The Stewardship of Knowledge

Solomon by. Gustave Dore

   In our world of specialized training, many people reject the idea of having extensive knowledge outside their own field of work. This is partially due to the rapid increase in information available to us and the lack of time to study it all. While I personally believe that individuals should pursue knowledge from a variety of fields within God’s creation, that is not the purpose of this blog post. As believers, we are called to grow in our knowledge of God through His word. However, because of our cultural inclination to specialize in limited knowledge, we tend to relegate scriptural knowledge to pastors and seminary professors. In this blog post, I would like to demonstrate from scripture that growing in the knowledge of God’s word is the responsibility of every believer. We are stewards of this knowledge.

The Priests of the Old Testament

“For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.” - Malachi 2:7 ESV

   In this passage from Malachi, the prophet rebukes the priests because of their improper stewardship of knowledge. The priests and Levites played the roles of both representatives of the people before God as well as teachers. These priests spent time in close proximity to God, having been set apart for their particular tasks. Their knowledge of God’s word enabled the rest of the Israelites to make sacrifices and enter into God’s presence for fellowship. In this way, they served as instructors and messengers on behalf of God. 

   When these priests ignored the sins of the people and offered sacrifices that did not meet the LORD’s standards, both the people and the priests were under the curses of the LORD. When the stewards of knowledge forsake the God of that knowledge, the people suffer. These principles found in Malachi are not limited to the Old Testament. God’s people today are still called to be stewards of knowledge.

The Priests of the New Testament

“you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:5 ESV

   One of the fundamental differences between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant is the priesthood of all believers. The Old Covenant temple, priests, and sacrificial system all pointed to Christ who tabernacled among us in flesh, represented us to the Father, and reconciled his people through His own shed blood. As believers who are the body of Christ, we are united with Him and take on some of these roles as well. Every believer is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Every believer is a member of the priesthood who offers spiritual sacrifices through a life lived for Christ. 

   As a holy priesthood, we are also called to steward knowledge, just like the priests of Malachi’s day. In Colossians 2:2-3 Paul tells us that his goal for believers is

    “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.” ESV

Paul refers to the assurance of understanding and the knowledge of Christ as riches for the believer. Wisdom and knowledge are stored like a treasure trove in Christ. As a holy priesthood with Christ as our head, we have access to this treasure trove. This access also requires our proper stewardship, lest we fall into the same trap as the Old Testament priests in Malachi. 

   I believe this is what Paul meant in 1 Timothy 3:15 when he referred to the church as “a pillar and buttress of the truth”. This passage comes right before Paul’s warning about the coming false teachers. These false teachers would attempt to distort the gospel and lead many people astray and into destruction. However, as the pillar of truth, the church is to lift up and support the truth of God’s word. By doing this the church defends the true gospel which is the message of salvation for sinners. The stakes are high, but the riches of the knowledge of Christ are even greater still.

What about Pastors?

   Some might object to the responsibility of every believer being a steward of the knowledge of Christ. They might argue that pastors (elders) serve as our stewards of knowledge in the church. In our culture of career specialization, most believers grow in the knowledge of their respective fields of work and allow pastors to specialize in their field. While James 3:1 does say that teachers will incur a stricter judgement, this does not mean that non-teachers (in an official sense) do not receive any judgment. 

   All one needs to do is consider their responsibility to teach as a Christian. If you are a parent, then you have a God-given responsibility to train up your children. If you are sharing the gospel, you have a responsibility to teach people about the holiness of God, their sin, and the salvation that is found in Christ. If you have a relationship with a fellow believer in your church, then you have a responsibility to hold them accountable to God’s word by teaching and exhorting them. All of these things require knowledge of God’s word. The job of your pastor is to help equip you in performing these tasks (Eph. 4:12). 

Conclusion

  This blog post is meant to be an encouragement for believers. God has given you the riches of the knowledge of Christ through His word. Attaining this knowledge is made possible by the working of the Holy Spirit in the entire body of Christ. Access to this knowledge comes with the responsibility of stewarding it correctly by testing everything against the truth of God’s word. 

   The church needs to reject the idea that pastors and seminary professors are the only ones who can have a profound knowledge of God’s word. When believers begin to enjoy the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are found in Christ, we will see the gospel making a renewed impact in every area of our lives. Our pastors do not have access to every area of life in the same way as the body of Christ. The body can take the truth of God’s word and rightly apply it in the home, the workplace, and the public square. If we want to see the world changed for Christ, then the church needs to recognize its priestly role and rightly steward the knowledge.