"I Will Go To My Father"
by Joe R. Price
January 4, 2009

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! ‘I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ (Luke 15:17-19)

What poignant and powerful words! Every one – because we have violated God’s will – is a sinner (1 Jno. 3:4; Rom. 3:23). As such, we have either been forgiven in Christ, or our sin remains a barrier that separates us from God (Isa. 59:1-2). The gospel of Christ reveals the remedy for our sins and the conditions upon which God’s grace and mercy will be received (Rom. 1:16; 5:8-10; 6:15-18; Mk. 16:15-16).

But, every sinner must be convinced that he needs a Savior before he will obey the gospel and be saved from his sins (1 Tim. 4:10). Yes, Jesus died for all men. His sacrificial death is sufficient to redeem the sinner from spiritual death. But the sinner must also want to be saved. He must come to the Savior to find rest (Matt. 10:28-30). Like the prodigal, the sinner must go to the Father.

The words of the prodigal son teach us the attitude of heart the sinner needs in order to be forgiven of sins. When these attitudes are coupled with obedience to God’s plan of salvation, His terms of pardon, one is assured of having God’s forgiveness. We cannot go to the Father and receive His forgiveness without both the proper attitudes and the proper actions.

Like the prodigal, the sinner must be convicted of his sins. He must be convinced he is a sinner. The wasteful son “came to himself,” implying he came to full recognition that his conduct had been reprehensible (Lk. 15:17). Finally, he felt the full weight of his sin (cf. Psa. 51:3). Only when the sinner is overwhelmed with the burden of sin will he go to the Father seeking forgiveness on the Father’s terms (instead of his own). Acts 2:37 represents such a group of sinners. Being convinced by the gospel that they had murdered their Messiah, they cried out in an anguished appeal, “What shall we do?” The inspired apostle told them to repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins (v. 38). The reaction the sinner has today toward his sins must be the same. To be convicted of one’s sin is a sobering and humbling moment for the person who wants to live with God’s approval rather than die in the darkness of sin. For that person, it is a crucial step on the path to the Father.

Like the prodigal, the sinner must know who his sin is against (Lk. 15:18). Ultimately, all sin is against God (Psa. 51:4). Although the prodigal’s father had not personally seen his wasteful conduct, the son realized that his actions were “before” him (or, “in his sight”, ASV). We would do well to always remember that God sees all our actions and knows all of our thoughts (Heb. 4:13). To obtain forgiveness from God, the sinner (like the prodigal son) must willingly admit and acknowledge that his sin is against the God of heaven. Without such godly sorrow there can be no repentance (2 Cor. 7:10). Only the contrite heart will make the journey back to the Father; only the contrite heart will find a merciful reception (Psa. 51:17; Isa. 66:2).
The prodigal approached his father in utter humility (Lk. 15:19). Truly, it is only the humble of heart that will come to God confessing sin and pleading for mercy. The tax collector of Luke 18:13 aptly shows this principle in his life. If one has a problem with admitting his sin he also has a problem with pride. Remember, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Jas. 4:6).

When we sin against God we must determine, along with the prodigal son, to “go to (our) Father.” Like the prodigal’s father, our heavenly Father is longsuffering, merciful and forgiving (Lk. 15:22-24; 2 Pet. 3:9; Rom. 2:4). Our heavenly Father teaches us how to come to Him in order to be forgiven of our sins. The gospel of Christ teaches sinners what to do to be saved: hear the gospel, believe in Jesus as the Christ, confess my faith in Christ, repent of my sins and be baptized into Christ for the remission of sins, and then live a faithful life in service to Christ (Jno. 6:45; 8:24; Rom. 10:9-10; Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; Rev. 2:10). Christians who sin are called on to repent and pray in order to be forgiven (Acts 8:22-24; 1 Jno. 1:9). For the sake of your soul’s salvation, come to yourself and go to the Father. He will forgive you.
“…for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” (Luke 15:24)

The Sin of Ingratitude
by: Joe R. Price

The Christian’s life should be abounding in thanksgiving unto God (Col. 2:7). We, above all people, should live thankful lives, having obtained the unsearchable riches of Christ through obeying His gospel (Eph. 3:8). Every spiritual blessing is ours and, consequently, thanksgiving ought to be a continuous part of who we are and what we do (Eph. 1:3; 5:3-4). Our every prayer and our every action should portray gratitude to our loving and gracious Father and His Beloved Son (Eph. 5:20).

But sadly, the sin of ingratitude can and does affect the children of God. Like spoiled children who expect to have things “our way,” we forget that every good gift comes from our heavenly Father (Jas. 1:17). We begin thinking and living as if God is obliged to answer our prayers, to shower us with our every desire, and to grant us heaven as if it were our due. Like Israel who forgot that Jehovah had brought them out of Egyptian bondage, we are tempted to say, “My power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth” (Deut. 8:11-20). (If you think this overstates the case, when was the last time you prayed a simple prayer of thanks before eating your food?) How deluded we become!

The story of the ten lepers who were healed by Jesus with only one returning to thank Him (and that, a Samaritan) should remind us how important it is to be gratitude to God (Lk. 17:11-19). The Lord’s mercy was shown to all ten lepers, but nine of them were so consumed with themselves and their newfound health that they entirely failed to honor the One who healed them. They had pleaded to Jesus as “Master” to be healed (v. 13), yet only one showed his faith in Jesus by returning to thank Him with worshipful praise (v. 15-19).

Like the Samaritan, we should “glorify God” and give Him our continual thanks for the mercy He has shown us in healing us from our sins. Such thanksgiving is an expression of our faith (Lk. 17:19; Psa. 96:1-3, 7-9).

What better time than today to renew your resolve to be more thankful to God each day? When did you last give thanks to the Lord?

“At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, because of Your righteous judgments.” (Psalms 119:62)

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