Does God Use People?

Does God Use People?

I read a lot of Christian material, from blog posts to Bible commentaries, and I sometimes read about  how God “uses” people. I’ve always wondered--does God use people, strictly speaking?

In our culture, using someone carries a negative connotation. If we use someone, we take what we want from them, disregarding their needs, devaluing their importance.  Many of us were taught that things were to be used, people were to be loved.   Certainly, our loving Heavenly Father would never use His children in such a callous way.  When people say that God “uses” them, I’m not sure what they mean. Maybe people ask God to “use” them when they really mean something else.  To me, the phrase sounds like God takes control of their lives and operates them in some mysterious way.  Does God use people like we would use a sponge or gardening shears? Does He bypass our free will? 

Perhaps people have this verse in mind when they think about God “using” them:

2 Timothy 2:21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful (euchréstos) to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

This verse has a literal and figurative meaning. Literally, it describes a vessel (meaning a tool or utensil) that would be used in a household. In ancient biblical culture, some vessels were made of precious metals like gold and silver. These vessels were set aside to use when guests came, similar to our putting out the “good dishes”' when company comes. Other vessels would be used for more mundane or even repellent things like taking out food scraps or removing the refuse from the household.

On a figurative level, the honorable vessel in this verse is a metaphor, referring to a person who is prepared to be useful to God; he is ready to serve.  “Useful” in this verse means serviceable or very profitable. As Christians, we want to be useful, serviceable, and very profitable to God in our service to Him. But that doesn’t mean God uses us like we would use a toothbrush or TV remote. 

There are only two other occurrences of euchréstos in the Greek New Testament:

2Timothy 4:11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful (euchréstos) to me for ministry.

Philemon 1:10-11 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. 11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful (euchréstos) to you and to me.)

In both occurrences, “useful” describes a person—Mark and Onesimus. The context of these verses helps us further understand what euchréstos means.

In 2 Timothy 4:9-10, Paul writes about Demas, who had forsaken Paul and left for Thessalonica.  Crescens went to Galatia, and Titus went to Dalmatia.  Only Luke remained with the apostle.  Paul then  tells Timothy to bring Mark with him because he would be very useful for Paul in his ministry. So, here someone is described as being “useful” for the way in which he could assist Paul in his ministry as an apostle.

Then, in Philemon verse 11, we read of Onesimus, a servant who was separated from his master. (Paul met Onesimus in prison and taught him the gospel. Onesimus believed and was born again.)  Onesimus was Philemon’s slave and had previously not been useful to Philemon. But now, Paul exhorts Philemon to receive Onesimus back as a fellow saint, and as a “beloved brother” (v. 16).  Onesimus is useful, although not only as a servant but as a brother in Christ. From this passage, we learn that “useful” means to be of service to someone, either in the capacity as a literal servant or as a servant of God. Either way, euchréstos means to be useful to someone regarding service.

I searched the Scriptures high and low and could not find any occurrence of the phrase “God uses…”  God calls, God directs, God works within, God leads, but God does not use people.

There’s an old saying, “Fit for the master’s use.” But there’s a difference between being useful and being used.

Does God use people? I could not find any scriptural evidence to indicate that God uses people.

We may be of use to God, but God does not use us.

We may be useful to God, but God does not use us.

God works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure, but God does not use us.