Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?
Job 22:2 belongs to the debate between Job and his three friends concerning his afflictions. It forms part of the arguments advanced by those friends and specifically part of the speech of Eliphaz. The statements made by the friends in that debate were generally true in themselves but were misapplied to Job, and their own wisdom and observations did not enable them to understand his suffering rightly. For that reason the claims made about God and about Job in Eliphaz's speech are not reliable unless they are supported by inspired Scripture.
Human wisdom, righteousness, or even perfect conduct cannot benefit God or add anything to Him or to what He possesses, because nothing is needed to complete the infinite God. Even if a person did all of God's righteous will in perfect obedience, he would still be unable to give God anything He needs or to make God his debtor by serving Him. Such perfect obedience would still leave a person unable to claim that God owes him anything for his service. Since human life itself and every blessing already come from God, people remain in His debt, and because they have not done their whole duty their only plea is mercy through Jesus and the cleansing power of His blood.
Because God needs nothing, He was not compelled by any law to create humanity. Creation was therefore an act of pure love, intended to make people happy.
Job 22:2 belongs to the debate between Job and his three friends concerning his afflictions. It forms part of the arguments advanced by those friends and specifically part of the speech of Eliphaz. The statements made by the friends in that debate were generally true in themselves but were misapplied to Job, and their own wisdom and observations did not enable them to understand his suffering rightly. For that reason the claims made about God and about Job in Eliphaz's speech are not reliable unless they are supported by inspired Scripture.
Human wisdom, righteousness, or even perfect conduct cannot benefit God or add anything to Him or to what He possesses, because nothing is needed to complete the infinite God. Even if a person did all of God's righteous will in perfect obedience, he would still be unable to give God anything He needs or to make God his debtor by serving Him. Such perfect obedience would still leave a person unable to claim that God owes him anything for his service. Since human life itself and every blessing already come from God, people remain in His debt, and because they have not done their whole duty their only plea is mercy through Jesus and the cleansing power of His blood.
Because God needs nothing, He was not compelled by any law to create humanity. Creation was therefore an act of pure love, intended to make people happy.