God Judges Christians’ Stewardships Versus Their Sins

The master returns and judges the servants, introducing one of the more common questions I receive as a pastor: Will Christians be judged? Yes and no. No, our sins are not judged because they were paid for at the cross. If you’re in Christ, you will never stand before the Great White Throne, but you will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ to give an account of our stewardship. If you’ve been faithful, you will be rewarded. Keeping this in mind encourages us to be faithful stewards of our finances.

Because God distributes the talents, we might expect Him to give each person the same amount. Instead, one received five, another two, and the third only one. Likewise, each of us does not receive the same amount of money. This might seem unfair, but God creates equity.

God Gives What We Can Handle

The first way God creates equity is evident in the words “according to his ability.” The Lord knows how much to give each person. God does not overestimate or underestimate our abilities:

• The man with much ability was given five talents.
• The man with average ability was given two talents.
• The man with minimal ability was given one talent.

If the man with minimal ability had been given five talents, he would’ve been overwhelmed by the responsibility. Conversely, if the man with much ability had been given only one talent, his potential would’ve been wasted. Instead, God gives everyone exactly what he or she should have because He knows what we can (and can’t) handle.

This is both encouraging and challenging. It’s encouraging in that God does not give us more wealth than we can faithfully steward. It is challenging in that if we are unfaithful, we can’t make the excuse that we would have done better if we had received a different amount.

If nobody receives more than they can handle, this begs some questions: Why do people use the wealth God has given them in ungodly ways? Why do people act like the third servant and squander what God has given them? When people are poor stewards, does that mean God was unwise in the amounts He gave them? Not at all. We are free moral agents who choose to be faithful or unfaithful. This is the main point of the parable. When we are bad stewards, it’s not a reflection of God’s wisdom in distribution. Instead, it is a reflection of our unfaithfulness. When we squander what the Lord has entrusted to us, the blame rests squarely on us. The third servant demonstrated this when he tried to blame God for his results and was rebuked.