Prodigal God Chapter 3

Redefining Sin - Two Ways to Find Happiness

Jesus portrays the two basic ways people try to find happiness and fulfillment in life: the younger brother's method of self discovery, and the elder brother's way of moral conformity.

In ancient patriarchal cultures few tried self discovery, but today it is common. Individuals must be free to purse their own goals and self-actualization regardless of custom and convention. "I'm the only one who can decide what is right or wrong for me, not tradition."

In the second view, we attain happiness and a world made right by achieving moral rectitude. We fall at times, of course, but we are judge by how object and intense our regret is. In this way, even in our failures we should measure up. "The immoral people who do their own thing are the problem with the world, and moral people are the solution."

America is divided by these two paths, with each saying "Our way is the way the world will be put to rights, and if you are not with us, you are against us." A few combine these approaches and as self-righteous of their independent lifestyle as the worst Pharisee, and others are Pharisees living a secret life of rebellion as a release.

While it seems the parable has a good son and a bad,  the father has to invite each of his sons into the feast: there is not one lost son, but two. The elder brother is not withdrawing from the father's love, because of his 'goodness'. It's not his sins that create a barrier, but his moral record. The hearts of the two brother's were the same, both wanted the father for his money. The elder's unspoken demand: "I have never disobeyed you! Now you have to do things in my life the way I want them to be done."

Religious people often obey God to get things, which is just as wrong as disregarding God to get what you want. Jesus left the elder's brother's plight unresolved, perhaps to show his listeners that since his rebellion was less obvious, it was all the more dangerous. The majority of those listening were probably elder brothers, and He gave them a chance to finish the story in their own life. Would they accept Jesus's radical alternative for the third path to enter into a relationship with the Father, for it's own benefit?

The Hole in Our Holiness Chapter 1

The Hole in Our Holiness: Filling the Gap between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness by Kevin DeYoung

DeYoung doesn't like camping. "Who decided that vacation should be like normal life, only harder?" Do you look at personal holiness like DeYoung looks at camping? It's fine for other people, and I sort of respect people who make their lives harder than they have to be, but it's not my thing. It wasn't something we did growing up, and my church doesn't talk about it much.

Summarize the great commission for yourself in one sentence before continuing. It is often summarized as "preach the gospel to all nations" or even "make disciples everywhere you go", but it has an emphasis on holiness and obedience that is seldom remembered. Not only are we to preach, baptize, and make disciples, we should be "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you". This isn't observe like one would the work of a great artist, but a call to holiness (which literally means set apart). If we are set apart by our obedience we should be recognized for it by the world.

In fact, Paul says in Romans "your obedience is known to all." In Revelation 21 we get a glimpse of heaven, without a lot of specifics, but we we do know is that it will be glorious  shining with the radiance of God's presence. It will be holy. If you dislike a holy God, why would you want to live with him forever? Even if you could enter heaven without holiness there would be no joy there for you. Spurgeon put it "sooner could a fish live upon a tree than the wicked in Paradise."

1 Peter 1:16 and many other scriptures command us to be holy many more times than we are commanded to take care of the needy or engage in politics, but it is much easier to declare war on poverty than war on your own sin.