The parable of the soils: Matthew 13:1-23
And [the LORD] said, “Yes, go. But tell my people this: ‘You will hear My words, but you will not understand. You will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning.’ Harden the hearts of these people. Close their ears, and shut their eyes. That way they will not see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn to Me for healing.” Isaiah 6:9-10 (NLT).
Jesus had hard words for the religious leaders of the day as He quoted this passage to them. Much can be said for many who claim to know God and still persist in not keeping the Word. This is why He tells His followers in the words of Isaiah that those who reject the teachings of the Good News are hardened so as to not grasp the meaning of His teachings. It is because of this parable and other teachings of Jesus, that I question the understanding of “Once Saved, Always Saved.” I firmly believe that many who claim salvation are deluding themselves with false hope, and in reality still live in blindness and sin.
Yet in all this there is still a glimmer of True Hope and they are not doomed as were the deceivers of the Word of God, such as the Sadducees and Scribes of Jerusalem. Because Jesus told His disciples, “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears for they hear.” (Matthew 13:16). Because it is possible to hear the word once and not understand, yet in another day when your heart is made right, you will hear and grasp it firmly. I know this is so because for many years, I did not accept the teaching of Jesus and the prophets because my heart was hardened. I want to explore what Jesus told those few who wanted understanding and share what it has shown me, one who once rejected Christ.
“When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart.” (Matthew 13:19) There are those whose heart is hard, cold and can not bear fruit. This is the way I once was. Satan kept turning my heart against the Word of God and I only saw the failings of the Gospel and not the joy and success that it brought. Those who are such as I was refuse to accept any truth because it will make them appear soft and weak. If they belong to a faith other than that of Christ, they will fight the logic of the Word and seek to condemn you for your understanding. These are the persecutors and the naysayers that are even in churches but mainly in places that attack Christians around the world.
“As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is one who hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the Word, immediately falls away.”(Matt 13: 20-21). What Jesus does not mention is that those who are lacking in Faith are staying in the world. Those who hear for a while but quickly lose interest and when questioned on their Faith are unwilling to commit to it or even to admit that they are Christians. They are those who believe for a day and never go to church or fellowship with others to stay focused on God’s Purpose. Many are those who believed with their ears but never allowed Christ into their hearts. The belief is only skin deep, it is based only on emotions and not a life changing event.
Or they may be “Sunday Believers” who go to church and rely on the “once saved” teachings yet make no effort to grow in faith. They are quickly turned away from the Gospel and leave churches at the turn of a stone, create divisions and find excuses not to join in fellowship. When challenged, they have no answers, and will be unable to defend their faith. Their faith is only a front for an easy way out. When pressed, they reject the teachings of their churches and some become immersed into cults, sects and diverse doctrines that are more appealing. They will follow the whims of doctrines and are subject to changes of faith when something better comes along. These “Christians” are not convicted by faith but are only enticed by fancy words. They hear what they want to hear and disregard all other teachings of Jesus.
I have a hard time dealing with these people and sometimes get very exasperated with them. Yet God can change their hearts, and they can at some point in their lives recognize the foolishness and weakness in their hearts and become strong in True Faith and work diligently to bring others into the Light of the Wholeness of Christ. One such person with whom I have had many disagreements with in the past is now working as a teacher in discipleship and leadership training.
“As for what was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the Word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22). These are the ones who claim salvation, but because of the ways of the world, the riches and prosperity and greed, the pleasures of the flesh, drink and even crime are too appealing for them. They claim to be redeemed by the “Grace of God” but continue to live in sin and degradation. They are pastors, teachers, police, prominent men and women in our communities, business people, bankers, investors and people from just about every walk of life that cheat, lie and steal, yet claim salvation. Not only do they choke the Word of God by their actions, they hide the thorns from others. Yet these claim to be “God’s People” Just as did the Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes of the Temple. They stand not on Faith, but on the lies of their lives. They justify the sin in their lives by claiming to been redeemed for the sins they have yet to commit. They say to God, “You will not punish me, even though I willfully disregard Your statutes and Your love.” While claiming Grace, they live outside of grace and mock God by still clinging to sin and the world’s desires.
So then, who are the Saved and Redeemed? Those who see the fullness of Jesus, who live to serve Him in all things, those who walk in His Right Ways and strive to do good and just things for His sake and for the love of man. Jesus says in the words of Matthew 13:23, “He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” While everybody who follows the Word of God faithfully will see the Fruit of God fulfilled, those who do what is good for Christ’s sake will lead others to the understanding that they live for Christ. Not every one is to evangelize, teach or become missionaries, but just by being faithful, striving in the Word and working to make your heart right with God, you will cause others to seek what you have. The fruit of your lives will be the blessings you have in Christ. Those who truly love the Word of God and the teachings of Jesus, will produce good works, kind hearts and humble lives.
The last point I want to make here is that the sower of the Word, Jesus, spreads the seed of Faith everywhere, even in the darkest places. He sends us out into the world where the Word is not received. He sows the Truth even to those places that see it as a lie. And God allows the seed to be spread into the brambles and thorns, knowing that it will not grow well. Because even in these places, some seed will fall onto good, clean soil and will take root and grow. Understand this: God makes no mistakes! He expects that even in the harshest of places, the Good News will flourish. The hard will be made pliable and the thorns will die out. Satan and his minions can not destroy all the Good News nor can the hearts of fleshly man control what is taught. Good men and women will always stand out and bring faithfulness to the forefront and many will turn to Christ and to the Word of the Father and be enriched by the fertile power of the Holy Spirit.
While I do accept that if you are truly grounded in Faith, you are saved forever, I also believe that many who claim salvation are deceiving themselves by their lack of Faith. They walk in ways that prove that they are not of God but of the world. Each day we are to examine ourselves to see what there is still in our lives that distracts us from the Grace of God and still binds us to the world, to whim and Satan. Each day we are to pray for the grace to endure, never forgetting that in the garden, Jesus prayed not for Himself but for us. (John 17:1-27).
#1 by archshrk on October 6th, 2009
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I know this is something we have not always seen eye-to-eye on (among other issues) but I think that we disagree less on the true Gospel and more on the meaning of Christian short hand.
In this case, the phrase “once saved, always saved” does not mean the same to me as it does to you. From our conversations (and with others who hold your position) the concern is that this gives the so-called believer free reign to live in sin because they are forgiven.
But for me, the term refers to God’s sovereignty and how no one can snatch them from His hand (not even us) – John 10:22-30
Calvinists also believe that all who are born again and justified before God necessarily and inexorably proceed to sanctification. Indeed, failure to proceed to sanctification in their view is evidence that the person in question was not truly saved to begin with (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 788). Proponents of this doctrine distinguish between an action and the consequences of an action, and suggest that after God has regenerated someone, the person’s will cannot reverse its course. It is argued that God has changed that person in ways that are outside of his or her own ability to alter fundamentally, and he or she will therefore persevere in the faith. – Blogogetics.com
#2 by Paul on October 6th, 2009
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Yes, we can disagree with the “Short Hand Gospel” approach that many are relying on as the Truth. This lesson of Christ’s clearly dispels the notion that declaring that you are a “believer” is not enough. when we rely on an emotional event and make no effort to change our lives, the message of Jesus has fallen on the rocky soil. When we believe for a while an quickly reject the teachings of the Bible for other ways, we are living in the thorns
- Paul
God does not forsake us, we forsake Him. That is why we must be fertile soil for the word. We will continue to have many conversations on this, and it is good. But what we do agree on is that Having believed, we strive to live in His Righteous ways and forsake the snares of the world.