The Prodigal God

I want to commend a great book to you: Tim Keller’s The Prodigal God. I will be posting some bite-sized morsels over the next week or so.
Many lifelong Christian believers feel they understand the basics of the Christian faith quite well and don’t think they need a primer. Nevertheless, one of the signs that you may not grasp the unique, radical nature of the gospel is that you area certain that you do. Sometimes longtime church members find themselves so struck by and turned around by a fresh apprehension of the Christian message that feel themselves to have been “re-converted.”(Keller, xi)
I definitely relate to that. Just over a year ago, I believed I understood grace pretty well. After to being exposed to Tim Keller’s preaching and writing I am realizing how deep my legalism is.
The Prodigal God is about the parable in Luke 15 that is really about two lost sons. While the word “prodigal” is not in the Luke 15, the parable has become known as “the parable of the Prodigal Son.” Keller clarifies the meaning of that word:
The word “prodigal” does not mean “wayward” but according to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, “recklessly spendthrift.” It means to spend until you have nothing left. The term is therefore as appropriate for describing the father in the story as it is his younger son. The father’s welcome to the repentant son was literally reckless, because he refused to “reckon” or count his sin against him or demand repayment.
Jesus is showing us the God of Great Expenditure, who is nothing if not prodigal toward us, his children. God’s reckless grace is our greatest hope, a life-changing experience, and the subject of this book. (Keller, xv)