The Paradox of Service and Faith: Embracing Our Role as Unprofitable Servants
by Thomas Lee Abshier, ND
5/11/2025
In a world that celebrates achievements, rewards initiative, and praises those who go “above and beyond,” Christ’s teaching in Luke 17:5-10 presents a radical counterculture. When the apostles asked Him to increase their faith—perhaps the most natural request disciples could make of their Master—Jesus responded with what appears to be two disconnected teachings: one about faith moving a mulberry tree into the sea, and another about servants who merely do their duty. Yet in this seemingly disjointed response lies a profound truth about the nature of faith and our relationship with God.
The Illusion of “Above and Beyond”
The apostles’ request for increased faith reveals a common misconception: that faith is something we can acquire more of through some divine infusion, separate from our actions and attitudes. Christ’s response challenges this notion by linking faith not to extraordinary spiritual experiences but to a proper understanding of our position before God.
When Jesus speaks of the servant who comes in from working in the fields only to prepare dinner for his master, He paints a picture that would have been familiar to His audience but jars our modern sensibilities. We instinctively think, “Shouldn’t that servant get a break? Hasn’t he already done enough?” This reaction reveals our tendency to quantify our service, to determine when we have done “enough” for God.
Yet Christ dismantles this thinking. The master does not thank the servant for doing what was commanded; it was simply his duty. Then comes the statement that forms the core of this teaching: “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.'”
This conclusion seems harsh to ears accustomed to appreciation and recognition. However, it addresses a fundamental spiritual reality: we can never place God in our debt. As the apostle Paul would later ask, “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Every capacity we possess—every opportunity to serve, every good work we perform—originates from God’s provision and operates within His sovereignty.
The Proper Foundation for Faith
The connection between this teaching about servants and the apostles’ request for increased faith becomes clear when we recognize what undermines faith: an inflated sense of our own contribution. When we imagine that our service has earned us something from God, our faith subtly shifts from trusting in God’s character to trusting in our own merit. We start believing God should act because we have earned it, rather than because of who He is.
The phrase “We are unprofitable servants” strikes at the heart of this misunderstanding. The Greek word for “unprofitable” (achreios) doesn’t imply that our service is worthless, but rather that it brings no profit or advantage to God. As the psalmist acknowledges, “O my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You” (Psalm 16:2). God, being complete in Himself, gains nothing from our service that He didn’t already possess.
When Jesus spoke about faith as small as a mustard seed moving a mulberry tree into the sea, He wasn’t suggesting that faith is a force we generate through spiritual effort. Rather, true faith recognizes that all power belongs to God, and our role is simply to be channels through which His power flows. The mustard seed’s smallness emphasizes that the power comes not from the size of our faith but from the object of our faith—God Himself.
The Freedom of Recognized Duty
Far from being discouraging, the recognition that we are “unprofitable servants” doing our duty liberates us from the exhausting pursuit of trying to be “profitable” to God. It frees us from calculating our spiritual worth based on our performance and releases us from the anxiety of wondering if we’ve done enough to merit God’s favor.
Consider the implications of this teaching:
1. It eliminates competition in service. When all service is simply duty, the question of who has done more becomes irrelevant.
2. It removes the burden of earning God’s approval. Our standing before God rests not on our performance but on Christ’s finished work.
3. It clarifies the nature of rewards. When God rewards His servants, it is an act of grace, not payment for services rendered.
4. It establishes the proper motive for service. We serve not to gain but because we have already received everything in Christ.
This understanding transforms service from a transaction into an expression of gratitude. The servant in Christ’s parable wasn’t serving to earn his place in the household—he already had his place. His service flowed from his identity as a servant, not to establish that identity.
Faith Rooted in Reality
The connection between acknowledging our position as unprofitable servants and developing stronger faith becomes clearer when we consider that faith must be grounded in reality. Faith based on an inflated view of our spiritual worth will inevitably collapse when tested, because it rests on a false foundation.
True faith acknowledges the vast asymmetry between Creator and created. As the prophet Daniel witnessed King Nebuchadnezzar learn through humbling circumstances, God “does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?'” (Daniel 4:35).
This recognition doesn’t diminish us; it properly places us within the created order. Just as the stars shine most beautifully when they maintain their appointed orbits, we function best when we embrace our role as servants of the Most High God—not seeking to rise above that station but fulfilling it with integrity.
The Paradox of Spiritual Growth
Here we encounter a beautiful paradox: the path to increased faith begins with acknowledging that, even at our best, we are unprofitable servants. Those who truly understand this paradox find that their faith grows not despite this humbling reality but because of it.
When the apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith, they were likely seeking some technique or spiritual practice. Instead, Jesus directed them to a fundamental attitude adjustment. Faith grows not primarily through spiritual exercises but through an increasingly accurate understanding of our relationship with God.
The servant who recognizes his proper place before his master doesn’t serve less—he serves from a place of clarity, free from the delusion that his service makes God his debtor. This clarity fosters genuine faith because it places confidence entirely in God’s character rather than in our performance.
Living as Unprofitable Servants
How then should we live in light of this teaching? Christ’s instruction to “say, ‘We are unprofitable servants'” suggests that this acknowledgment should be more than an intellectual assent—it should be a declaration we make to ourselves and to God.
This doesn’t mean adopting a posture of false humility or engaging in self-deprecation. Rather, it means embracing the liberating truth that God’s love for us isn’t based on our usefulness to Him. When we truly comprehend this reality, service becomes an expression of who we are rather than a means to earn what we desire.
The practical implications are far-reaching:
1. We serve without calculation. When opportunities to do good present themselves, we don’t weigh whether they’re “required” or “above and beyond”—we simply recognize them as part of our duty.
2. We pray with confidence. Our prayers rest not on what we have done for God but on what He has done for us in Christ.
3. We face trials with resilience. When difficulties come, we don’t question whether we deserve them or have done enough to avoid them.
4. We celebrate God’s grace. Every good thing becomes a gift rather than a payment, intensifying our gratitude.
Conclusion: The Paradoxical Path to Greatness
The teaching about unprofitable servants represents one of the most counterintuitive aspects of Christ’s kingdom. In a world where significance is measured by achievement and recognition, Jesus presents a community where greatness comes through service without expectation of acknowledgment.
When the apostles asked for increased faith, they were unknowingly requesting something that could only come through a diminished view of their own significance. True faith flourishes when we embrace our identity as servants whose greatest privilege is simply doing what we were commanded to do.
The final irony is that those who truly internalize this teaching—who genuinely see themselves as unprofitable servants merely doing their duty—are precisely those whom God calls “good and faithful” (Matthew 25:21). By embracing our limitations and dependence, we position ourselves to experience the unlimited power of God working through us.
In this light, saying “We are unprofitable servants” isn’t a statement of worthlessness but a declaration of freedom—freedom from the burden of trying to earn what can only be received as a gift. It is in this freedom that faith not only increases but transforms into the very channel through which the impossible becomes possible.