Luke 16:33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
Context: Luke 16:31And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 32“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
From the lexicon: Good=that which is inspired and powered by God. Thanks=credit Sinners=those that fall short of God’s approval.
Pulling it together: Luke 16:33 teaches us two important points. First, if we only return good to those who do good to us it is worthless in the eyes of God. Good, that which is inspired and powered by God is a result of God’s unconditional love and is not genuine if we place conditions on it.
But second, and this is easy to miss, this verse tells us it is possible for those not following after God to do good things to others albeit for selfish reasons. This explains the misconception that people or most of them that are basically good because they do good things. But the Bible is clear. God’s love is greater than that of Man. He loved us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8) and sent Jesus to die for us. God’s love does not wait for a response before it goes into action and neither should the love of a child of God.
Lord, I pray for grace to love as You love, to give without expecting anything in return, to serve as Your Son Jesus served.