Prodigal God - intro

The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller

This book has been using a lot of RAM in my brain ever since I read it about a month ago. Somehow, in just 150 short pages, Timothy was able to quicken in me both a strong conviction against myself and the other older brothers in the church, and a deeper, richer understanding of Jesus’ love for me (whether I’m acting like the older brother or the younger).

This book is about the parable Jesus tells in Luke 15:11-32 to answer the condemnation of the Pharisees and teachers of the law about his association with tax collectors and sinners. It’s one of the most famous stories in the Bible. I know and love the younger son. We hear his story over and over again in evangelical settings. His story is a super testimony--like the sex addict or gang banger who finally comes to Christ. These are the Church's most famous stories.

This story's not all about the younger brother though. It's about the father and the older son as well. I think the church gets who the father is, but Mr. Keller has some astounding things to say about the older brother. Mr. Keller fully describes both brothers in the book, and I'll talk about them in a separate post.

To open the book, Mr. Keller defines the word prodigal. The Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines the word prodigal as “recklessly spendthrift.” Who in the story does this definition most closely resemble do you think?

What did it cost God to seek us out and to forgive us for running away from Him? Forgiveness has to cost the forgiver something. There is a debt that must be settled. But God is infinite, so any sin against him is an infinite offense. I know I’m hopelessly unable to even make the first of infinite payments that would be needed to pay back even one of my sins. That’s the debt record Jesus is physically dealing with on the cross - that's infinite love. Hebrews has some breath-taking imagery about how he went physically into heaven with his own blood to pay for the debt between God and man.

If this doesn’t make a lot of sense to you, pray for understanding. As an older brother, this was the only way I could overcome the lie I believed that I was somehow doing good things for God and that he was somehow pleased with them. It’s still a brain shift I am in the middle of.

I highly recommend this book. More to come...