The Steward of Grace

The Steward

(Ephesians 3:2)

Paul, who was writing a letter to the Ephesian Church, was aware of those who doubted his apostolic authority. Therefore, he briefly paused what he was originally about to say and directly mentioned that Christ had forcefully called him and was using him. Paul said, “You have heard of my stewardship of God’s grace for you.”

1. Sacrifice and Compensation
The purpose of the steward is to ensure the stable maintenance and prosperity of the master’s dwelling place. To achieve this, the steward does what the master desires in the manner that the master wants. The steward cannot do what he desires; therefore, as he works, he must endure many discomforts. Nevertheless, the reason why he can carry out the work with hope is the future compensation from the master for his sacrifice and suffering.

2. The Stewardship of Grace
Paul referred to his duty as ‘the stewardship of grace’ because receiving this stewardship itself was a grace, and the work he carried out as a steward was all about conveying God’s grace. His desire was for people to recognize him as the one entrusted with God’s mystery and for God to assign him this work forcefully. By doing so, they would overcome their distorted perspectives, and only then could the grace of God upon Paul flow into them.

3. The Channel of Blessing
Today, this principle remains unchanged. A pastor is the one whom God has forcefully established to mediate God’s grace. A pastor does not work for his glory but for the saints entrusted to him by God. A pastor cannot avoid suffering or try to resolve his unfairness. Instead, a pastor consistently mediates grace and blessing. Therefore, saints should understand the relationship between a pastor and themselves and allow grace and blessing to flow into them. In this way, each saint can also fulfill the role of a steward, and the entire church can abundantly receive God’s compensation in heaven.

Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim