Tim Keller and the Prodigal God

Saw a fantastic message delivered by Dr. Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan during the annual Willow Creek Leadership Summit, broadcast at our church.

Dr. Keller dug into the story of the Prodigal Son, which many times we Christians believe is all about the lost wandering back to the Father. And it is, but we often forget to look at the Father's other son -- the one who didn't run off and squander his inheritance, but stayed home obediently.

Check out the summary of Dr. Keller's notes from my colleague Tim Schraeder of Park Community Church in Chicago. He does a great job of capturing the essence of what was said.

In summary, though, neither brother really showed love to the father. The younger son had no interest in him, and the elder felt the father OWED him for his obedience and goodness. There are two ways to show you don't love God, Keller posits: irreligiosity and religiosity. One way ignores God; the other tries to order Him around.

The Bible clearly communicates that the latter is more spiritually dangerous, and in the end, it's the irreligious son who makes it to the big party (salvation!). There is a third way to be, Keller says, and it's the best way: Instead of living for God in order to get something, living for God because you GOT something -- eternal salvation!