Not By Works
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Hi Stones,
I don't really think that the Lord is talking about those who might believe for awhile and seem to fall away and return again. There's always forgiveness offered to those who repent.
Here's the explanation of the parable in Matthew.
Hear then the parable of the sower. 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. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
The parable is actually talking about the heart of 4 types of people who accept the truth of the gospel.
The first one is the soil by the side of the road and as soon as he hears the gospel, the seed is snatched away by satan; this person is shallow.
The second one has rocky soil. He hears the gospel and receives it with joy, but he has no deep root; when persecution hits or affliction comes upon him because of the lack of the deep root he leaves the faith.
The third soil is thorny, but the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth chokes the word and it becomes unfruitful. This soil produces no fruit at all.
Only the good soil hears the word, understands it and bears fruit.
Those that waver, but in the end repent and return to the Lord are the good soil just as much as the one who continues faithfully all his life.
I'm sure some will disagree, but that's what I believe this parable is teaching. Only those with good soil can receive the gospel truth and continue on in the faith.
I don't really think that the Lord is talking about those who might believe for awhile and seem to fall away and return again. There's always forgiveness offered to those who repent.
Here's the explanation of the parable in Matthew.
Hear then the parable of the sower. 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. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
The parable is actually talking about the heart of 4 types of people who accept the truth of the gospel.
The first one is the soil by the side of the road and as soon as he hears the gospel, the seed is snatched away by satan; this person is shallow.
The second one has rocky soil. He hears the gospel and receives it with joy, but he has no deep root; when persecution hits or affliction comes upon him because of the lack of the deep root he leaves the faith.
The third soil is thorny, but the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth chokes the word and it becomes unfruitful. This soil produces no fruit at all.
Only the good soil hears the word, understands it and bears fruit.
Those that waver, but in the end repent and return to the Lord are the good soil just as much as the one who continues faithfully all his life.
I'm sure some will disagree, but that's what I believe this parable is teaching. Only those with good soil can receive the gospel truth and continue on in the faith.
I base my opinion, notice thecword opinion, on my own life. I grew up in the church, heard the gospel. Went forward on altar calls in youth camp, but those different soils describe my life up until my twenties when I heard the Lord ask me which way I will go. No church, in a car on the way to the hospital. My little 21/2 son had died and I was broken. That was my conversion. Good ground but so grieved. I needed Him. And He wanted me.
i don't tell this too many times. Just thought I should tonight.
So sorry to hear that Stones. I'm crying with you for your loss!
That must have been the most difficult time of your life. *Hugs*Well here's how I think you fit into the parable. God knows even before we're born who is good soil and who isn't. I had some spiritual experiences before I actually was born again. I think that's pretty normal for everyone. I think many have a spiritual revelation at times in their life and it's much later that faith becomes real and they're born of the Spirit. I can remember back having some experiences, but I never responded because I never really knew what to do with God's wooing me at the time. But, I've always been good soil. Anyone truly born of the Spirit is the good soil.
All the other soils described are bad soil and will not have a true genuine faith. That's what I've been taught and it's what I see when I compare scriptures with others.
I just think God was showing us in the parable why some stick around for a short time or even months or years, but when struggles come upon them, they blame God and begin to hate Him. It's because they didn't have good soil.
A few years ago (in 2011), my daughter and I were going through some of my belongings, and I came across a calendar from the year 2000... and I said, oh! It is only from last year, and then I looked up at her, and she was frozen in place, like her brain just stopped working at the fact of me dropping ten years just like that
I think that was also when we found the calendar and accompanying diary I kept of her time in the hospital as a preemie, for she was born at twenty four weeks gestation weighing under a pound and a half, and I wrote her weight gain and loss and other stats down every day, how much she ate, the day she first opened her eyes, the day she extubated herself and never went back on the ventilator, the many times she was "bagged," the first time I was ever allowed to hold her, and the first time I ever heard her cry, man, I will never forget that, walking into the special care nursery and hearing a baby that I had never heard before, the hair on my arms raised! It was like I knew it was her from across the room, many months after she had been born, though I had ever heard that sound before. She has those mementos now
I think that was also when we found the calendar and accompanying diary I kept of her time in the hospital as a preemie, for she was born at twenty four weeks gestation weighing under a pound and a half, and I wrote her weight gain and loss and other stats down every day, how much she ate, the day she first opened her eyes, the day she extubated herself and never went back on the ventilator, the many times she was "bagged," the first time I was ever allowed to hold her, and the first time I ever heard her cry, man, I will never forget that, walking into the special care nursery and hearing a baby that I had never heard before, the hair on my arms raised! It was like I knew it was her from across the room, many months after she had been born, though I had ever heard that sound before. She has those mementos now
