Neither son loved the father for himself. They both were using the father for their own self-centered ends rather than loving, enjoying, and serving him for his own sake. This means that you can rebel against God and be alienated from him either by breaking his rules or by keeping all of them diligently. It 's a shocking message: Careful obedience to God's law may serve as a strategy for rebelling against God .
Timothy KellerThe Bibleโs purpose is not so much to show you how to live a good life. The Bibleโs purpose is to show you how Godโs grace breaks into your life against your will and saves you from the sin and brokenness otherwise you would never be able to overcomeโฆ religion is โif you obey, then you will be acceptedโ. But the Gospel is, โif you are absolutely accepted, and sure youโre accepted, only then will you ever begin to obeyโ. Those are two utterly different things. Every page of the Bible shows the difference.
Timothy KellerLegalistic remorse says, "I broke God's rules," while real repentance says, "I broke God's heart."
Timothy KellerEvery one of our sinful actions has a suicidal power on the faculties that put that action forth. When you sin with the mind, that sin shrivels the rationality. When you sin with the heart or the emotions, that sin shrivels the emotions. When you sin with the will, that sin destroys and dissolves your willpower and your self-control. Sin is the suicidal action of the self against itself. Sin destroys freedom because sin is an enslaving power.
Timothy Keller