30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 17 7-10 An unprofitable Doulos of Jesus Christ 11 We love Him for our good
📖 Luke 17:7-10
21Jul2020 - *We love Him for our good* - _Luke 17:7-10_ - A DOULOS OF JESUS CHRIST 11 – Bible reading: _Job 35:6-7_
We have seen that the salve has to obey the master. In ancient times, a disobedient salve was beaten or thrown out for the slave was being of no use to the master. Obedience of the slave to the master was for the master’s benefit and would also profit the slave for then the master may be kind and gracious to the slave.
In our relationship with God though, we obey Him for that is how we show our love for God and in obeying God, we have life. _Deuteronomy 30:19-20 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; (20) that you may *love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him*, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."
Up till the 9th verse, the Lord was asking the disciples questions on how a slave would be treated, considering themselves as the masters. Suddenly, in verse 10 the Lord turns the teaching around completely and now makes the disciples to see themselves as the slaves and not the masters anymore. So, all along, the Lord’s intention was for the disciples to see themselves as slaves, which is how we have been studying this passage.
_Luke 17:10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.' "_
_...We are unprofitable servants…_ Those are difficult words to digest. I’m sure it was not easy, in the first place, for us to accept that we are bondslaves – A Doulos of Jesus. Now, the Lord is turning the screws in, even tighter. He says that we must see ourselves as unprofitable bondslaves. What does this mean?
*Not needed slave - Achreios (akh-ri'-os)- expendable - useless, that is, (euphemistically) unmeritorious: - unprofitable.*
In the salve market, a slave was purchased on merit. The master would go to the slave market to get a slave, who would serve him in order to meet a particular need of the master. We, in contrast, have no merit. We are not going to add any value or benefit to God. God does not need us.
This may be shocking for some of us to grasp but this is the fact. We do not add any profit or advantage to God. He is not helped by us in any way. God is complete in Himself. He does not need us. Our worship and our thanksgiving to Him is not going add anything to God or our not worshipping or not thanking God is not going to take away anything from Him.
_Job 35:6-7 If you sin, what do you accomplish against Him? Or, if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to Him? (7) If you are righteous, what do you give Him? Or what does He receive from your hand?_
If sin were to be multiplied many times more, it will not affect God in any way. When we sin and when we disobey God, it affects us. We are the ones, who suffer because of our sin. God does not want us to suffer the pain and consequences of our sin and our rebellion against Him.
We are rejecting and rebelling against God, thinking that we are wise and intelligent and that we can live without being submitted and yielded to God. Will our rebellion and rejection of God, affect God in any way? No, not at all. Our rebellion and rejection of God affect us and we are the ones who suffer because of our rebellion.
He, knowing that we, foolishly, remain in our rebellion, reaches out to us because He loves us. He is loving us, who are of no merit or of any benefit to Him. Even after He has reached us by His love and we were to have responded to His love and come into His family, we are still of no benefit to Him. His love is for those who were unprofitable, while we were sinners and are unprofitable even after being made righteous in Him.
When we now read _Romans 5:8_ this verse takes on fresh and deep understanding to us. _But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. I John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins._
To be accepted before God, our sin needs to be appeased. Sin has to be paid for. It is of no benefit to God that we are made righteous before Him but His love reached out to us. He made the provision through Jesus for the payment of our sin, the appeasement made and that we can be made righteous before Him. Being made righteous is for our good and will not add value to God.
*We love Him for our good* not that our love and obedience to God will benefit God in any way.
*Thought to ponder*
```Repenting and returning to God is OUR rest.```