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 KellerIn every other religion the indicative flows from the imperative. Which means, ‘because I do, therefore I am... because I do this, therefore I’m a child of God.’ But only in Christianity does the imperative flow from the indicative. ‘Because I am in Christ all these things, therefore I obey.’ Exactly the opposite.
Timothy KellerThe Gospel is news of what God has done to reach us. It is not advice about what we must do to reach God.
Timothy KellerWe have to be careful not to elevate our preferences to moral standards and judge others by them. We only do so to feel superior.
Timothy Keller