The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
In Tim Keller’s book, The Prodigal God, he explores the parable of the prodigal son to reveal a message of hope and redemption. The familiar story of a father and son’s division—love turning to rebellion and resentment—is presented in a new light. Keller uses this parable to illustrate how to overcome this common division through God’s extravagant love. The parable, as it turns out, is more than a story of a wayward son and a forgiving father.
The Two Lost Sons
The parable, found in Luke’s Gospel, tells the story of a younger son who squanders his inheritance and a father who forgives and welcomes him home. Often overlooked is the elder son, who harbors anger towards his father and brother. Keller focuses on this “good” son to highlight the parable’s deeper meaning.
Prodigal Love and the Two Paths to Happiness
The term “prodigal” refers to reckless spending, which applies to both the son’s actions and the father’s overwhelming love. This extravagant love mirrors God’s love for humanity. Keller argues that the parable presents two ways people seek happiness: moral conformity (the elder son) and self-discovery (the younger son). Both paths are flawed. The elder son’s fixation on his good deeds leads to self-righteousness, while the younger son’s pursuit of pleasure leads to destruction.
“God’s reckless grace is our greatest hope, a life-changing experience and the subject of this book.”
At the conclusion of the story, “Jesus the storyteller deliberately leaves the elder brother in this alienated state. The bad son enters the father’s feast, but the good son will not. The lover of prostitutes is saved, but the man of moral rectitude is still lost.” A credulous understanding of life is that “God owes you answered prayers, and a good life, and a ticket to heaven when you die. You don’t need a Savior who pardons you by free grace, for you are your own savior.”
Lost and Then Found
Both sons are lost, but the elder son’s self-righteousness is a greater obstacle to salvation. He believes his good deeds earn him God’s favor, failing to recognize his need for grace. Jesus’ message is that everyone is lost and in need of redemption.
Christianity, accordingly, is understanding that we are each accepted by God through the work of Jesus, and we obey accordingly. As Martin Luther notes, “We are saved by faith alone, but not by faith that remains alone.”
Salvation and the Christian Life
Keller emphasizes that salvation comes through faith in Jesus, not through good works. True Christianity is rooted in accepting God’s grace and responding with obedience. This understanding can transform relationships and lead to a life of service and love.
Keller’s Central Theme: Hope and Redemption
“It is no coincidence that the story contains the pattern of exile. The message of the Bible is that the human race is a band of exiles trying to come home. The parable of the prodigal son is about every one of us.”
The parable of the prodigal son offers hope for healing and restoring broken relationships. It illustrates that Jesus’ love and forgiveness are available to everyone, regardless of their past mistakes or perceived righteousness. Through faith in Jesus, we can experience true fulfillment and reconciliation.
“Jesus’s great Parable of the Prodigal Son retells the story of the entire Bible and the story of the human race. Within the story, Jesus teaches that the two most common ways to live are both spiritual dead ends. He shows how the plotlines of our lives can only find resolution, a happy ending, in him, in his person and work…
“And to enter that way and to live a life based on his salvation will bring us finally to the ultimate party and feast at the end of history. We can have a foretaste of that future salvation now in all the ways outlined in this chapter: in prayer, in service to others, in the changes in our inner nature through the Gospel, and through the healed relationships that Christ can give us now. But they are only a foretaste of what is to come.”
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