The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller
Week 4: Chapter 3 — Redefining Sin
Read Chapter 3 of The Prodigal God.
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Keller argues that most people — religious and irreligious alike — misunderstand what sin fundamentally is, and that until we grasp its true nature we cannot grasp the grace that addresses it.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.Keller redefines sin not primarily as breaking rules but as making something other than God the center of your life — your source of identity, meaning, and security. How does that definition expand your understanding of what sin is?
2.Keller argues that both brothers sinned in the same fundamental way: they related to the father's goods rather than to the father himself. The younger brother wanted the father's wealth without the father; the elder brother wanted the father's approval without genuinely loving the father. Do you find this a convincing reading of the parable? Why or why not?
3.Keller suggests that irreligion and religion are actually two different strategies for the same underlying sin — self-salvation, or running your own life on your own terms. How does that reframe the difference between a 'sinner' and a 'good person'?
a.If both strategies are forms of the same sin, what is the one thing both the younger brother and the older brother need?
b.Does this reframing make you feel more sympathy for people you might have previously written off as 'too sinful,' or more concern for people you might have assumed were 'fine'?
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