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"The prodigal was still a son"

The objection. "The prodigal son was still a son even when he was in the far country. His father never stopped being his father. He lost fellowship, not sonship. That is the model: a believer may wander, but he remains a son."

This is one of the most emotionally powerful OSAS arguments, because it appeals to the heart of the parable. The father runs. The father embraces. The father throws a feast. Who wants to argue with that?

The casebook does not want to argue with the father's love. It wants to read the parable carefully.

The text

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." (Luke 15:20)

"For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found." (Luke 15:24)

"It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found." (Luke 15:32)

The OSAS reading

The argument is:

  1. The son is called "my son" both before and after his return.
  2. The father's love never changes.
  3. Therefore the son remained a son even in the far country.
  4. Therefore a believer who wanders remains saved; he only loses fellowship and reward.

This reading captures something true: the father's love is constant, and the son's identity is not earned by his obedience. The parable is a magnificent picture of grace.

The problems

1. The text uses death and loss language

The father does not say, "My son was away, but he was still my son." He says, "This my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found." That is stronger than "he lost fellowship." It is the language of death and loss, not merely distance.

The OSAS reading has to soften the father's words. The text says the son was dead and lost; the reading says he was alive and found but just not enjoying it. Those are not the same.

2. The son's return is real

The parable is about repentance:

"I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.'" (Luke 15:18)

The son does not send a message; he gets up and goes. He does not negotiate; he confesses. The father's welcome is not earned by the son's repentance, but the repentance is real. The parable is not a story about a son who stayed home in his heart; it is a story about a son who came home.

3. The parable is not a systematic proof text

Jesus tells the parable to answer the Pharisees' complaint: "This man receives sinners and eats with them" (Luke 15:2). The point is the joy of heaven over one sinner who repents (15:7, 10, 32). It is not a treatise on whether a believer can lose salvation.

The parable does not say that the son was saved while he was in the far country, and it does not say that he lost his salvation. It says that he was dead and lost, and that he is now alive and found. The theology of the passage is the father's welcome, not a doctrine of unconditional sonship.

4. The older brother is also in the parable

The older brother stays home, obeys, and resents the father's grace. The parable ends with the father pleading with him: "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours" (15:31). The older brother is not the hero; he is the warning. The parable is about two kinds of lostness: the younger son's rebellion and the older son's self-righteousness.

If the parable is used to prove OSAS, it must also be used to warn the self-righteous. The casebook's reading takes both brothers seriously.

5. "Still a son" is not the same as "safe"

Even if the son remained a son in some legal sense, the text says he was dead and lost. The father's joy is the joy of resurrection: "he was dead, and is alive again." That is not the language of a safe status; it is the language of a rescue.

The casebook does not claim that the son ceased to be the father's son in every sense. It claims that the text describes a real death and a real restoration, and that the restoration is not automatic.

What the parable does teach

  1. The father's love is extravagant. He runs, embraces, kisses, and throws a feast.
  2. Repentance is real. The son arises, returns, and confesses.
  3. Forgiveness is free. The son does not earn the welcome.
  4. Heaven rejoices over the returning sinner. The joy is the point.
  5. The self-righteous brother is also invited. The father goes out to him.

The parable is not a proof text for OSAS or for conditional security. It is a picture of the gospel. It should make us love the Father more, not argue about the mechanics of sonship.

What this does and does not prove

It proves: that the father's love is constant; that repentance is real; that forgiveness is free; and that the returning sinner is welcomed.

It does not prove: that the son was safe in the far country; that a believer can live in unrepentant sin and remain in fellowship; or that the parable settles the question of perseverance. It proves that the door is open, and that the Father runs to meet the one who comes home.

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