The tax collectors and prostitutes enter because they BELIEVED HIM..........
It pleased GOD by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe <----FAITH is what saves a man..........
Well, that is the first son. I asked about the second son. But we can cover the first son firsr
You seem to have begun with the assumption in the other threads that the prodigal was a saved person because he was called a son. But now you say the first son is the tax collectors and prostitutes that believed and were saved. But they were not saved until they believed. Same with the prodigal. The prodigal represents tax collectors and sinners, (see Luke 15:1-3) who were not saved until they came to Jesus.
The invitation to work in the vineyard was an invitation to receive the Gospel, was it not? Is that not what the context indicates, ie verse 31-32? so the call went out before either son was saved. And as you said, they entered the way of salvation by believing and were saved. SO the son in this parable does not begin with the starting point of being a born again child of God. ANd the sons in Luke 15 don't either. They represent publicans and sinners, who had lived riotous lives and repented, and on the other hand scribes and Pharisees who rejected the Gospel. SO it is the premise of your argument, not the conclusion that I disagreed with
Now to the second son. Not only was the second son not saved, he never got saved (at least the text doesn't say he ever obeyed his father). The second son represents the UNBELIEVING Chief priests and Pharisees.
SO neither son had a starting point of being saved. Both groups were lost, both heard the Gospel, one group obeyed the Gospel, the other group didn't.
Same thing with the parable of the prodigal son
So you were beginning with a false premise, ie the sons in luke 15 and Matthew 21 represent saved people. I did not disagree with your conclusion. I disagreed with your premise. The reason I did so, was because it is very dangerous to try to make the Bible say what we want it to say instead of letting it interpret itself. Also, it is very dangerous to confuse applications for a correct interpretation. I have no problem with your application, Christians can become prodigals and return to the Lord. I was a prodigal for over ten years, and I did things that would shock most people. But I did not die in that state, because GOD'S Grace brought me back
...and it is very dangerous to say that a son is still a son even though he lives a dissolute lifestyle. A son may live a dissolute lifestyle for a season, but the difference between a sheep and a pig is that a sheep may fall into the mud, but will not be happy to stay there, and there is a Shepherd to rescue him out of the mud. I have faith that God is not only able to keep me from going to hell, but He is also able to keep me from dying in the pigsty.
The difference between the two is their nature. A
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