Question 8 / Luke 15:20

Bible “buts” are big, and when doing Bible study, you must watch for them.

Here’s why:
In the Bible, the word, “but” introduces the idea of contrast. When you see a “but,” you should stop and take notice of it. Look closely at what comes before and after it. You will almost always find two contrasting ideas, word pictures, points, statements, etc.

Q: What’s the difference between contrasting and comparing?
A: When you compare two things, you look for similarities. When you contrast two things, you look for differences.

Take a look at Luke 15:20.
What difference are you being alerted to in this passage by the word, but?
Before the but, the son sets out to go to his father. After the but, the father runs to the son while still a long way off. See the difference?
The son was going back to his father, but he never made it. His father beat him to it. When it comes to salvation, there is nothing we can do to get close to God unless He takes the initiative and meets us where we are. If God doesn’t meet us where we are, we will never meet.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:6-8