The Prodigal God
Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
by Timothy Keller
Summary
This short but profound book presents the gospel message through the parable of the prodigal son. There are two ways that we tend to rebel against God, either as younger sons who go our own way of reckless living or as older sons who work hard and follow rules for selfish reasons. While it’s easy to recognize the symptoms of lostness in the younger brother, we can see that the older brother’s lostness shows up as competition, criticism, and unforgiveness. Yet, God welcomes both sons back. And Jesus, the True Elder Brother, pays the price that makes it possible. When we look at the what Jesus did for us, we are transformed. All of life then becomes a response to His love.
Author’s Website
The Prodigal God - Book by Timothy Keller
Favorite Quotes
“Each one, in other words, rebelled—but one did so by being very bad and the other by being extremely good.”
“Jesus does not put a true elder brother in the story, one who is willing to pay any cost to seek and save that which is lost. It is heartbreaking. The younger son gets a Pharisee for a brother instead. But we do not. By putting a flawed elder brother in the story, Jesus is inviting us to imagine and yearn for a true one.”
“We will never stop being younger brothers or elder brothers until we acknowledge our need, rest by faith, and gaze in wonder at the work of our true elder brother, Jesus Christ.”
