So the parable of the prodigal son is always given to show God's acceptance of repentant sinners. Many similar stories (from the Bible or church history) are told of people who lived in sin their entire life and one day some life-changing event happens and they become saints. But this narrative is so silly because the vast majority of people don't change overnight, and certainly not without a good motive.
What if the prodigal son after returning to the father gets bored and decides to sell the ring and all the other expensive stuff his dad gave him, and makes enough cash to leave his father again?
Say he makes the same bad investments as before and ends up broke again then he goes back to his father saying the same words: "I have sinned before heaven and thee, no longer worthy to be your son, make me one of your hired servants". Would the father accept him again this time? Would he kick him out? Or would he take him up on the offer and make him a servant (teach him a lesson sort of speak)?
If the father accepts him again as a son, what is to prevent the son from staying again for a few days then leaving a third, fourth, fifth time, etc... Clearly he can enjoy the best of both worlds: his father's wealth and the company of his bad friends. Aside from any emotional bond he may have with his father (which he clearly didn't have to begin with), why wouldn't he keep going back and fourth as long as he says "sorry daddy" every time he comes back?
If you haven't understood the point of this question by now, what I am asking is:
- Is God's acceptance of sinners who repent and confess their sins endless (ie will he continue to forgive repeat offenders until they die?)
- If the answer is yes, why wouldn't any self-serving rational person take advantage of this by enjoying the pleasures of sin as long as they say sorry after (which is what repentance essentially is)?
Important Note: I am saying that any self-serving person "would" take advantage of this system but I am not saying that they "should". Self-serving behavior is something we all do whether we like to admit it or not (ex: hiding the good deeds we do on earth so that we get a reward in heaven); a self-serving prodigal son would likely take advantage of his father if there are no consequences. However that doesn't make it morally correct.
Comments
“Peace & Grace,
Yes, God's acceptance of sinners who repent and confess their sins is endless. He is willing to continue to forgive repeat offenders until they die. However, just saying, "sorry," is not repentance, as John the Baptist said, one must also "bear fruits worthy of repentance" (Matthew 3:8). Thus, in this case, God will not accept, “sorry,” from him, if this sinner is not bearing fruits befitting repentance. Sin is in our human nature. There is a vast difference between a sinner that wallows in sin and rejects the Holy Spirit urging repentance. This is blasphemy and the only unforgiveable sin. “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men" (Matthew 12:31). Repentance is a way of life. It is a daily struggle. All of us as penitents have some days in better strides combatting sins by God's grace than other days. However, our sins must always before our eyes so that we strive to further ourselves from complacency and arrogance. The prophet David says, "For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me" (Psalm 51:3). The Church included this psalm in our daily hourly prayers as well as in liturgical prayers because we should be like David in his desire to repent wholeheartedly. We are all sinners, but we must be determined to cease the sins that entrap us, so that we can grow in virtue. Should one fall in the same sin after he repented, he must rise remorsefully, yet hopeful in God's endless mercies and compassion, as the prophet Micah says, "Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me" (Micah 7:8). The point that you are missing is a very important one, and that is the struggle. The scenarios you mentioned describe opportunists just trying to get away with their transgressions and only half-heartedly repent for selfish gain, need, and greed, but not out of remorse for offending God or hurting a fellow man. This is not repentance. Repentance is a process. St. Mary of Egypt (AD 421) had prostituted herself for seventeen years, then began a life of repentance struggling with her passions and previous life of fornication for many years while she lived in the desert, until she overcame those terrors (Synaxarion). There is a crown for struggling against sin and a crown for overcoming sin. The need to repent could be instantaneous like St. Paul, St. Moses the Strong, St. Paesa, and many others. However, the process and life of repentance needs guidance and healing. Notice in the biographies of many of these penitent saints that God provided a spiritual leader to guide them from a horrid life of bondage in sin to a life abundant in virtues.
God Bless,
[email protected]”
always a good idea to ask abouna!