I’ll get up, go to my father, and say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.’
Luke 15:18
This man really spent some time thinking about what he would say. He took several steps, all necessary for true repentance.
First, he gave up on himself. He recognized his utter failure. To even go back and be accepted as a servant he would have to face up to this.
Second, he saw that he did not deserve forgiveness. He didn’t make the argument that we often do, ‘everybody sins’. He simply stated his personal culpability, and assumed Divine judgement. To be forgiven would be an act of mercy and grace, and have nothing to do with any goodness in himself.
Third, he recognized the extent and impact of his sin. He saw exactly Who he had wronged, God Himself. He had not only wronged his father, or only wronged God, but both. This shows he grasped the true impact that his sin had on others.
Fourth, he recognized judgement was in the hands of others. He had no preconceived notion of what his father must do. He had sinned in his father’s ‘sight’ which indicates he understood his father would have to be the one to determine to forgive. His job was to be truly and totally repentant.
Finally, and this grows out of the others, the man realized that things would be different after being forgiven. He would only be a servant. He could not expect to be fully restored. His relationship with his father would be out of his control.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the mercy and grace that You have shown to us! Without Your choice to justify us by Your Son, we would have no hope. Thank you so much! I will praise You forever! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.