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God in Search of Man

By Jeremy Myers
4 Comments

God in Search of Man

I am really excited about the podcast I am publishing this Thursday. We will be looking at Genesis 3:8-10 which is where Adam and Eve hide from God after eating fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

If you haven’t been listening to my podcast, make sure you don’t miss this one. It reveals something crucial about God. Something you don’t want to miss. Go subscribe now, and you will get it automatically on Thursday…

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Among other things, I talk about how God calls out in Genesis 3:10, “Adam, where are you?”

This is the question of God throughout all of human history.

Lots of people say that the Bible is an account of man in search of God. I see it differently. I see it as an account of God in search of man.

God did not leave us. We left Him. The division that exists between God and man is completely one-sided (our side). We abandoned Him; He did not abandon us.

god in search of manThe death of Jesus on the cross was not to reconcile an angry God to sinful and rebellious humanity. No, the death of Jesus on the cross was completely one-sided; it was to reconcile a fearful humanity to a loving God. God was in Jesus reconciling the world to Himself (2 Cor 5:19); not the other way around.

Scripture is about what God is doing to rebuild that relationship and reconnect with us.

One of the other places we see this is in Luke 15, with the story of the shepherd who goes in search for a lost sheep, a woman who upends her house searching for a lost coin, and loving father who pines away looking down the road for his lost son (and when he sees his son returning from a long way off, he runs to meet him).

I also believe, by the way, that the Prodigal Son is Adam (and all of us in Adam). When the younger son goes and asks his father for his inheritance, this is Adam eating the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. I believe that the wisdom that came from that tree is something God wanted to slowly impart to humanity over time in the midst of their relationship. But Adam took a short cut. He wanted the wisdom “Now” just like the Prodigal Son wanted his inheritance “Now.”

Anyway, if you haven’t subscribed to the Podcast yet, this would be a great time! Or if you have subscribed, but have missed several episodes, this would be a great time to pick it back up.

Someone who has been listening their way through the episodes recently emailed me and said that the podcast was “Genesis in a way I have NEVER heard it before!” That’s a good way of describing it. I enjoy teaching it, and I know you will enjoy learning along with me.

That might be an overstatement. Not all people enjoy my podcast. But even if you don’t enjoy it, at least you will be challenged …

Anyway, what do you think of this idea about God in search of man. It is not that He “lost” us. He knows right where we are, just as He knew right where Adam was. But God plays Hide and Seek in the Garden with Adam just as He plays Hide and Seek with us in our lives.

Why?

You’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out…

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God is Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: 2 Corinthians 5:19, anger, death of Jesus, Genesis 3:8-10, love of God, Luke 15, One Verse Podcast, prodigal son, sin, wrath

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What is the meaning of Luke 15 and the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, and Prodigal Son?

By Jeremy Myers
25 Comments

What is the meaning of Luke 15 and the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, and Prodigal Son?

Parables of Luke 15 Lost SheepIn Luke 15, there are three famous parables: The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, and The Lost Son (also known as The Prodigal Son). (Read my post here about the Prodigal Son).

The most common view on these parables in Luke 15 it that the lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son all refers to unbelievers, and Jesus goes out and finds them, and brings them back to Himself. So when people ask about the meaning of Luke 15 and the three parables, the answer that most people get is that unbelievers are becoming Christians.

But is this really what Jesus meant by these stories in Luke 15? I think not.

The Lost Sheep are Not Unbelievers, but Believers

Upon careful inspection, however, it soon becomes clear that the parables of the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, and Prodigal Son in Luke 15 are not about unbelievers becoming Christians, but about straying Christians repenting and being restored back into fellowship with God.

For example, the Lost sheep already belonged the shepherd. The Lost Coin already belonged to the woman. The Lost Son was already a son of the father. The Shepherd does not get a NEW sheep into his sheep fold, but returns one that was lost and found. The same is true of the Lost Coin and Lost Son.

Furthermore, the Gospel of Luke itself is not an evangelistic book in the Bible, but is a discipleship book. That is, Luke does not say much of anything in his Gospel about how unbelievers can receive eternal life. But he writes a lot about how believers can better follow Jesus and grow in their faithfulness and obedience to Him. The Gospel of John is the only real evangelistic book in the Bible, and it says over and over and over how to receive eternal life (believe in Jesus for it).

So again, the immediate and broader context of Luke 15, we see that the issue is not unbelievers becoming believers, but straying believers being brought back into the care, protection, and provision of God. In light of the context and the terms uses in the passage, this seems to be what Jesus is saying in these parables.

Furthermore, the traditional interpretation of this passage leads to some dangerous theological results.

The Traditional View of Luke 15 Can Lead to Universalism

Parables of Luke 15 Lost sonFor example, if these three parables are talking about how Jesus goes out to find unsaved people, and the lost sheep, coins, and sons therefore represent all the people of the world, what is keeping us from a universalist interpretation of this passage, since Jesus doesn’t stop searching until he has gathered all 100 back into his fold?

I recently discussed this online with a person who had come to this exact conclusion. He wrote:

I’m living for the Shepherd who will leave ninety-nine sheep to find the one that is lost. If the entire world was lost, I expect He found every last one.

Certainly, not everyone who holds the view that the lost in these parables in Luke 15 refer to unbelievers are universalists, but this man did arrive at a universalist position partly as a result of viewing the lost sheep, the coins, and the sons as unbelievers.

Luke 15 is an Encouragement to You

This truth from Luke 15 is a great encouragement to you and to me. It shows us how much God loves us, and that even if (when!) we stray, God will not shrug His shoulders and say “Good riddance! Buh bye!” No, instead, God will go to every length possible to find you and bring you back into His care. He will search high and low. He will scour every nook and cranny. He will never stop watching, waiting, and looking.

And when He sees you far off in the distance, He will not make you crawl back and beg for forgiveness. No, He will run to you with open arms and throw you a party for your return.

Have you stayed from God? It’s okay. Hopefully you have learned a few things while away. Now, return to Him. He is ready, willing, and waiting to welcome you back.

The Gospel According to ScriptureWant to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

God is Redeeming Scripture Bible & Theology Topics: Discipleship, evangelism, lost coin, lost sheep, Luke 15, prodigal son, universalim

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