If I had the money…
…I’d buy every one of you a copy of Timothy Keller’s most recent book, The Prodigal God. It’s that good. It’s that important.
I’m not sure where I first heard the expression, “We are all natural-born Pharisees.” But I know that when I heard it, I had to bow my head in humble agreement that it rang true in the way I sometimes related to God, even as a Christian. Sadly, I believe this problem is pervasive among the professed people of God. We know and believe the gospel. But we so easily fall into a pattern of relating to God on the basis of our performance, rather than grace through Christ. When Christians allow the gospel to drift from center in all their dealings with God and others, the effects are manifold, predictable and profound: joy flies away, assurance eludes us, a critical spirit sets in, hard thoughts of God fester, prayer stops, forgiveness of others fails, personal conflict arises. The list could go on.
Because the danger of self-righteousness is so destructive to the souls of men and yet so subtle in its workings, we must be able to identify it in ourselves and others. When we see it in ourselves, we must crucify it again and again at the cross of our only Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. When we see it in others, we must be “preachers of the gospel”, pointing one another again and again to the cross.
Its because this subject is so important and the problem so pervasive that I’m recommending Tim Keller’s book as necessary reading for every Christian. In it, Keller expounds Jesus’ famous parable of the prodigal son in a fresh and insightful way. Fresh is not always good, especially if it means “novel.” But Keller is not being novel. Indeed, he admits to borrowing the idea for the book from a sermon he heard. Rather, he opens the parable with the kind of freshness that causes its familiar truth to hit us with powerful force. The focus of his exposition is the elder brother. With Keller’s help, most of us will see something of ourselves in the elder brother in ways we’ve probably never considered before.
I won’t say anymore. Get the book. Read it. And learn to delight again in the wonder of your relationship with a lavishly loving (prodigal!) heavenly Father secured for you only and entirely through the merits of Another!
