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Presentation
Stewardship in Free Markets and the Sanctification Process
Southern Economic Association (2014)
  • Jeffrey E. Haymond
Abstract

This article reviews the biblical doctrines of sanctification and stewardship, and assesses the implications for economic institutional arrangements. Sanctification is one part of the process of salvation, yet it is the one aspect (in addition to initial repentance) that requires human partnership with what God is doing to redeem a people. Sanctification is seen to be the changing of our heart’s inclinations as we increasingly apply the truth of God in our daily, moment-by-moment actions. Thus our freedom to choose has eternal consequences as we become increasingly conformed to the image of Christ. While sanctification occurs in many facets of life, stewardship of resources that God has delegated to us is a responsibility that covers most of our daily lives. How we individually steward God’s material resources is an area of growth in the Christian walk. Biblical stewards are not to simply provide an accounting of the use of God’s resources, but rather they are expected to grow and optimize those resources. Free market institutions provide a favorable testing environment for sanctification of God’s people in the dimension of material possessions. Restrictions on freedom in markets thus limit the growth that an individual can achieve in this facet of sanctification.

Keywords
  • Sanctification,
  • Stewardship,
  • Biblical support for free markets
Disciplines
Publication Date
Fall November 21, 2014
Citation Information
Jeffrey E. Haymond. "Stewardship in Free Markets and the Sanctification Process" Southern Economic Association (2014)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/jeffrey_haymond/16/