Sin and stewardship
I have two questions. Do you think when God created Adam and Eve, He knew and wanted them to commit the first sin, so that we would need to look for him as guidance because we are imperfect? Also, I was a visitor at a WELS congregation and participated in their Bible Study. Their theme for it was stewardship. Many of the discussion points that were brought up by others around me was that we need to continue to donate money (whether a lot or a little) to be good stewards of Christ. I personally felt that we could do other things (like donate our time to a food pantry or Habitat for Humanity) to be good stewards of Christ. Is it wrong to think like this, or does the only way to be a good steward simply involve money?
Being all-knowing (1 John 3:20), God certainly knew that Adam and Eve were going to fall into sin. Beyond that, God formulated his plan of salvation in eternity (Revelation 13:8). Still, we need to keep separate God’s foreknowledge and his will. The Bible makes it clear that God is not responsible for people’s sin (James 1:13-15). People are responsible for their own sins.
When it comes to Christian stewardship, the starting point is that God is the owner of everything (Psalm 24:1). We are stewards and managers of everything that God has entrusted to us: life, time, abilities, and money. We strive to manage all those gifts of God faithfully.
When we think of volunteering our time in our communities, we will want to steer clear of agencies that identify themselves as ecumenical Christian organizations. That is the case with the organization you mentioned. By their organizational structure and worksite practices, they pretend there is Christian unity when there is not, and they blur doctrinal differences among Christians. Communities offer many other opportunities for service and involvement without compromising our faith. Your second question is a reminder and encouragement for us to be “salt” and “light” in our lives (Matthew 5:13-16).