10 Lessons from Luke 15

 Life usually doesn't fit into nice neat little lists, but that doesn't keep me from trying.  Welcome to my Tuesday 10, where I try to fit the messiness of life into a list of ten.

Today I'm taking a look at the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke.  It's an incredibly interesting bit where Jesus shares three parables with a mixed crowd of both "sinners" and the religious Pharisees.

1.  v2 The religious people thought Jesus fraternizing with the "lost" was scandalous.

2.  v7, 9, & 10 Heaven rejoices over the salvation of the lost, and so should we.

3.  v13 Just because we have it, doesn't mean we should spend it.

4.  v14 Don't waste it, you might need it.

5.  v17-19 Your journey to forgiveness starts with your realization that you need forgiving.

6.  v20 The Father welcomes back the lost without condition.

7.   v21 Confession is important.

8.  v22-24 Nothing but sonship will do.  God doesn't make us servants.  He makes us family.

9.  v25-27 Don't be so caught up in your works that you miss God working.

10.  v28-31 Stop trying to earn what the Father already gave you.

Does God Punish Us?

The following is a conversation I had with a student through facebook chat about some questions that were bothering them following our discussion last night about evil and suffering in relation to God. I have edited it to protect their identity, however, they did give their consent for me to post this.

S = Student, N = me

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S: im here

N: how about that. me too :P

S: lol

N: to answer your question... "does God punish us for our sin?" it's a complicated answer. yes and no. it depends on a number of things.

S: lol. well that may be a starting point.....to maybe make things more simple....my question was going to be where does the asking for forgiveness and repentance come in...and u guys may of discussed that

N: ok here we go. Punishment for sin comes in a variety of ways. There are instances in the Bible where God directly punished people for sin. those were known as Judgments in the scriptures
we talked a little about judgment tonight. judgment was God's direct punishment for wickedness and is always preceded by a warning from God in some form. sometimes sin does not result in direct punishment but it may still result in consequences that are bad. like if a person decides to get drunk and then drives their car off a bridge.

S: lol. nice example.....this is a bit more complex than i had thought.

N: God didn't make them drive their car off a bridge. they made the choice to get drunk and it inhibited their ability to drive.

S: and this is where free will comes in play?

N: yes, it's our free will that gives equal opportunity for good or evil but the original design was for good with a capacity for evil. when God created Adam and Eve they were perfect and good. they didn't even know what evil was. the tree they ate from was the "Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil".

S: ok.....alright. so, lets say someone gets drunk, gets arrested for dwi,...the person makes a drastic life change, repents...God promises to forgive and not hold it over us as long as we repent.......but there are still the earthly consequences....right?

N: Usually yeah

S: ok

N: but there are rare occassions when we are spared from those as well. for example: i knew an addict who got instantly delivered from drugs by God on the spot when he prayed for salvation and he was miraculously spared from nasty withdrawals.

S: right. so, do you think the reason a lot of people view these pain and suffering is simply of earthly consequences, not as some form of punishment from God....like the current economy for instance?

N: yeah, i believe the current economic state is a natural result of man's sin and not a result of God punishing us. at the end of the day, we're usually our own worst enemy.

S: but people can't realize a difference in punishment from God and natural consequences....and its easier to say that we have an unjust God, rather than taking accountability.....as could be said for many things.

N: bingo, always remember this... People refuse to accept responsibility for their actions.
it started with Adam. when God asked him why he ate of the forbidden fruit, adam responded, "it's that woman you put here with me, she gave me some of the fruit and i ate of it." Adam was trying to shuffle the blame off to Eve and even God himself. we always like to paint ourselves as innocent.

S: ahh ok. im getting my head around this now

N: yay! :)

S: ok cool. well i was most confused about where the purpose of forgiveness comes into play in the whole situation. but now seeing a distinct line between God’s will and earthly things, i understand....

N: sure, let me address forgiveness and repentance real quick then i'll hop off of here.

S: go for it

N: once man sinned we created a rift between us and God. before that time God showed up physically as a presence to be with adam and eve. genesis says "he walked with them in the garden in the cool of the day."

N: the only way for God to repair that union is by offering forgiveness and the only way for us to attain his forgiveness is by repentance.

forgiveness is at it's core, when an offended party does not claim their right to payment from the one who is indebted to them.

repentance is the act of recognizing your offense against someone, and pledging not to perpetrate that same offense again.

S: i like the clarification

N: the mistake people make when they start talking about forgiveness is in thinking that there is never a payment made for the wrong that was committed but ultimately, God doesn't outright punish us. he accepts the punishment that Christ took on our behalf as his payment. it's the core reason why arguing that evil and suffering are a result of God is such a feeble argument.

S: makes sense. thanks for the discussion!

N: no problem. i really hope that helped. God bless!

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I hope this helps somebody.

T is for Turn

Being reconciled to God along His plan of salvation means that at some point one must make a change.  In other words, you must eventually turn away from the habitual failures of the past to embrace a forgiving future life endowed by the Father.  Unless this turning to God takes place, there is no salvation.  A commonly used word for this act of turning to God is “repent”.

I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish – Luke 13:3

To turn to God is to embrace the realization that you need His forgiveness, you recognize it is available; you know it is impossible apart from Him, and you are desiring a new life.  I find it incredibly humbling that something with such far reaching affects can be accomplished with such ease.  One need only do as described in Romans 10:9 to find salvation.

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. – Romans 10:9

Turning means to walk away from sin, and selfishness, to embrace Christ alone.

I is for Impossible

Sin separates man from God.  You need only to go back and read the third chapter of Genesis for the sad account of Adam and Eve and their failures in the Garden.  As a result of their actions God forever removes them from his presence.  A condition we all face prior to salvation is our eternal separation from God.

As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one” – Romans 3:10

It is impossible for God to allow sin into heaven.  God is loving and just, his judgment is against sin, and we are all sinners.  How then can a sinful person enter heaven, when God allows no sin?

Mercy triumphs over judgment. – James 2:13

Just as we are inclined to communicate the necessity of forgiveness and it’s availability; it is also of upmost importance that we realize access to God is impossible apart from God’s own means.

A is for Available

Just as the first talking point in the “plan of salvation” is forgiveness, or helping someone to realize their need for it, the second is the availability of forgiveness to any who come to God seeking it.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16

Most of us are incredibly familiar with this oft-quoted passage, but a key component of salvation that often goes overlooked is that it does require something on our part.

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 7:21

Forgiveness is available for all, but it is not automatic.  It requires acknowledging our need for God, accepting the forgiveness that is available, and submitting to God’s will for our lives.

F is for FORGIVENESS

So often Christians desire to share their faith with people, but aren’t really sure what to say.  Sometimes an authentic God-centered lifestyle really is enough to spark conversation about faith, and sometimes it takes words, but at some point it will always lead to discussing what is commonly referred to as the “plan of salvation.”

I’m going to spend the next few posts looking at an acronym for faith I came across while studying several years ago.  Yes, it is cheesy, as all good acronyms typically are, but its principles are superb.  It is essentially your primary talking points when discussing salvation with someone unfamiliar to this concept.

F is for FORGIVENESS.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. – Ephesians 1:7

Each of us needs forgiveness in our lives.  Your failures and moral misgivings are your own.  No one else can vouch for them, well no one amongst your normal social circles.  The fact of the matter is that we are, all of us, in desperate need of reconnection with the Father.  This is only achieved through forgiveness, which in turn only comes through Christ.

The first point of communication then is in helping someone understand their need for God.  Until they realize this, there is no moving forward.