When Doing Good Is Just Not Enough

The parable of the prodigal son and his brother usually focuses on the younger son. However, we will focus on the section about the elder son (Luke 15:25-32) because, in many ways, we are just like him. He represents the person who outwardly appears to be a Christian and engages in various religious activities: attending church, tithing, teaching Sunday school, attending Bible study, practising devotions, taking retreats, and going on pilgrimages. He is a religiously proud individual who, unfortunately, lacks grace, compassion, and patience for the shortcomings of others. He resembles the unforgiving servant who was forgiven an enormous debt yet was unmerciful to the one who owed him less (Matthew 18:23-35) and the self-righteous Pharisee who looked upon others with contempt (Luke 18:9-14). If we are honest with ourselves, we will identify with the elder son because we hold grudges, gossip about those whose actions we disapprove of, and look down on those whose sins seem more significant than ours. Even the Lord’s disciples often acted like the eldest son: when they inquired about the man born blind, questioning whose sin caused it (John 9:2); when they proposed calling down fire from heaven to punish a Samaritan village that refused to receive Jesus (Luke 9:51-56); and when they argued among themselves over who would be considered the greatest (Luke 22:24).

Spiritual pride can subtly arise when we become overly focused on our beliefs about what is good. However, our good works cannot serve as our righteousness before God because the righteousness that endures God’s judgment must be perfect and align fully with divine law. The best of our deeds in this life are imperfect and tainted by sin; therefore, they merit nothing, even though God promises to reward them in this life and the next (Matthew 16:24-26). This is because the reward is not earned; it is a gift of grace. Yet, many of us struggle with accepting gifts. We prefer receiving things we have earned, which shields us from feeling indebted. A sense of deserving nourishes our pride while we are humbled by unmerited kindness. It is even more profound when it involves the greatest gift we can receive. The Bible teaches that sinners are judged righteous by God based on Jesus’s righteousness, which believers receive by faith. In other words, we are justified by faith alone, not by works (Ephesians 2:8–9). This is not easy to accept. We are somewhat wired to want to contribute to our salvation because gracious salvation by faith alone makes people spiritually careless. We think that people will not care about works if they believe they are justified by grace.

We often forget that the Lord God loves all His children equally and intends to provide everything for each of us. We frequently overlook that the Father is full of grace and compassion (Psalm 145:8). We can celebrate a sinner’s return as long as it isn’t someone who has offended us (for example, by dividing the family inheritance and squandering it on extravagant living). The elder brother may have valid reasons to be angry, but he has no right to feel that way because he, too, is a sinner. The Father is the only one entitled to be angry, yet He chooses to be merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love (Psalm 103:8). The Father loves them both. He runs to the prodigal son and entreats the elder son. He forgives the prodigal son and will forgive the older son if he repents his pride and enters the house. He must forgive his prodigal brother (Matthew 6:14). He should rejoice that they both have received grace and mercy that they do not deserve (Romans 3:23).

This parable represents scripture that teaches, reproves, corrects, and trains us in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). It encourages us to relate to both the prodigal and the proud son, acknowledging that we are all sinners in need of God’s grace. We learn that our Heavenly Father is inclined toward grace and mercy, responding with compassion when we come to Him. It reminds us not to think we are better than others and not to assume that another’s sins are worse while we are knee-deep in sinfulness. Even if we have a reason to withhold grace, we don’t have the right to do so (Jonah 4:4). We must extend to others the same grace we have received (Matthew 10:8b).

The story reminds us to take responsibility for who we have been, like the prodigal son or the elder brother. We must recognise that we have sinned against heaven and before the Lord God (Luke 15:18-19), that we are no longer worthy to be called His sons but should instead be treated as hired servants. We must first confess our sins and then seek God’s grace. The parable teaches us righteousness, guiding us to humble ourselves, confess our sins, and believe that we are forgiven, loved, and accepted. It reminds us to acknowledge the Father’s mercy and compassion and to turn to Him in repentance so that He runs to us, embraces us, and kisses us as He celebrates our existence and rejoices that we are found (Luke 15:32). We must believe that He loves and forgives us so that we can rejoice in God’s grace. The parable teaches about God’s grace and reproves us for our sins and pride. But it corrects us and turns us back to our heavenly Father. It gives us the courage to trust that we are forgiven so that with this courage, we can keep going and keep walking in the Lord God, our loving heavenly Father.

Scripture is clear that good works are necessary for salvation and insufficient for our justification. It goes on to issue two vital warnings:

1. Do Not Trust in Your Good Works

How can this be when earning is the most familiar system we understand? Surely, God respects our merit! We spent our childhood sensing that our behaviour shapes people’s attitudes toward us. We are accepted into college based on our performance. We receive raises and bonuses at work depending on our output. We import a work-and-reward mindset into the spiritual realm and expect the Father to owe us a blessing for our faithfulness (Luke 15:29).

We are implored to be perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48); however, our good works often fail to meet God’s perfect standard. Our standards are based on shifting goalposts, and our deceptive hearts grossly overestimate our goodness (Jeremiah 17:9). Our greatest works are tainted by the sins of virtue signalling, dishonesty, and ingratitude. We choose when and how to obey. Our actions can quickly overshadow Christ’s works and envelop us in false security. This is why God rewards our good works solely by grace. If good works yield rewards, they must possess purchasing power before God. However, we understand that God’s rewards are always gracious and never earned. Before the Lord regarded Abraham’s faith as righteousness (Genesis 15:6), He revealed Himself as the great reward (Genesis 15:1).

God richly rewards us, despite our best efforts. Yet we are merely unworthy servants, only doing what we ought to have done (Luke 17:10). St. Paul expected that the Lord Jesus would award him a crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8), even while he considered himself the foremost sinner (1 Timothy 1:15). Paul was relying not on his good works but on the glorious appearing of the Lord Jesus for him. Nonetheless, God’s gracious reward should inspire us to practice good works in the brief time allotted to us (Revelation 22:12). Don’t get me wrong – our works on earth do have value in heaven (Colossians 3:24), and they follow us into eternal life (Revelation 14:13). The wise person therefore stores up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19–21). When we fall short of God’s glory, we are comforted by the knowledge that we are what we are by God’s grace and not by our works (1 Corinthians 15:10).

2. Do Not Underestimate the Power of a New Life

St. James insists that good works are essential to our righteousness before God (James 2:14-26). He emphasises the significance of works as evidence of genuine faith and argues that faith without corresponding actions is “dead” and cannot save anyone. He illustrates his point by citing Abraham’s obedience in offering Isaac (James 2:23) and Rahab’s hospitality to the spies (James 2:25) as examples of faith expressed through action. It is crucial to understand that this teaching does not contradict Paul’s emphasis on salvation by grace through faith alone. James aims to convey that a life of good works is a natural outcome of authentic faith (James 2:24).

The Lord God grants us true faith (Ephesians 2:8) before we have performed any good deeds. However, He also commands us to work out our salvation as God empowers us to will and to do His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13). The Lord God has prepared good works for us to walk in (Ephesians 2:10) by grafting us into Christ, in whom there is life. Therefore, those grafted into Christ through true faith cannot help but produce fruits of gratitude. Once justified, the sinner becomes like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, and whose leaves do not wither (Psalm 1:3). They prosper in all they do because every good tree bears good fruit (Matthew 7:17).

It is God who motivates our faithfulness. Genuine acts of love cannot be fueled by fear of rejection for underperformance or by a selfish desire for personal gain; only the heartwarming power of God’s gracious acceptance of needy sinners can achieve this. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:18–19), and a strong love for God and our neighbour obeys the law. Only the gift of faith activates within us desires that align with true love. The true gospel of love treats believers as sons, while any other “gospel” reduces us to hirelings (cf. the elder son in Luke 15:29). Good works cannot be viewed as currency. They are a response of gratitude to the indescribable gift of God’s righteous Son. The reward is as freely given as the grace that produces good works. God promises that you will be saved if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Justified believers must be obedient and prepared for every good work (Titus 3:1), and by God’s grace, we should willingly answer this call.

Take-Home Message

The Lord Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son and the elder brother in response to the grumblings of the Pharisees and the scribes (Luke 15:1-2). The message to the tax collectors and sinners was, “Repent, come home to the Father.” The message to the religious leaders was, “rejoice when the lost are found and when they repent and return to the Father.” As Spurgeon so aptly put it, the truth taught here is that mercy extends her hand to misery, that grace welcomes men as sinners, that it addresses demerit, unworthiness, and worthlessness, that those who consider themselves righteous are not the objects of divine compassion, but the unrighteous, the guilty, and the undeserving, are the proper subjects for the infinite mercy of God; in a word, that salvation is not of merit but of grace.

 

*NB: Unless specifically stated, all Bible quotations are from the NRSVCE.