Stewards

This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

1 Corinthians 4:1

The mysteries of God” refers to God’s predetermined plan of salvation. The original meaning of “steward” refers to a slave who manages the household affairs of his master. God’s servants should first have a correct understanding of their own position: they are not objects of human exaltation and following, but rather slaves of Christ. The most important quality of a “steward” is “faithfulness.” What God requires of His servants is not how much talent and gift they have, but “faithfulness.

In ancient Roman times, Roman society practiced slavery. Slaves had to work for their masters without pay and had no personal freedom. Slaves generally came from prisoners of war, natives of occupied territories, debtors, and criminals, and some were also people who were abducted from places like Africa and brought to slave markets. Ancient Rome was originally a small slave city-state formed in the Italian peninsula in the 8th century BC. Starting from the 6th century BC, after hundreds of years of conquest and expansion, it became a great empire spanning Europe, Asia, and Africa. By 395 AD, the Roman Empire was divided into eastern and western parts. The fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD marked a significant turning point in Western European history. While it did not immediately end slavery, it contributed to the gradual decline of the Roman slave system and the eventual emergence of feudal society, characterized by a hierarchical structure based on land ownership and reciprocal obligations.