Jesus’ most famous parable, the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32, is really a story about two sons, the younger and the older (v.11). The younger son had enough of life at home. He did the same dreary chores every day and saw the same old things every day. Worse, the rules and…

After Jesus declared to the multitudes the high cost of discipleship, that to “come after” him meant nothing less than hating one’s very life and bearing the cross, he said: “He who has ears to hear to hear, let him hear” (Luke 14:25-33). Soon after Luke tells that “the tax collectors and sinners were all…

Salvation is both free and costly. As a gift of God’s unmerited favor, redemption is wholly free. By no amount of good works or religious activity can we earn the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Salvation in Christ comes by faith alone, apart from human effort. “The free gift of God is eternal life…