Stewards of Truth
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Straight to the Cross
COLUMN: Square One
Stewards of Truth
by Richard Mansel
When we contemplate stewardship, our minds turn to
effectively utilizing the money God has given us.
Yet, the word simply refers to one who properly
handles what has been entrusted to him. We want to
briefly examine one item entrusted to us that must
be carefully guarded and protected at all costs.
Paul wrote, "And you are Christ's, and Christ is
God's. Let a man so consider us, as servants of
Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God" (1
Corinthians 3:23-4:1, NKJV). The mysteries refer
to the truths found in God's Word. "These truths
of the cross have been entrusted to Christian
workers to be carefully used and guarded."/1
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana is
looking for the chalice used by Christ at the Last
Supper. He locates the place where it is being
kept and finds a knight there to guard the
treasured relic. That scene has stuck with me in
the intervening years. It represents what Paul
meant by "stewards of the mysteries of God." The
knight was to fight to the death to preserve that
which had been entrusted to him.
The steward of 1 Corinthians 4:1 refers to one who
was "a dispensing steward, a household
administrator, one who dispenses the household
supply to its members."/2 Here, we find one who to
whom "the counsels of God have been committed to
be made known to men."/3 "The steward has control
of the hidden treasures of his master, which would
lie dead and unprofitable if he did not dispense
them."/4
Philip asked the Ethiopian Eunuch, "'Do you
understand what you are reading?' And he said,
'how can I unless someone guides me?'" (Acts 8:30-
31). Paul wrote, "Faith comes by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). And
this will be accomplished by preaching (Romans
10:13-16).
The imagery of the steward in this context
presents a challenging portrait of the proclaimers
of God's Word. The words of Paul echo in our ears.
"But, even if we, or an angel from heaven,
preaches any other gospel to you than what you
have received, let him be accursed" (Galatians
1:8).
We have been solemnly given the task to "Preach
the Word! Be ready in season and out of season."
(2 Timothy 4:2). This task is given urgency
because of the impending apostasy that would soon
arise in the church. Timothy must be among those
who would proclaim and protect the truth of God's
Word and keep it pure.
God's Word exists for all to see. Bibles can be
purchased and truth can be learned. Yet, in a day
when Bible reading is rapidly disappearing, the
task of preserving truth becomes more momentous.
Men bypass the scriptures and instead turn to the
soothing words of deceivers. Blinded by lofty
titles and vestments, men become increasingly
comforted in their ignorance.
In the Lord's church, those of progressive minds
twist and obscure God's Word so it contains an
ounce of truth and a pound of poison. Lofty words
and platitudes replace doctrine and plain Bible
teaching. Turning a blind eye to sin is falsely
called grace and their version of "heaven" becomes
a facade hanging over the gates of hell.
Stewards of truth must always be ready to
"sanctify the Lord God in our hearts, and always
be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks
you a reason for the hope that is in you, in
meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15).
__________
1/ W. Harold Mare, "I Corinthians," in The
Expositor's Bible Commentary edited by Frank E.
Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976), 10:210.
2/ tinyurl.com/yn2dre
3/ Joseph Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon of the New
Testament (Nashville: Broadman, 1977), 441.
4/ Otto Michel, "oikonomos," in The Theological
Dictionary of the New Testament edited by Gerhard
Friedrich (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1967), 5:150.
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