PennEd, why you hung up on that passage of scripture since we already know from other scriptures and from the Galatians that you forfeit salvation if you don't continue in faith in Christ for justification. Changing the metaphor in the Parable of the Sower doesn't change those other passages.
You'll find the steadfastness of lasting believing in the 4th kind of soil. Only they will not fall away into unbelief and being lost when Jesus returns.
No Ralph. WE do NOT know that you can forfeit your salvation once born again.
You, and others like you who believe you can lose Salvation CAN INDEED lose YOUR Salvation!
Those of us who believe we CANNOT lose our Salvation, will NEVER lose it, because WE KNOW the One who holds it, AND He KNOWS us!
We have fully put our trust in Jesus Christ. HE has given us NEW life via a NEW birth.
So this is what various lose your salvation people have put forward. I realize not every lose your salvation person believes each one of these, but all believe at least one.
1. You can lose your salvation by sinning at all. (sinless perfectionists)
2. You can lose your salvation by committing certain sins, or sinning willfully. (whatever that means, since all sin is willful)
3. You can lose your salvation by not following the Law ( some say ALL the Law, some pick and choose which Laws)
4.You can lose your salvation by not confessing your sin after you commit it. (unconfessed sin at death means ticket to hell)
5. You can lose your salvation by no longer believing or walking away from God. (some believe you can't ever come back, some do)
So here is how the Gospel would sound to a potential unsaved person by incorporating these heresies:
"Hello! Have you heard the Good News of Jesus Christ for salvation? All you have to do go to Heaven is believe that Jesus died for your sins and was resurrected. Then NEVER sin again, by following the Law, but, God forbid you do sin, and we're talking about ONLY non-willful sins here, you must confess and ask forgiveness for that NON-WILLFUL sin before the moment you die. MOST importantly, NEVER stop believing for a second or you can NEVER be saved again. Do all that stuff and you won't be cast into the Lake of Fire and suffer eternal judgement!!!!"
"Isn't that FANTASTIC NEWS!?"
No folks. It isn't.
You MUST be born again. That's the whole ball game.