This morning I am reading out of Luke, and reading about the Prodigal son, one of Jesus most famous parables. I was thinking about the Father's response to the son , when he said he wanted to pay for his mistakes. The following verses describe the Father's response - Luke 15:20-24 NIV:
[20] "So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
[21] “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
[22] “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. [23] Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. [24] For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate."
The son had sinned against his father pretty significantly. He had taken his inheritance, wasted it on women and drinking, and basically told his dad he wished he were dead. When the son decided to go back to his father, he was planning to pay for his mistakes, expecting to be a slave or servant and likely working for the rest of his life to pay back that which he had thrown away.
Our human nature would require that type of repayment. We want to make people pay for their mistakes, and it is only after the repayment that there is any hope for restoration. That is the way man thinks, but that is not the way the Father acts. In this story, which is a clear parable speaking about the Father in Heaven and all who sin, the father runs to him and embraces him, and basically completely ignores the son's attempt to lower himself, and take on the role of a slave or servant. In fact, the father completely restores all that the son had thrown away. This is such a radically different way of responding to a sinner who is repentant, than most of us would expect.
Our church is full of the human type of thinking. Some churches speak of penance following confession of sins, effectively a payment for the sin, to restore ones relationship with the Father. Many churches are quick to mete out punishment to those who sin, or who are caught in sin, regardless of the individuals repentance. The mindset seems to be that the sin must be paid for, because the church cannot be soft on sin, for God is not soft on sin. God demands purity and holiness and anyone who sins is in danger of judgment.
I have friends who grew up with a mindset that if you had one sin stain in your life when you died you were destined for hell. They were taught that their salvation was constantly in jeopardy, because of their sins. This is a great example of teaching focused on man's sinfulness rather than on God's mercy and grace. There are other churches that swing completely the other way, and over emphasize grace to the point of no discussion of sin, repentance or the like.
This story makes a few things clear concerning God's heart toward the repentant sinner. First, he doesn't require repayment. He has already paid for all our sins. He doesn't require a severed or reduced relationship. He has compassion on those that are repentant, and celebrates their turning back towards Him. He does not enact judgment, does not sever the relationship, but instead rushes to restore relationship to the repentant one.
There should be no reason why we wouldn't turn back to the Lord in repentance. There are some that would think their sins are too many, or too great, and yet the Lord is waiting not to punish, but to restore relationship. He has already paid for all our sins, so punishment is not required. He wants us back in full relationship with Him and is just waiting and watching for the moment we turn back towards Him. Whether we have lived our lives like God was dead to us, or wasted or ruined every good thing He has ever given us, His response will be the same, welcoming us, embracing us, restoring us, and celebrating our return.
My prayer is that we, as the Church, would learn to rightly represent the Father's heart. My prayer is that those who are estranged of the Father would return to Him, and those living under the weight of sin would repent and turn towards Him that He might restore them to right relationship.
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