Apostolic Friends Forum - Correct thinking.

The Big Picture

Story of the prodigal son is my story of faith

Loren A. Yadon - Idaho Statesman Edition Date: 02/02/08

If the Bible gives us the overview of the origins of life, then I am not an animal, the result of some mutation over time. If Genesis 1-2 is accurate, then I am the deliberate, personal creation of God. Then, in the words of King David (Psalm 139:13-14), all subsequent humans are personally crafted in our mother's womb by the Creator and given our own DNA and fingerprint.

Through His creative processes, God determines my gender, and gives me a reason to live. I would then bear God's image, possess a peculiar eternal aspect called the "soul," which allows me the potential to have an intimate relationship with Him.

If all those things are true, then I have immense worth. I am "fearfully and wonderfully made," and should see my life (and body) as a gift from God, a stewardship that I must treat with respect and accountability.
If I hold that view of my origin, then I am obligated to treat other human beings, regardless of their age, gender or race, with the utmost respect. They do not exist as disposable commodities created to achieve my purposes. They are fellow travelers trusted with the same gift of life.

If Genesis 3 tells of how evil was injected into the creation, then I no longer blame God for the problems in the world.

If I believe this biblical account, then I understand how the first couple misappropriated the divine gift of choice to experiment in their pursuit of selfishness. Then I understand how I have inherited a native rebellion from any sense of accountability toward God. Then I see sorrow, disease, pain and death as a result of such a quest.

No wonder the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11) is my favorite story in the Bible. It is my story. My spiritual poverty is the result of my insistence on doing my "own thing." It is the summation of a misspent life. It also reveals the gracious heart of my heavenly Father, whose love gave me the freedom to fail and waits for me to return.

If Genesis 3 is correct, then I understand how sin separated dishonored people from their holy Creator. The human soul was so contaminated with pride, selfishness and rebellion that God could not allow the first couple to remain in paradise. Love drove them from Eden, lest they would eat of the "Tree of Life" and remain corrupted forever.

Biblical history detailed the inability of people to restore intimacy with God. No amount of good deeds could atone for the transgression, because the prophet Isaiah said (64:6) the best deeds are stained with arrogance and ulterior motives.

The Creator took the responsibility and initiative for restoration of fellowship. If mankind was worth restoring, God would have to do it. Throughout the Scripture, redemptive history developed the hope of heaven's answer in the person of the Savior-Messiah.

I believe Jesus was the promised Son of God. The Savior could not share my tainted heritage, but yet he must come into the sewage of my sins in order to clean me up and restore the nobility he desired me to possess.

If Jesus was the Savior, then his birth is love's greatest story. He came as a baby to be held close. His life and teachings then become a revelation of the heart of God. His rejection and death underscored the depth of the human rebellion against God.

But on the other hand, at his cross I see God's incredible love and my immense worth. He did not die to save animals or angels, but he gave His life to save people - like this ornery little preacher's kid from Parma.

By his resurrection, Jesus destroyed despair and gave me hope, not only while I live, but also eternal fellowship with my Creator after death.

I have dedicated my life to all these principles. By faith, I have accepted Jesus' death as atonement for my sins. The freedom of forgiveness rests totally in the grace of God, who loved me so much that he sent His only begotten Son into my mess - so I might live free from the bondage of my own native waywardness.

So, upon a life I did not live and a death I did not die, I rest my destiny!

Loren A. Yadon is pastor of New Life Fellowship of Boise.

http://newlife-boise.org/