Luke 15:11-32

The prodigal son here turned his heart around and went back to God. What was the result?

It’s written, “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” As you can see here, all that the prodigal son did was just turn his heart around. Having led such a wasteful life out in this world and squandering all his possessions, all that he had was his heart’s desire to go to God, and he had no face before his father.

But how did this father receive the son? Even though the son returned in tatters just the way he was when he was surviving on the pods of the swine, the father had compassion on him, ran out to him, and embraced and kissed him. The father had been waiting for his departed son day and night. On this day also, he had kept all the gates of the house open, lit the light, and was waiting for the son that had left him. “The sun is setting, but my son hasn’t returned today either. I wonder if he has any food to eat. By now he should have no possessions left and he should be returning now. He should return as soon as possible. Why is he then still not here? My son, how can you not understand my heart?”

However, the father began to see something. Far away, he saw something dark, and as soon as he saw it he recognized that it was his son. Even though the son was still far away, he ran to him, embraced him in his arms and kissed him. When you meet someone whom you’ve been missing for so long, manners are thrown out the window. You’d be overwhelmed with joy at seeing him. The prodigal son lowered his head in shame.

“What took you so long? How much you have suffered!” The father kissed the son and embraced him. How could the father have done this if he had no genuine love for his son? The father could receive him with so much joy like this because he loved him so much and he had yearned for his return.

My fellow believers, even though we are too ashamed to return to God and we have nothing, still, we were made in the likeness of the image of God. Strictly speaking, this means that all of us are God’s sons and daughters. Even though we have no possessions, we should at least turn our hearts around and return to God. Then far from rebuking us, God will have compassion and mercy on us, embrace us, and take care of us completely.

Yet many people still do not think so even to this day. They say, “I’ve committed too many sins to return to God. I smoke and drink, and so I can’t return to God.” But the truth is different. So long as we turn our hearts back to God, all of us can return to Him at any time.

The pods of the swine that the prodigal son ate here refer to the teachings of the religions of this world. They are worthless as food, and they can’t fill anyone’s stomach. We have to grasp clearly that the religions of this world are completely worthless just like these pods. Think about it. What has anyone ever gained from religion? All that’s gained from religion is just one’s own feelings, emotion, and virtue. The gist of its teachings is merely to lead a virtuous, good, and upright life. This is all that’s gained from religion.

But can we really live so virtuously according to such religious teachings? Fundamentally speaking, everyone’s heart is filled with piles of sins that were inherited. Everyone’s heart is plagued by lustful, murderous, adulterous, and covetous desires. The longer one lives in the world, the more such desires are exposed from him. Therefore, our seed is such that we can never live virtuously no matter how we are taught to do so by any religion."

So, what must we do to be saved from all our sins? We must believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that God gave us. ????

"All Christians must believe in Jesus` baptism, His death on the Cross, and His resurrection. You must believe that when Jesus was baptized, all your sins were passed onto Him. Jesus shouldered all the sins of the world, including even all your future sins that you will ever commit until the day you die, and was crucified and died on the Cross for you. This is what you must believe. It is by faith that we are not overcome by the flesh, nor perish for it, but instead are saved."

Paul C Jong