The Gospel of Compelling Grace (7)

The father tells as below to the eldest son, who pours out his anger that the father has never held a feast for himself who obeyed his father like a servant for a long time.

“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” (Luke 15:31-32)

Would had not been a feast in that big house? The father says, “Everything in this family is an inheritance to you. Every feast in my name was yours, and everything so far has been for you.” But the eldest son didn’t like it. The eldest son thought that there was no feast where he was a king, in his name, in his own way, in the way he wishes. This means that the name and registration must be transferred to his. It reveals his thoughts ‘My father has lived enough, so let him disappear and let me be the real owner.’ The saying that he has always served his father and has not disobeyed his orders for many years means that the eldest son has never obeyed his father because of his love for him

We discover the two prodigals from his reaction. One is revealed prodigal and the other is disguised prodigal. Through Adam, God made the loving image of God. However, people are either the prodigal son in the house or the prodigal son out of the house. That’s the only difference.

The prodigal son, who was inside the house, was usually not revealed from the outside. Sincere and exemplary, he did not dare to leave the house, but he had neither grace nor emotion nor spontaneity towards his father. His anger, fatal viciousness, and “full self-righteousness” were revealed only through the feast for his brother who had left home.

Such self-righteousness manifests itself in many forms.

Please consider the story that as soon as a person who has been forgiven by the king of ten thousand talents, which amounts to ten thousands talents (about several trillion won(₩)) in debt, meets a colleague who owns him 1 million won, which is incomparable, he grabs the colleague’s collar and puts the colleague in prison.

When Mary broke the alabaster jar and poured perfume at the feet of the Lord, the shameless Judas Iscariot, who sold Jesus out of money a little later, criticized Mary, saying that it would have been better if it had been given to the poor. It is the self-righteousness of a vicious and cruel sinner.

Those who heard the story of the prodigal son from Jesus were the Pharisees and the scribes. They kept the law whether they liked it or not, because they could not do anything against the law for a living. At the same time, they thought that they were different from other people or the prodigal son. They worshiped in front of others, kept the law, and studied and taught the word of the Lord without complaining, but they never understood the father’s heart that the God’s words contain. The son who were in the house was the prodigal son, who never given his life to serve, love and obey God, but he only took advantage of God.

“Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)

The real crisis is a hidden disease. If there is an external wound, you can start to treat it. However, a disease like liver cancer or blood cancer is real crisis since you cannot see or feel. Likewise, if a disease occurs in your heart and soul, it is a real crisis. The most severe crisis is to commit spiritual adultery and to sell your heart.

Missionary Young-Ui KIM

(Itinerant Missionary Representative of LOG Mission)

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