The forgiveness of God is gratuitous liberation from guilt. Paradoxically, the conviction of personal sinfulness becomes the occassion of encounter with the merciful love of the redeeming God. ”There is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents…” (Luke 15:7). In his brokenness, the repentant prodigal knew an intimacy with his father that his [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Elder Brother’
The Forgiveness of God is Gratuitous Liberation From Guilt
Posted in Manning, Brennan, tagged Elder Brother, God's Forgiveness, Guilt, Luke 15, Prodigal Son, Sinfulness on June 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
We Do Not Have a Pharisee for an Older Brother
Posted in Keller, Tim, tagged Elder Brother, Forgiveness, Luke 15, Pharisee, Prodigal Son on March 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
While Act 1 of the parable showed us how free the father’s forgiveness is, Act 2 gives us insight into its costliness. The younger brother’s restoration was free to him, but it came at enormous cost to the elder brother. The father could not just forgive the younger son, somebody had to pay! The father [...]
Earning Salvation Through Goodness
Posted in Keller, Tim, tagged Elder Brother, God's Love, Lack of Assurance, Luke 15, Prodigal Son on March 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The last sign of the elder brother spirit is a lack of assurance of the father’s love. The older son says, “You never threw me a party.” There is no dancing or festiveness about the elder brother’s relationship with his father. As long as you are trying to earn your salvation by controlling God through goodness, [...]
What is Your Self Image Based On?
Posted in Keller, Tim, tagged Elder Brother, Luke 15, Prodigal Son on March 18, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Elder brothers base their self-images on being hardworking, or moral, or members of an elite clan, or extremely smart and savvy. This inevitably leads to feeling superior to those who don’t have those same qualities. In fact, competitive comparison is the main way elder brothers achieve a sense of their own significance. Racism and classicism [...]
What Must We Do Then, to be Saved?
Posted in Keller, Tim, tagged Elder Brother, Luke 15, Prodigal Son, Repentance, Righteousness, Savior and Lord, Sin on March 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
What must we do, then, to be saved? To find God we must repent of the things we have done wrong, but if that is all you do, you may remain just an elder brother. To truly become Christians we must also repent of the reasons we ever did anything right. Pharisees only repent of [...]
The Gospel is Distinct
Posted in Keller, Tim, tagged Elder Brother, Luke 15, Prodigal Son on March 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The gospel is distinct from the other two approaches: In its view, everyone is wrong, everyone is loved and everyone is called to recognize this and change. By contrast, elder brothers divide the world in two: “The good people (like us) are in and the bad people, who are the real problem with the world [...]
Obedience that Leads to Slavish, Begrudging Compliance to the Law
Posted in Keller, Tim, tagged Elder Brother, Love, Luke 15, Obedience, Prodigal Son on March 9, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Elder brother obedience only leads to a slavish, begrudging compliance to the letter of the law. It is one thing to be honest and avoid lies for your sake, but it is another to do so for God’s sake, for truth’s sake, and for the love of the people around us. A person motivated by [...]
Selfless Love Destroys Mistrust
Posted in Keller, Tim, tagged Elder Brother, Love, Luke 15, Mistrust, Prodigal Son on February 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Selfless love destroys the mistrust in our hearts toward God that makes us either younger brothers or elder brothers.
- Tim Keller, Prodigal God, copyright 2008, page 88
