Jesus, the Unprofitable Servant...

sermonindex Mar 14, 2007

Brethren, I was thinking... as I often do nowadays... about the nature of God. Could you please tell me if my argument below is sound from a theolgical standpoint?

If God, Who by His Abundant Grace brings everything into existence, maintains it, and salvages what He will out of a fallen universe...

...And there is nothing we can give Him that He hasn't already created (even our love stems from Him) - that is, we can't repay Him a thing for His abundant generosity...

...Can we therefore assume He is the chief Unprofitable Servant?

I mean no disrespect to God or to the brethren; I was just considering what the ultimate lesson was in God, as Jesus, becoming a Servant of all and teaching the Sons of God (us) to assume the role of servants... If we are remade in the image of God by imitating Christ, and are made servants, as He was a servant, what does this evidence of this facet of the Devine Nature of Deity? Is God then Servant of all as well as Father of all?

Thoughts?

sermonindex Mar 14, 2007

You know, I just re-read what I typed and it is just SO AMAZING that we can't repay Jesus a dime for the gifts He's given us: Existence; Salvation; Mercy; etc.

He keeps creating, upkeeps the Universe, loves His creation, saves what He will, and all our good deeds are like a drop in the ocean in comparison with the Good He's done for us. And we, to be like Him (LIKE GOD!!!), must selflessly serve all and expect nothing in return.

My Spirit's groaning, and I wish I could put it all into words. Does this make any sense to you folks?

S

sonofthunder Mar 14, 2007

Yeah i kinda get the gist of what your trying to say ... and somewhat convey to us !!

C

ChrisJD Mar 14, 2007

Hi Corey. These things are really amazing and so contrary to what we naturally think. I have to go to work soon so I don't have much time but I wanted to leave this passage with you from the book of Job for yor meditaitons, where Eliphaz asks

~~[i]~~Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself? Is it any pleasure to the almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?[/i] - Job 22:2-3

And also Isaiah 53:10

Have a good and godly day, :-)

Chris

sermonindex Mar 14, 2007

Hi Corey,

You are making a fair point with one exception. (I'm guessing you have at the back of your mind the story Jesus told, of the unprofitable servant, from whom we are to see that we don't begin to be profitable until we have gone beyond our duties.)

God loves increase. But, ~~[i]~~does[/i] ~~[u]~~He[/u]increase?

Apparently. I've always been fascinated by this:

Ephesians 4:11 - 16 (NASB)
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

~~[u]~~As a result, we are no longer to be children[/u], tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, ~~[b]~~causes the growth [or increase?] of the body for the building up of itself[/b] in love.

Surely Jesus' death was more than was required from a Servant?

EDIT:
I've just realised. The corn of wheat - bringing forth increase.

I

InTheLight Mar 14, 2007

...And there is nothing we can give Him that He hasn't already created (even our love stems from Him) - that is, we can't repay Him a thing for His abundant generosity... ...Can we therefore assume He is the chief Unprofitable Servant?

This seems to me to be backward thinking. I'm not comfortable with transposing our unprofitablity upon the Son of God, the Suffering Servant, this is making Him in our image. I think it would be a poor choice of words to call Him unprofitable.

The "ultimate lesson" that The Lord Jesus demonstrated was the divine principle of the Godhead which is living by, for, and unto Another. This is the way of the cross. Humility and unprofitability are not the same thing. His work was infinitely profitable to God and man.

In Christ,

Ron

sermonindex Mar 14, 2007

Ron said

I'm not comfortable with transposing our unprofitablity upon the Son of God, the Suffering Servant, this is making Him in our image. I think it would be a poor choice of words to call Him unprofitable.

Brother Ron, I don't deny God's deity, His power, His Authority, or His glory. I am after the Truth.

If the truth is that He made the universe, keeps it going, and constantly gives and gives and gives, He has, in essence, done a service for us that we won't (because we can't) do for Him.

He serves us not because we tell Him to (obviously), but because no one ~~[i]~~but[/i] Him ~~[i]~~can[/i] do it.

And it is fairly obvious that we cannot pay him for His work, since everything that is, all matter, all spirit, and all love... already stems from Him, and ultimately belongs to Him, in the first place.

Therefore, He has done, is doing, and will do things in the service of mankind for which we can never repay Him. That's why I think He's the Unprofitable Servant.

I'm not seeking to deny His Greatness or Goodness, or Power, or Authority, or Grace, or Mercy. I'm just beginning to realize that He's done EVERYTHING for me - and I can do nothing and can give nothing (even remotely) in comparison to His Immense Gifts!!!

Somehow I benefit, and He gains nothing for the giving. See?

C

ChrisJD Mar 14, 2007

Brother Ron,

"I think it would be a poor choice of words to call Him unprofitable."

I agree. Think in a subject like this there is a need to make clear distinctions too. Perhaps like these...

"Humility and unprofitability are not the same thing. His work was infinitely profitable to God and man."

If I could harken back to the refrence in Job, I think there is such a distinction, where Eliphaz asks

"Can a man be profitable unto God, ~~[b]~~as[/b] he that is wise may be profitable ~~[b][u]~~unto himself[/b][/u]?"

which is what I think Corey is getting at where he says

"...we cannot pay him for His work, since everything that is, all matter, all spirit, and all love... already stems from Him, and ultimately belongs to Him, in the first place."

Still, as Ron points out there is much profit towards God and man in the work of Christ, and in return, from man towards God and Christ, this being a fruit of His labors.

Again, the need for distinction comes in recognising the limits and nature of our profitability towards God. We can only ever render what is our duty.

So the Psalmist says

~~[i]~~Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.[/i]

And the Apostle says

~~[i]~~...present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.[/i]

And yet in so doing, all we ever do, is our duty - that imperfectly, and not completely.

But as Ron says, God is profited in it, as, and so much as, it is under Christ Jesus. And so the prophet says

~~[i]~~...he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.[/i]

Corey,

"I'm just beginning to realize that He's done EVERYTHING for me - and I can do nothing and can give nothing (even remotely) in comparison to His Immense Gifts!!!"

I thought that is what you were getting at too. Sometimes it's hard to put all these things in words. In terms of theology, I think the distinctions we make are important, and I think that was what Ron was getting at.

These are deep things. We are very fortunate to peer into them. :-)

sermonindex Mar 16, 2007

ChrisJD said

We can only ever render what is our duty.

Brings to mind this: (TNT)

Romans 12
I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercifulness of God, that ye make your bodies a quick [living] sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable serving of God. And fashion not yourselves like unto this world; but be changed in your shape, by the renewing of your wits that ye may feel what thing that good, that acceptable, and perfect will of God is.