only need to recall that this mystery is about Christ, particularly the Christ among the Gentiles (1:27). That God should save the Gentiles in the flesh is not the mystery. The mystery is how far God had to go, how far God intended and did go, to save the Gentiles as well as the Jews: by sacrificing His only begotten Son as the offering for sin. But Christ’s death and resurrection accomplished more than procuring forgiveness of sins. Christ’s death and resurrection launched a new creation, which did away with the division and distinction between Jews and Gentiles. In this new creation, Gentile Christians became fellow citizens with Jewish Christians on equal footing. Thus Paul’s unquenchable zeal that braved all kinds of sufferings and afflictions for the Gentiles.

How does one exercise stewardship of this mystery? There were many mystery religions in the ancient world. They all claimed to possess some esoteric knowledge about the mysteries of God and the universe. The attraction of these religions lay in their secretiveness and exclusivity. Their religions were reserved only for the elite and they were the elite of the world. Such was not the Christianity Paul proclaimed. He turns the word, mystery, on its head when he speaks of his stewardship of the mystery of God. It was not by keeping it hidden behind the veils of secrecy. Rather, it was by revealing it to all, for God was pleased to make it known in the present time! Thus God extended His gracious salvation to the whole world, showing the glorious riches of His grace. In fact, this gospel is not for the righteous but for sinners (Matt. 9:13). The mystery of God is hidden from the wise and intelligent but revealed to babes (Matt. 11:25).

How did Paul exercise his stewardship? He did so by making the word of God fully known, which is ultimately about Christ, the mystery of God (1:25, 27). It was by making known how great this mystery is--the riches of its glory (1:27). It was by proclaiming Jesus Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom.

You can see that the ministry of the Word was supreme in Paul’s stewardship. He performed many astounding miracles. However, they were only an attesting sign of his apostleship. The primary means of his stewardship was preaching the Word of God, proclaiming Christ. Many reasons can be offered. One of them is easily identified when we consider the purpose of his stewardship. Paul says, “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ…; that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (1:28, 2:2, 3). The purpose of his stewardship was to teach, equip and mature God’s people.

How is a goal such as cultivating maturity accomplished? Is it through miracles? Miracles may dazzle; they may wow people. But miracles do not build one’s character; they do not foster maturity. Character and maturity come through experience and discipline.

Then why does Paul emphasize so much on the ministry of the Word? It is not because he only valued intellectual development through academic transmission of head knowledge. Paul’s understanding of knowledge was covenantal: the kind of knowledge he imparted was a living knowledge, not only of the head but also of the heart and will. When he taught and preached, therefore, he expected God’s people to respond appropriately and live out what they came to understand. So when he preached and taught, it was not to the neglect of life change.

Even so, Paul’s emphasis on the ministry of the Word points to an important aspect of Christian ministry and life. Christian ministry is not about effecting changes in people’s lives in any way it can. In the sense that it alone can bring about true salvation, Christian ministry is immensely effective and practical. But it is not pragmatic. Pragmatism says whatever works is OK; the ends justify the means. Not so with Christian ministry. How and why people change is as important as that people change. For people can change for many reasons. If change were the ultimate criterion of true religion, as a lot of people think, then we can say that all religions lead to God. For people are changed by other religions as well. But as Jesus said, the house may look fine from outside but it won’t stand against the rain and floods if it is built upon the sand. The foundation--that is what is important. People can and do change radically for whatever reason. The question is whether their life change can withstand the storm of the last judgment. What is more, one can build upon the foundation in such a way that his work can be burned up in the fire of test (1 Cor. 3:15). So then, it is clear that not every way of building is acceptable in the eyes of God.

Christian character and maturity must be built upon God’s Word and its truth, not by any gimmicks and methods, reasons and motivations. We have the ordinary means of grace--the Word, the Sacraments and prayer--that God Himself ordained for our salvation and sanctification. And the power of God’s Word lies not in its logic or coherence or majesty of style, though it possesses all those qualities. The Word of God does not just present some fancy, impressive philosophy of life or some high ideals of morality. They are all devoid of power, weakened by the flesh and rendered powerless by the sinfulness of man. If the Word of God has the power to effect salvation and sanctification in us, it is because it testifies to the saving work of God accomplished by Christ Jesus in history. “God has done what [even His] law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us…” (Rom. 8:3, 4). So Paul equates the word of God with the mystery of God, which is Christ.

Since salvation is not found in ourselves but in Christ, we need to be constantly brought to the Word of God, which leads us to Christ. And the Word of Christ warns us and teaches us with all wisdom that we may be mature in Christ (1:28) and reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ (2:2). For this purpose Paul was called to be a steward of God. So he toiled and labored tirelessly to fulfill the stewardship. And because of his faithful stewardship we have thirteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. And his faithful stewardship brought the gospel to many regions of the Roman Empire. And his faithful stewardship provides us with a wonderful example of what it means to be a steward of God.

Do you have anyone you can trust when difficult times come? Do you have anyone you can turn to when you are down and out? And let’s turn the table and ask: are you such a friend to anyone? Do people around you turn to you when they face trials come to them? Can they open their hearts to you without fear? Can they confide in you and feel safe?

But more importantly, are you a faithful steward to God? Do you recognize that your stewardship--whether you are a parent, or a child, or a homemaker, or a business owner or a professor or whatever you may be--comes from God? Do you realize that, because it comes from the high King of heaven, it deserves your utmost attention and care?

Are you aware that you are stewards of all that God has given to you--your body, your time, your life, your possessions and your relationships?

Do you realize that your stewardship of all that you possess and have at your disposal are given to you for others?

Do you realize that the greatest reward you can receive in this present time is that God entrusted things and people unto your care as His faithful stewards? The greatest honor I have as a minister of God’s Word is that I have you--the people I am privileged to minister to and preach to week after week. Everything else is peripheral.

Do you realize that faithfulness is required of you as God’s stewards?

These are daunting thoughts. Who of us can be faithful enough to God? Who among us is adequate for these things? But our adequacy comes from our Lord. So we are to look to Christ. We have a Master, who cannot fail in His purpose and will; who knows His stewards perfectly well--their gifts and weaknesses, for He made them and endowed them; who is powerfully at work in us with all his energy to enable us to accomplish all that He desires. You see, our stewardship is a part of Christ’s stewardship over the household of God as the Son (Heb. 3:6). And this Son of God will not fail in His stewardship. He has placed each and every one of us in the most strategic place in the body of Christ to utilize and maximize our gifts for the glory of God and the building up of the church. We draw our strength and hope from Christ, who cannot fail, whose stewardship is perfect as the Son of God. So we are encouraged and spurred on by the Word of God to be faithful in our stewardship over everything God has given to us. And while the work itself is God’s reward to us, we also know that the surpassing greatness of God’s grace will grant us the crown of glory in heaven when we shall stand before the presence of God. No doubt, our works are imperfect. But Christ, who covers us with His righteousness, will also cover our works to make the acceptable and pleasing in God’s sight. And our labor for God and His people will never be in vain. For God does not judge us according to the results: the results belong to God. We may seek reconciliation and not succeed. But God will not consider us a failure. All that God requires of us is to seek and continue to seek reconciliation and leave the result to the Lord. Oh, how God encourages us to do His work! We are set free from the fear of failure! We can try and keep trying without getting weary! We can dare to do impossible tasks because God is delighted in our obedience, not the result!

Oh, saints of God, the time of our stewardship is short. The time that we have to rejoice in our sufferings for others is short: it is not forever! So then, let us give ourselves more wholly, more faithfully, more zealously, to encourage one another and build up the church of Jesus Christ, knowing that our labor is not in vain, knowing that we have been called to a most noble purpose. The greatest stewardship we have, of course, is the gospel of Jesus Christ to share with those around us as His joyful witnesses. For this stewardship even angels look on us with envy! Let us be found faithful on that last day and hear our God say, “Well done, My good and faithful servants! Enter into your Master’s joy!”