Just as Lost, Just not as Obvious

Today I read "The Prodigal God" by Timothy Keller. I was walking through the local Borders the other day, mournfully lamenting the fact that it's going out of business while simultaneously and (non-hypocritically! haha) looking for some sweet deals. I saw "The Prodigal God" on a 20% off rack-the paperback was $14. I almost got it at that point but later found a copy of the hardcover in the bargain bin for $3! I HAD to get it at that point.

Keller is an author that I've heard nothing but good things about, but also one that I'd never really gotten around to reading. I went in with a bit of a critical (in a good way) view, wanting to see if he lived up to the reputation that he'd picked up in my subconscious as some sort of 21st Century C.S. Lewis.

In "The Prodigal God," Keller more than lived up to his reputation: his communication was clear, authoritative, Biblical, and-more than anything else-convicting. As he took Jesus' familiar parable about the Prodigal Son and explained it in a way that gave equal importance to EVERY character in the story (not just the wayward son), I found myself challenged and humbled.

One of his main points that contributed to this conviction was the assertion that, while the younger son was lost in his worldliness, the older son was just as lost in his own self-righteousness. I had never quite considered it this way, but, as Keller explains:

What must we do, then, to be saved? To find God we must repent of the things we have done wrong, but...to truly become Christians we must also repent of the reasons we ever did anything right. Pharisees only repent of their sins, but Christians repent for the very roots of their righteousness, too. We must learn how to repent of the sin UNDER all our other sins AND under all our righteousness--the sin of seeking to be our own Savior and Lord.

Our own attempts at righteousness, when they become a substitute for Christ's grace, can be just as much a sin as the vices that we can so easily and obviously identify as sins. They are not always as easy to identify as such, though. Thanks to Mr. Keller, I now am awakened a bit to the need to watch for them more closely. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, no matter (or maybe especially because of) how familiar they think they are with the parable Keller addresses.