9 replies to this topic

[Candice]

The deeper life is NOT the law. Now we are revived prodigals but don't men of all sorts of believers just consider the deeper things as going back to the law. Must be deep cause look at my works compared to yours.

Luke 15:31
"And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.

Faith is believing that we have a good God, and that He protects and provides for those who trust in Him. Remember the parable of the prodigal son? (Luke 15:11–32) Jesus shared it to illustrate how good our heavenly Father is. The wayward son had squandered his father’s inheritance before he decided to go home to ask his father to make him a hired servant.

But before he could reach home, his father saw him from afar, ran toward him and embraced him. And instead of making him a hired servant, the father turned to his servants and said, “Bring out the best robe! Get a ring and sandals for my son! Let’s kill the fatted calf and celebrate!”

Now, when the older son returned from work and heard about the celebration, he became angry and refused to enter the house. When his father came out to ask him what was wrong, the older son complained, “Look, I’ve served you all these years. Yet, you never gave me a young goat to celebrate with my friends. But as soon as this prodigal son of yours comes home, you kill the fatted calf for him!”

Notice what his father told him: “Son, you are always with me and all that I have is yours. We should celebrate because your brother was dead but is alive again. He was lost but is now found.”

Can you see how the older brother perceived his father? He saw his father as a hard and stingy man. He believed that he had to work to get something good from his father. He didn’t realize that he already had an inheritance! He could have killed the fatted calf any time for a celebration!

Like the father in the parable, God has already given you an inheritance in Christ. Don’t fail to enjoy it by doubting God’s goodness or by believing that you must work for it. See your Father’s heart of love and goodness toward you, and celebrate your inheritance today!

[Charles Miles]

Well said Candice.  That parable has so many lessons in it that, if fully fleshed out, would probably explain all of man`s history with God and what would happen when man allows a seeking, loving, God to accept him and to shower him with gifts of the kingdom.  Just a few thoughts about this story, and since I`m not very original, they have probably already been studied by those on this forum...if so, please excuse the redundant thoughts.

  The younger son took all the inheritance given him by his father and just wasted them for his own pleasure.  They indeed were his to do with what he would, but he used them in such a manner that they were wasted.  After these were gone he had no father, no source, no way to replace them because he no longer had a relationship with his father....the supplier of his inherited gifts.  His older brother however, remained at home in a relationship with the father(although not a perfect one evidently), and had use of all the wealth of the father all the time the younger son was gone.  As children of God, we have access to the kingdom gifts, although we don`t have them all yet.  We can waste our gifts when we leave God`s favor....we can lose access to things in the kingdom that will help us now, today, the next few minutes, by allowing ourselves to get out of God`s favor.  Our lives can become miserable and dark, we can lose peace, lose joy, and fell like we are all alone....BUT, we cannot lose sonship/daughtership.  Boy we can make our lives miserable to the point it seems as though we are living with pigs. The younger son came home, his father welcomed him, and he again had a relationship with his father that enabled him to again experience the good things of his father`s house....he was still a son.  He might have wasted all the inheritance given to him, lived with pigs, and was abandoned by all those who he thought were his friends, but he NEVER lost his sonship. What a glorious message here!!  We can come home!!!  No matter how stupid, slothful, dirty, and stubborn we become, all we have to do is turn around(repent), come back home, and accept the arms of the Lord.  One thing to consider here...how would this story end if the younger son had died while out wasting his gifts?  No one would have ever heard of him again and probably would have always wondered what happened to him.  His father still loved him and waited for him, and wanted him to come home....but the father could not MAKE him come home. 

 

Sorry for the rambling here, but I just had this twist of the story stuck in my mind for a few days.  The older son had the use of all his inheritance and all his father`s holdings all the time the younger was gone....and still has them when the younger son comes home.  Maybe this is "living in the kingdom", whereas the younger son left and lost the benefits of his father`s kingdom until he saw that what he was doing was not getting him anything but misery, and he returned to his father`s house. He had no reason to thing much good was going to happen when he got home, so maybe he too underestimated the love of his father.

Just some thoughts...

 

May God bless all the seekers with findings,

 

Charlie

[DonnaA]

Just a few things that I gleaned from David Guzik's commentary at Blue Letter Bible ...

 

 

The father clearly illustrates God's love. His love would allow rebellion and would respect man's will. The father more than knew what would happen to the son, but allowed him to go his course none the less.

No one gave him anything: If somebody were to support this prodigal in his prodigal life, he would delay the day that he came to himself and got right with God.

 

But when he came to himself: When the son came to himself, he didn't join a self-help group. He didn't seek to repair his inner child. He didn't blame his friends, his boss, or the pigs. He went back to his father (I will arise and go to my father).

 

None of the four things brought to the son were necessities; they are all meant to honor the son and make him know he was loved. The father does much more than meet the son's needs.

 

Some have criticized this parable because it seems to make repentance something apart from Jesus and the work on the cross. But we should see Jesus as being the way, the very road back to the Father. The prodigal can never come to God the Father unless he comes by way of the Son.

 

 

 

I love digging deeper into the Word .....

 

[ADVRider]

Quote # 2 is a good one for those who have wayward children. God knows what they need more than parents do, as hard as that may be. My friend said the Lord impressed him once not to get in His way to redeem his (my friend's) children. This quote reminded me of that. That is when he told his son, "son, you are an adult now, so I release you to live your life and may God be with you." Then he and his wife proceeded to move out of state. His son was shocked. But it was what needed to happen.

[DonnaA]

Learned that the hard way with my siblings.  Sometimes they need to just hear you say, "wow, I'll be praying for you to find a way out of that situation." rather than jump in and rescue them again and again ... 

[Kenny]

I like what Tozer once stated concerning repentance

 

"In the things which God cannot do category is this; God cannot do our repenting for us. God has commanded all men to repent. It is a work which only they can do. It is morally impossible for one person to repent for another. Even Christ could not do this. He could die for us, but He cannot do our repenting for us. God in His mercy may incline us to repent (the goodness of God leads us to repentance) and by His inworking Spirit assist us to repent; but before we can be saved we must of our own free will repent toward God and believe in Jesus Christ."

 

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent  Acts 17:30

 

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?  Rom 2:4

 

The conclusion I draw from this is, that since we find that God has commanded all men to repent (Acts 17:30), and leads men to repentance (Rom 2:4), as stated in Scripture, then the actual responsibility to repent lies individually with each of us once God leads us to repentance. 

 

Additional notes:

 

The Scriptural commands to repent and believe are in the imperative mood.

Mark 1:15 and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe in the gospel.

Acts 16:31 Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved

In the above verses the verbs "repent" and "believe" are both in the imperative mood.
"The imperative mood corresponds to the English imperative, and expresses a command to the hearer to perform a certain action by the order and authority of the one commanding. Thus, Jesus' phrase, "Repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mk.1:15) is not at all an "invitation," but an absolute command requiring full obedience on the part of all hearers." - http://www.studylight.org/isb/view.c...=5720&tool=grk

 

Blessings brothers and sisters in Christ

Kenny

[Candice]

Sorry Kenny. I guess I did not state my post well and it is now on another track.

Trying again, simply, in Acts 17, the audience is unbelievers who are not prodigals so are not those I'm talking about. The prodigal repented. Returned to the father - changed his mind and turned back to his father. He did not turn to the law although there is nothing wrong with the law. He will obey in right relationship to his father.

But I may be wrong. Probably so. I guess we're still under the Law and I missed it.

[Charles Miles]

Candice,

No! We are not still under the law as it pertains to salvation, but there is nothing wrong with the law. It is still the law of God and so is perfect. The problem was always with man and his inability to keep the law. All the law ever did was to point out sin as it showed up in lives of God`s people, and that includes us. Jesus came to fulfill the law, not to remove it. He perfectly followed the law and then was slain as our sacrifice so we can now plead His rightiousness as our own when we violate the law, as we do and as man always has. The law remins as a perfect guideline for living a rightious life and we should strive to follow it as best we can(God sees our hearts and knows how well we try), but we still have to deal with satan, sin, and this is satan`s world we must live and work in. We fail, we repent, we try to do better, we fail, we repent and get up and try again...we have an advocate at the right hand of God who says.."look Lord, he is one of mine, look how he tries, he accepted me and he has my rightiousness". The law is perfect and we are not, but by the gift of God`s own rightiousness, we become rightious...not by anything we do. There is nothing we can DO to gain salvation and entrance into the kingdom of God, but once there, we should, out of gratitude for the great gift given us, want to do deeds for others, love others, and want to obey God`s law...because He is who He is.

I know I probably should not have written this, but it just snapped out because we have been dealing with this problem in our church and as my sister-in-law would say...I have a lot of energy on this. Candice, and everyone, please do not take this post as giving instructions on theology, because most all of you know more about God`s love, Grace, Christ`s advocacy, and the finer points of the law than I. I guess this was written more for my brain to soak up than anything else. If my thoughts are incorrect please disreguard them and let me know where I`m wrong. I may need it.

In Christ`s love,

Charlie

[Kenny]

 I guess we're still under the Law and I missed it.

 

Scripture says we are not under the law.

 

What then? shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? God forbid. Rom 6:15

[Kevin Blankenship]

Here is what the inspired writer says in James Chapter 2:14-26:

¹⁴ What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? ¹⁷ Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your^[a] works, and I will show you my faith by my^[b] works. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! ²⁰ But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?^{[c] 21} Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? ²² Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? ²³ And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”^[d] And he was called the friend of God. ²⁴ You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

²⁵ Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

²⁶ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.