Bringing A Sinner To Repentance - Luke 15:11-32 Series

Luke 15:11 Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. 13 "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20 So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate. 25 "Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' 28 "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' 31 "'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'"

Introduction: The Basis for Forgiveness

If you do a search online for the idea of unconditional forgiveness you will discover something that may come as a surprise. The sources that promote the idea of unconditional forgiveness tend to be new age sources, or secular psychology sources, or Christian counseling sources that integrate psychology with the Bible – sources that have a high view of human wisdom. But if you look at sources that are more committed to the sufficiency of Scripture, they tend to be against the idea of unconditional forgiveness. Does that strike you as odd? It seems odd because unconditional forgiveness seems like a higher moral standard than conditional forgiveness. Those who are willing to forgive unconditionally seem to be more gracious, more kind, more benevolent than those who require repentance.

Is that really the way it is? Are the people who forgive automatically and unconditionally more gracious and more benevolent than those who require repentance? If so, then those people are more gracious and loving and benevolent than God, since he also requires repentance. Hopefully, we all understand that nobody is more gracious and kind than God, which means that conditional forgiveness is kinder and more benevolent than unconditional forgiveness. Telling people, “You have to repent first, otherwise I won’t forgive you” – is more loving and kind than saying, “I’ll automatically forgive you even if you don’t repent.” And the reason for that is very simple – saying “I forgive you” when there is no repentance leaves the person in the disaster of his sin. And on top of that, it is a lie. “I forgive you” means “the relationship is healed.” But if they are continuing in their sin it is not healed. It is like giving morphine to someone with a compound fracture and telling them that their leg is healed. That is a lie – it is not healed. And if you say, “I refuse to tell the person his leg is healed until it actually is healed,” that is not unloving. What is unloving is telling the person a lie.