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Biblical and Theological Rationale
Given this current economic turbulent climate, the researcher is making the case that launching a Christian financial literacy ministry will benefit St. Paul A.M.E.C. membership. This Project is designed to establish an effective stewardship ministry and assist believers in journeying toward financial empowerment and solvency. Thus, it is imperative that the investigator clarify how biblical and theological stewardship principles is the route toward economic empowerment by illuminating three essential elements.
First, establishing working characterizations/definitions for steward and stewardship derived from the Old (OT) and New Testament (NT) historical contexts regarding treasure and possession is
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Genesis 1:27-28, provides the scriptural foundation for this assertion and this Project. Within those verses are the first covenantal stipulations for humankind to adhere too and are the foundational texts for the creation, formation, and institutionalization of God?s divine stewardship covenant. The key phrases for this premise that support this claim are ?be fruitful, and multiply?fill the earth ?subdue? and have dominion over the ?sea?air?and earth.?[footnoteRef:10] Furthermore, the researcher contends that humanity has the attributes of God to develop, establish and participate in covenantal agreements with the Divine and each other because they are created in "the image of God." [9: David Noel Freedman et al., eds.,?Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York, New York: Doubleday, 1992), s.v. "Covenant," Logos Bible Software. According to Mendenhall and Herion, "a covenant" is an agreement enacted between two parties in which one or both make promises under oath to perform or refrain from certain actions stipulated in advance. As indicated by the designation of the two sections of the Christian Bible?Old Testament (= covenant) and New Testament?"covenant" in the Bible is the major metaphor used to describe the relation between God and Israel (the people of God). As such, a covenant is the instrument constituting the rule …show more content…
1:28). The inference is that all Christians are stewards of God?s possessions to manage, produce, and cultivate them to exalt God, bless themselves, and the community. The implications of God?s blessings from Gen. 1:27-28 covenantal principles are enormous within the scope of this project?s curriculum segment Module One entitled: A Journey of Faith ? An Introduction to The Bible About Wealth Management. This section is critical for the believer to honestly commit to the process of adhering to the initial syllabus financial literacy covenant directives:
1. To assess their financial condition and decide if a change is necessary or desirable
a. It requires individuals to ask and answer a question. What is my ?net worth??[footnoteRef:11] [11: AARP Foundation and Charles Schwab Foundation,?AARP Foundation Finances 50?(n.p.: AARP Foundation, 2012), 7. ?Where you stand financially is called your net worth. It is the value of all your assets (what you own), minus the total of all your liabilities (what you owe). Your net worth can be positive (your own more than you owe) or negative (you owe more than you
Richard’s purpose is to remind Christians about the importance of loving neighbor and to teach how Christians can help the poor with their hearts and minds. He relates an important commandment in the Bible, “Love your neighbor,” with the economics by using the concept of “consequence of action.” He promotes the Christians to live a life which God is expecting for them to live by learning about the economics. He wants the Christians to stop justifying ourselves that we love each other when we are not, and he wants us to truly understand God’s intention of putting “love your neighbor” as one of the important commandments. As we study economics, it is important to understand that we should not focus on worldly issues and that we should not forget about God’s commandments. Moreover, this article teaches the Christians that we don’t need to be afraid to study economics because we can use the economics to obey God’s
Gentry, Peter J., and Stephen J. Wellum. Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical Theological Understanding of the Covenants. Crossway, 2012. Google Scholar: Subject relevance
In the book Business for the Glory of God: The Bible’s Teaching on the Moral Goodness of Business by author Dr. Wayne Grudem, he discusses several viewpoints about relating with each other in a business setting. Dr. Grudem provides eleven business activities that give us the opportunity to glorify God and follow the Bible as a reference to how we should relate our readings of scripture to everyday business life. They are (1) Ownership; (2) Productivity; (3) Employment; (4) Commercial transactions (buying and selling); (5) Profit; (6) Money; (7) Inequality of possessions; (8) Competition; (9) Borrowing and lending; (10) Attitudes of heart; and (11) Effect on world poverty (Grudem, 2003).
----------. “Bible and Missional Change”. Baptist Association of Christian Educators 2014 Conference. Kansas City, MO, April 3-4, 2014.
As one studies the various covenants of the Scriptures, he will soon realize that the correlation between the Old and New Testaments is undeniable. “Whether covenant is a sufficiently broad concept to encompass all the Old Testament is doubtful, but its importance, reaching as it does into the New Testament, cannot be questioned.” No argument can prevail over the proof that there is a direct relationship between the Old Testament and New Testament. By gaining a deeper understanding of the Abrahamic Covenant, the Davidic Covenant, and the New Covenant, one can learn to appreciate fully the connection between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Although written for church leadership, everyday church members would also benefit from understanding the concepts that Dawn is directing at God-empowered leaders. Ms. Dawn's work is predominantly scholarly, and she cites several other works at great length.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Throughout this class five major themes were studied: law & covenant; oppression & deliverance; justice & righteousness; kingdom of God & hope; and grace and faith. Within these themes there are lessons that are taken from the Bible. Each theme provided a basis of Godly instruction and how to be a faithful follower.
It has been a long time since the first time I heard the passage in my business classes. Of course like many other student with business degree, money was my reason to pick the major. But with the time I learned that I was doing everything for the wrong reasons. When I first read 1 timothy 6:6-10 on my own, I though that making money was wrong. But I learned that as long as we do it for the right reasons as helping others or giving a percentage of what we make to our church. Money is not what is driving us to an evil world but the “love” for that money. What we do with the money we make, and how we earn that money. Christians should be content with the home, clothing, and food they have in life. People who love money are selfish and always ask for more but are never happy. Desire for money will cause people to find themselves in misery in this life, and it will cause them to get lost from the faith in Jesus Christ and end up in eternal destruction in hell.
Their unfaithfulness led to enslavement in Egypt for approximately four hundred years. When the Lord finally freed his people through Moses, He established a second covenant. This new covenant bound the twelve tribes of Israel into one community under a set of commandments by which the people would model their lives. The Ten Commandments serve to protect the Hebrew community. The first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me,” must come first because it reestablishes the foundation that God defines right and wrong. The second, third and fourth commandments aim to prevent divisive values from forming in the community. Commandments five through nine focus on specific actions and the timing of their consequences. For example, killing has immediate consequences, whereas adultery has future implications. The Israelites separate themselves from other civilizations with the final commandment. God commands the Hebrews to control their thoughts, so that their thoughts may not lead to sinful actions. The Ten Commandments were not concerned with granting justice among the people, but firmly established the first principles of one of the longest lasting cultures in human
The Covenant that God made with his People was sealed by the blood of communion sacrifices and contained two fundamental laws: Love of God with all their heart and love of their neighbour as themselves. “The neighbour in question was a fellow country man, your brother. Of this the covenanted people sing in (Ps 133:1-3). How good it is where the people dwell as one.” From the beginning of time, God created man to live in communion not as an individual, to love each other as he loved them implying this sense of
Surveying the Old Testament reveals the theme of God’s faithfulness to his people. In light of this understanding, the restoration of the Israelites prophesized in the Old Testament is essentially the fulfillment of every covenant with God. This perspective relates to the work of Christ and encourages any follower of God to trust in his faithfulness.
First Timothy 6:17-18 exhorts,"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share" (niv). Being entrusted with wealth carries great responsibility. If you believe God owns everything, isn 't your money really His money? He has entrusted the things of this earth to you, and He allows you usage during your lifetime, but He is still in control and the ultimate Owner. How, then, should you manage His
Levine, Amy –Jill and Douglas Knight. The Meaning of the Bible: What Jewish and Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us. New York: HarperOne, 2011
Smith KG 2012. A practical guide to biblical ethics. Johannesburg, South Africa: South African Theological Seminary Press.
Carson, D.A., and Douglas J. Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. 2nd Edition. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2005.