Welcome Home

The music video below was produced by some good 'ol Kansas boys. I saw it today and loved the simplicity and comfort of its message. The Almighty God is such a perfect Father. :)

Home is where we (if we follow Christ) belong, and home is safely in the Father's arms and under His roof.

To quote someone whose name I no longer remember: "There is a trend today that would put a new robe on the prodigal son while he is still feeding hogs. Some would put the ring on his finger while he is still in the pigsty. Others would paint the pigsty and advocate bigger and better hog pens."

Call it liberalism, the Emergent church, spiritual welfare or whatever, this kind of thinking is patently wrong. The prodigal doesn't need the new clothes, the ring or paint on the pigsty - the prodigal needs to be home, and that is where (and I'll just pick two camps here) political liberalism and Emergent "theology" miss the mark. They would forego the need for repentance and rescue and move right to the showering of affection, all in the name of "love" and "compassion." Well, that is not love, my friend.

What father worth his salt would see his son wallowing in destructive sinfulness and be satisfied? So satisfied that he gives him a new set of clothes and leaves him there? A real father longs to see his son (or daughter - excuse me) rescued from the things that harm them. A real father prays for, calls out to and waits for his stray children to come home.

The prodigal would have been content and relieved to just be home again - he didn't need the cloak, the ring and the welcome back party. Those were just gifts of grace. The Scriptural formula is repentance and then rest, not the other way around. Any "theology" or philosophy that handicaps people (souls) with welfare, spiritual or otherwise, opposes the Gospel.

Now, this is not to say that salvation is worked for; it has always been by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone as proscribed in Scripture alone for the glory of God alone. It is God's pursuit of us and His quickening of our darkened hearts that births faith in us and brings us "home" to Him. No amount of "goodies" showered on the sinner will make things right with his or her soul.

Wow! How did this little post end up so long? If you've read this far, congratulations!