What, If Not Useful?

I previously wrote a post saying that, from a Christian perspective, God does not, will not, and cannot use people. I got lots of feedback thanking me for highlighting the fact that God does not just see us as tools, but also as people. I appreciate the feedback, and it tells me I need to press the point home harder:

I do not claim that “God also see us us people.” I claim that He sees us as people.

I do not claim that “God doesn’t only see us as tools.” I claim that He doesn’t see as tools. At all. Ever.

How does God see us?

Having made the negative case in my previous post that God doesn’t see us as tools, it is interesting to look at the positive case of how He does see us. If phrases like “instrument of God” or “God’s tool” don’t turn up in the bible, what phrases do turn up? What implications might that have for how should we see ourselves, how should we see the people around us, and how we should see God?

Sometimes the bible connects people to God in terms of family relations: sons of God, children of God, heirs of God. Sometimes it gets biologically intimate: we are those born of God, we are God’s offspring, members of Christ, the aroma of Christ. Abraham was counted a friend of God.

Sometimes the bible refers to people’s relationship to God in terms of an office, role, or position: an officer of God, apostle of Christ, God’s fellow-worker, God’s steward, stewards of God’s grace, stewards of the mysteries of God, a soldier of Christ, priest of God, minister of Christ, messenger of God, prophet of God, servant of God, bond-servant of Christ, slave of God, prisoner of Christ. To be sure, the positions range from prestigious to distinctly lowly. But they are all people, not objects. Should there be a concern that one usually thinks of slaves as utile objects rather than people, I suggest this indicates we need to elevate the way we think of slaves, rather than lower how God thinks of us.

Sometimes the bible relates us to God via an attribute: we are the righteousness of God, made in the likeness of God, the glory of Christ.

Sometimes the bible cites God’s attitude towards us: we are God’s elect, God’s chosen ones.

Sometimes it cites our attitude towards God: we may be worshipers of God, lovers of God, haters of God, enemies of God, imitators of God. To be sure, not all of these attitudes to God are positive ones. But they are robustly human, personal attitudes. My hammer is a tool and it neither loves nor hates me.

Corporately, there is God’s Church, the people of God, the household of God, the flock of God, the body of Christ. All solidly intimate, relational things.

Very occasionally we are referred to as objects: God’s field — that which He cultivates; God’s building — that which He edifies; God’s temple—that in which His presence is manifest. Objects, to be sure, but objects to which God relates in wonderfully personal, non-utilitarian ways.

Notable by its absence: no one is God’s tool. Ever.

But, wasn’t there that one verse..?

I have not cherry picked the examples that fit my case and buried the rest. The list above is pretty much exhaustive. But, in talking to people, there were a few apparent counter examples that tended to get cited. They are interesting to look into, not least because they shed light on how people think about God, and how that differs from what the bible says about God.

The first apparent counter example involves power. Not only does God not use people, He doesn’t “use” many things at all. But one thing he does use is power. For example, “the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians.” (Ex. 14:31.) So clearly power is an object that can be used. After heaping up examples of verses on “the righteousness of God,” “the likeness of God,” “the glory of God” etc., reference to someone being called “the power of God” (Acts 8:10) really jumps out. If a person can be the power of God, and if power is a thing to be used, then — at least once —God treated a person as a things to be used.

But not so fast! Let us look at those ifs. The bible itself does not endorse the claim that “This man is the power of God.” Rather, it reports that this is the accolade which the people of Samaria gave to Simon the Sorcerer, prior to them hearing the gospel. The passage goes on to recount how Simon was rebuked for his utilitarian approach to the gift of God. So, in summary, no, this is not a counter example. Simon was not the power of God, even if some people thought he was.

A second apparent counter example turns up in Isaiah 45, where the NASB gives the chapter heading “God uses Cyrus.” Even the ESV has “Cyrus, God’s instrument.” If chapter headings were canon, we would be done. Case closed. But chapter headings are not canon. They get added by the publishers. What the bible itself actually says is this: “I am the Lord… who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purposes’… Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped…” (Is. 44:28–34:1.)

God is holding the hand of Cyrus, his anointed one, his shepherd. This is a deeply personal, relational, pastoral picture. The closest the passage comes to mentioning instruments or tools is that God “equips” Cyrus (v.5). God gives Cyrus “treasures” (v.3). Why? Is this to buy Cyrus off? To enter into a utilitarian bargain? Quid pro quo? No! Quite explicitly not: when Cyrus acts according to God’s purposes it is “not for price or reward” (v.13). The reason God showers Cyrus with treasures is so that Cyrus, who did not know God (v.4), would “know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name” (v.3). God is building relationship with Cyrus. And he is doing so “for the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen” (v.4). And God blesses Israel so that He would be known by people “from the east and the west” (v.6). God blessed an individual, with the intention of blessing a nation, with the intention of blessing a planet; calling out for relationship at each and every step. So, in summary, no, this is not a counter example. Cyrus is not objectified. He is not a tool.

Indeed, rather than being a counter example, Isiah 45 provides an important example: an example of how our assumptions about “being used” blind us to what the text is saying. Isiah 45 is a passionate text, overflowing with imagery of freely-given divine abundance; a generous God, barely able to contain Himself for His lavish creative outpourings on those whom He loves, whether they know Him or not:

“Shower, O heavens, from above,
and let the clouds rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit;
let the earth cause them both to sprout;
I the Lord have created it.”

On and on; verse after extravagant verse. The editors writing section headings sought a pithy phrase to encapsulate all of that. And somehow — with their heads in a tool-oriented, utilitarian, technological culture — they settled on “God uses Cyrus.”

Living in a world suffused by technological values has done very strange things to us. My hope is that, by noting that there really are alternative ways to view things, we might un-do some of them.