Luke 15:19 “And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”
When we find ourselves in the shoes of the “Prodigal Son”, we learn just how precious and great our Lord’s grace truly is. In this Parable, the “son” had been made to understand that his sin had rendered him un-“worthy” to even “be called” his father’s “son”. Indeed, he had no worth or value by which he could claim sonship in his father’s house or claim any benefit of his father’s house. Now this “son” who had once been filled with vain self-confidence and pride, now found himself with no recourse but to plead for his father’s mercy and grace. So, when he came to his father, he humbly said unto him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.” (Luke 15:21)! His condition was much like “the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13); but, our Lord said of him, “this man went down to his house justified” (Luke 18:14)! When the Holy Spirit gives us Spiritual Birth, we are immediately made aware of our unworthiness to even be called a Child of the Most High God, our Heavenly Father. But, when we come before our Lord’s “throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16), our Heavenly Father has “compassion” for us as He lovingly embraces us with His blessed “mercy” and “grace” and gives us the warm and secure feeling that He loves us with a “love” so “great” (Ephesians 2:4) that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). For our Lord has robed us with His Righteousness and has given us the allegorical “ring” of Eternal Security and “shoes” to equip us to serve Him while we live (Luke 15:22). While we know that we are sinners saved by Grace, we are made to rejoice knowing “that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (I Timothy 1:15) and “that Christ Jesus” “hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (II Timothy 1:9)!