An excerpt from the text:

The Prodigal Son leaves home and squanders his inheritance in riotous living. His elder brother stays home and works hard. When the prodigal returns and is restored to his father, the elder brother becomes petty, jealous, bitter, and resentful. Despite their different paths into carnality, their sins cannot remove them from the circumstances of their birth. Once a son, always a son!

As a “born again” believer, whether you sin like the prodigal or like the elder brother, you remain a permanent member of the family of God, but you lose your temporal fellowship with God. To remedy this rift, God has provided a simple, grace procedure–rebound–so that your postsalvation sins are forgiven and you can recover fellowship and move on in the Christian life.

Jesus taught the parable of the prodigal son to an audience of self-righteous legalists who reviled the profligate prodigal and praised the holier-than-thou, elder brother. Yet, they entirely missed the message! Everyone who believes in Christ by faith alone is a permanent son of God. Once a family member, any believer can reclaim his Christian life from carnality and be restored to fellowship with God.

本文摘录:

浪子离开家庭、过着放荡的生活、并且挥霍了他的遗产。而他的长兄留在家里辛勤工作。当浪子回头与父亲重建关系的时候、长兄变得小气、妒忌、痛苦、和愤恨。不管他们以不同的路径进入属肉体的状态、他们的罪过不能够从他们出生的环境去除他们、一旦是儿子、永远是儿子!

身为一个「再生」 的信徒、不管你犯的罪与浪子或长兄的相似、你保持为神家庭中永久的成员、但是你失去了与神暂时的关系。要矫正这个裂缝、神已经供应了一个简单、仁慈的步骤–反弹–以便在你得救之后所犯的罪得到赦免、而且你可以与神回复相交、在基督徒的生命里继续前进。

耶稣向自以为是、墨守法规的听众教导浪子的寓言; 他们斥责放荡的浪子而称赞自以为人格至上的长兄。然而、他们完全错过了那个讯息! 每个独自借着信心相信基督的人都是神永久的儿子。一旦是家庭的一份子、任何的信徒都能从属肉体的状态中纠正他基督徒的生命、与神恢复相交。