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Commentary on "The Prodigal's New Clothes"
Day 5: Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - The Best Robe
Overview
Quotation #1: “As we saw, the son himself had to make the decision to return. There was no compulsion on his father’s part. God forces no one to be obedient…”
Quotation #2: “Sure, the confession was fine, and it probably did the son more good than the father, but at that point the son’s actions spoke louder than his words.” (Teacher’s Quarterly, Page 120)
Problems
The two quotations above are separated by only a couple of paragraphs on Page 120, but they are miles apart theologically.
Absolutely, yes. The son needed to make a decision. This is a strong confirmation of Sunday’s lesson in the context of free will.
Absolutely, no. The son’s actions did not speak louder than his words. The emphasis in this part of the parable is not the son’s actions but the father’s actions.
If quotation #1 is true, then #2 cannot be true. If obedience is not forced, then actions cannot be required to speak louder than words. As all of us have experienced in our own lives, many times our very best actions are little more than lies intended to deceive ourselves or someone else. We never can trust actions, and this is why the focus is on the father’s action rather than the son’s.
This is the point of the very appropriate pointer to Romans 5:12-21 in the quarterly. Sin and death entered our world through one man – Adam. Forgiveness was provided and eternal, spiritual life was restored through one God/man – Jesus. We don’t need to do anything, except be born, to inherit Adam’s legacy. We don’t need to do anything, except be born again, to inherit Jesus’ legacy. This is wholly a spiritual transaction. As we mature in the Spirit we expect to improve our fleshly selves, but we always will be disappointed. The flesh remains at war with the Spirit throughout our lives, but we can learn to walk by faith in what the Spirit teaches us and asks of us. Any so-called obedience apart from this faith relationship is no obedience at all; it is idolatry and self-deception.
This is why the finality of the cross is so critical to salvation. All of sin must have been dealt with once and for all. Anything less than total victory on Jesus’ part would mean two horrible things: 1) Jesus was less, far less, than He claimed to be, and 2) we are doomed, because sin would preclude the indwelling Holy Spirit.
There is no more forgiveness to be provided for us, else Jesus would need to die again, and He won’t be doing that (see Hebrews 9:26-28).
This point is made in the quarterly:
“This shows, among other things, that the restoration, at least between the father and the son, was at that moment complete.” And then it is taken away in the same paragraph: “The prodigal had repented, confessed, and turned from his ways. The father supplied the rest.” (Teacher’s Quarterly, Page 120)
This most assuredly is not a symbol of salvation. You and I have nothing to do with salvation other than to accept the gift offered to us in Jesus. Being born again is the symbol of salvation.
This is a wonderful picture of the father restoring his son to proper relationship, and this is something our Father does all the time. In fact, as far as He is concerned, we never are out of relationship with Him – remember that the son remained a son throughout the entire sorry episode. The point of restoration is to fix the guilt we feel (see Colossians 1:21-22). Initially this is done through new birth. Throughout the rest of our lives this is accomplished from the inside-out by the Spirit erasing, yet again, the accusations of Satan against us. God never is the source of guilt.
So, Wednesday’s lesson represents the cognitive dissonance I referred to earlier. It is an example of the carrot-and-stick belief system. God loves you and calls you into relationship with Himself, but if you mess up you’d better straighten up and fly right or He’ll throw you out with the rest of the garbage. This belief system is about earning a reprieve, not about salvation.
This is rescued somewhat by the thought section at the very end of the day’s lesson. Indeed, God never says, “I told you so.” This is why we are called, as His children, to forgive others as He has already forgiven us (see Ephesians 4:32).
Summary
- Praise God every moment of you day that He has clothed you with His righteousness in Christ. He asked nothing of you other than to accept this gift, and once you accept it He never will take it away.
- This is why coming to a strong conclusion regarding the finality of the cross is so critical to salvation. Forgiveness is necessary, but not sufficient to salvation, and it was provided at the cross. Pause at the cross to consider Jesus’ sacrifice, and then proceed to the empty tomb to ponder, in breathless joy, the eternal life that is yours in Him.
- Do not give in to the human tendency to require a performance proof of repentance. This is an example of carrot-and-stick theology and will result in disappointment, guilt and failure – all of which is heaped upon you by Satan, not Jesus.
Copyright 2011 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised May 9, 2011. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Glendale, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.
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