When a Sinner Comes Home

January 1, 2025

In the parable of the prodigal son, can you relate to the feelings of the older brother?  Let us attempt to step inside the older brother’s head for a moment and hear the accusations he makes.  The older brother had served his father dutifully his whole life.  He never neglected one command of his father.  He did everything he was supposed to do.  In stark contrast, his younger brother insulted his father and devoured his wealth with wild living and prostitutes.  The younger brother made an absolute wreck of his life.  And when he finally came home, he was given a party!  The older son never got a party!  How is that right?  How is that fair?

If you can relate to the feelings of the older son, it may be time for a serious heart check.  I must confess that his complaints seemed valid to me at one time, and that’s a problem!  You see, when we sympathize with the older son’s feelings, our feelings are running entirely counter to the feelings of our Father!  Rather than standing with our Father, we find ourselves in league with the Pharisees and scribes who, when they saw the tax collectors and sinners coming to Jesus “began to grumble, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’” (Luke 15:2 NASB95) But what were the feelings of the father when this sinner returned?  Pure joy!He ran to his wayward son and embraced him!  He celebrated!  This is the attitude of our Heavenly Father, and of our Lord Jesus when a sinner comes home.  So, why would we not feel the same?

Why, indeed.  Perhaps we need to ponder the grace of God again.  Perhaps we need to remind ourselves where He brought us from and where we could have been.  Perhaps we need to realign ourselves with the purpose of God and of Jesus Christ, who came not to the righteous, but to the spiritually sick—to sinners like you and me.  And when a sinner comes to Jesus, there is great joy in heaven.  If we’re not taking part in that joy, then we have lost the fundamental meaning of the gospel and have forgotten his marvelous mercy and grace that we ourselves have received. 

The Father rejoices when a sinner comes home.  May we always be ready to celebrate with Him!

—Scott Colvin

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Posted by Scott Colvin

Time for Repentance

November 19, 2024

Repentance is an extremely important concept all throughout the scriptures.  To repent is to turn away from sin.  There can be no salvation without it.  Repentance leads to life (Acts 11:18).  Our God is rich in kindness, and His kindness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4).  God does not wish for anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).  Because God is rich in mercy and kindness, He gives all people, everywhere, time to repent.

But that time is not unlimited.  God has proven again and again that He is very longsuffering, but He has also proven again and again that eventually He will bring judgment on the unrepentant, even among His own people.  God punished His own people many times in the Old Testament because of their hardened, unrepentant hearts.  God punished people within the church in New Testament times as well.  The self-proclaimed prophetess in the church at Thyatira, Jezebel, comes to mind.  Jezebel was teaching and leading the servants of Christ into immorality and idolatry, and therefore Jesus says of her, “I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.  Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.” (Revelation 2:21-22 NASB95) Jesus gave her time! But time was up.  She made it clear that she did not want to repent, and so the judgment of Christ was coming.  Judgment was also imminent for those who joined her in sin, but Jesus, in His great patience and mercy, gave them a little more time for repentance.

You and I need to take the lesson to heart.  Let us never think lightly of God’s kindness, patience, and tolerance.  Let us not test God, nor harden our hearts and stiffen our necks toward His word.  Rather, let us be thankful for His mercy, listen to His word, and turn away from sin.  God desires for all people to come to repentance.  Thanks be to God for providing the way to complete forgiveness and abundant life through His beloved Son.  Let us not delay in coming to Him!

—Scott Colvin

Leave a Comment » | grace, Jezebel, mercy of God, repentance, Revelation 2:21-22, Thyatira | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Scott Colvin