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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Divine intervention? | Bible general Archive 4 | Vintage68 | 214782 | ||
Hi Morant61 The case I put forward is this. There is not (one) place in the Old Testament where the word steward is used, where it is not referring to a person that takes care of the household, ie, belongings of another. In the New Testament there is only (one) time where this same definition can be used. Every other place it is only used in relation to the person dealing with the spiritual things of God. We all know that every (Spiritual Blessing) still belongs to God. We are His (slaves, servants, sons) The illustration of the steward in Luke 16 is a parable. Are you saying, we are to apply a literal interpretation to a parable, in order for us to understand the spiritual truth contained within? There are only two ways in which a parable can be understood. Are we to accept a literal understanding, to a spiritual teaching? If you would look at Matt.13:10-13 you will find a description, on all of the aspects of a parable. Your use of Luke 16:13 is only to be understood as summation of the preceding verses. Nothing more than a lawyer would do in a court room, for a final clarification of the facts. When you say. "Further, Luke 16:11 specifically advises us to be "...trustworthy in handling worldly wealth." "As His servants, everything we have is His and has been entrusted into our care." My answer is, we are no different than the people of the world, God gives them money too! Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Is there anywhere in the bible, where God says, He will be holding "US" to a higher standard than the people of the world, as far as the money He gives to us is concerned? In Acts 5:1 Ananias, and Sapphira, were they judged as bad stewards, over what God had entrusted into their care, or was it because they lied to the Holy Spirit? Therefore we can go back to Luke 16:13 "You cannot serve God, and Mammom" (That is the principle, we should gain) thereby conducting our lives accordingly. But not in the sense of stewards. My point in using this story is, specifically for what Peter said to Ananias, and Sapphira Acts 5:4 4.) Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. Do we not also have power over what God has entrusted into our care? When He gives to us, does it stay His, or are we only holding it for Him? We pay tithe, thereby God says the rest is ours? I am not trying to split hairs, but when we are doing exegesis, do we not try our best to find the exact correct Greek, or Hebrew words for the passage we are studying in order for us to better understand any given verse? Should we not be doing the same when speaking our own language, expressing our beliefs to others? I understand you know Greek pretty well. Can you show me where the word (steward) in the bible is used for a person that has their own belongings? Or is that a different Greek word? Vintage68 |
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2 | Divine intervention? | Bible general Archive 4 | jlhetrick | 214786 | ||
Vintage68- first let me say that I appreciate that you do point to Scripture to try and support your argument which many on this forum do not. What is obvious to me though, is that you are not in fact practicing good exegesis. Instead, what I see is a significant effort to use Scripture to support what you believe is true. The problem with that is that you end up applying your beliefs (doctrine) to Scripture instead of allowing Scripture to establish your belief. Please don’t be offended; allow me to point some things out. There is so much more to bible study than doing word searches. You write that “there is not (one) place in the Old Testament where the word steward is used, where it is not referring to a person that takes care of the household, ie, belongings of another. You go on to credit the NT for giving a single example. You argue that “Every other place it is only used in relation to the person dealing with the spiritual things of God”. That is, I believe, you’re problem understanding stewardship. The carnal mind is capable, perhaps, of separating it. The changed, saved person will eventually understand from Scripture that there is no part of his/her existence that is not spiritual. In other words, every word you speak, every thought you think, every penny you spend, etc. is intimately involved with and dictated by your spiritual condition. Matthew 12:36 declares this. There is no biblical principle or teaching (in either testament) that teaches that 10 percent is God’s and the remaining 90 percent is mine. Absolutely nowhere will you find that. Read the following passage and consider it within the context of our topic here. Deuteronomy 6:10-15 (ESV) 10 "And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, 12 then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you, 15 for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God, lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth. The first part of this passage is demonstrating that it is God who provides all things. The second part is the command to manage the resulting life in a spiritually right way. Have you ever heard the story about the little girl’s prayer? At dinner one night the father asked his young daughter to give thanks for the evening meal. She thanked God for MAKING everything on the table including the plates, glasses, silver ware, napkins, etc. After she was done her father asked, “Honey, don’t you know that daddy goes to work every day so that he can buy all these things on our table”? The little girl looked up at her father briefly and then closed her eyes once more in prayer. “And God, thank you for making daddy”. It all comes from God, it ALL belongs to God, and how we manage it all is in direct correlation with who we are spiritually. Every dime that I call mine is one dime I’ve been allowed (by God) to keep for myself. Whatever percentage that dime represents of my earthly wealth also represents what percentage of my spiritual self I have not surrendered to God. Jeff |
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