Tim Keller’s latest book, The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith, is now available. The origin of this short, convicting, and compelling book is a sermon Pastor Keller gave a few years ago on Luke 15:11-32.
I read a pre-release copy of this book a few months ago and found it to be simply outstanding. Here’s the nub of it: There are basically two ways of abandoning God. The first is the way of the younger brother–reckless abandon to all of God’s moral authority, an unbridled launch into debauchery and licentious living. The second is the way of the older brother. On the surface, it looks diametrically opposite: fastidious pursuit of God’s external standards, but not from an internal, heart-felt love for and enjoyment of God. No, the older brother (like the younger brother) simply wants to use and control the Father. He loves God for the sake of the goodies he hopes God will give him. The older brother seeks to bribe God: If I obey You, then You owe me. The older brother does not recognize his need for mercy.
Jesus, says Keller, addresses this parable to the older brothers: the scribes and the Pharisees. The parable is “an extended look at the soul of the elder brother, and climaxes with a powerful plea for him to change his heart.” Check it out.
Related: Interview with Tim Keller on The Prodigal God