Results 1 - 5 of 5
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | If u r saved, can u become not saved? | Rom 7:1 | Parable | 44656 | ||
Perhaps Jesus' parable of the sower speaks to this question: Matthew 13: 3Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop--a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9He who has ears, let him hear." 10The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?" 11He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." 18"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." Amen. |
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2 | Parable, who in Matt 13:3-23 is saved? | Rom 7:1 | Searcher56 | 44675 | ||
Parable, who in Matt 13:3-23 is saved? Searcher | ||||||
3 | Parable, who in Matt 13:3-23 is saved? | Rom 7:1 | Parable | 44679 | ||
As I understand Jesus' explanation, the Word of God is the seed, we are the soil and the Kingdom of God (salvation) is the bountiful crops. Clearly, the first three examples of poor soil don't yield anything. Only the good soil produced crops, so those who are good soil, fertile for God's Word and fruitful, are saved. This proportion is reflected 7:13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. |
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4 | Parable, who in Matt 13:3-23 is saved? | Rom 7:1 | Parable | 44965 | ||
I spoke with my pastor about this parable yesterday. While he thought my application of this parable to the question of losing our salvation was interesting, he did not confirm nor deny what I said. Rather, he reminded me that the point of this parable is for us as we spread the gospel, and not so much about those who hear it. That is, Jesus is saying there are different responses to the gospel, so we should sow the gospel everywhere, not only in those places where we think the soil is good. Only God knows what kind of soil is present in the hearts of those we preach to. Also, he cautioned against deriving theology from parables. Rather, he encourages us to interpret parables with understanding from the "theological" discussions in the Bible, such as Romans, rather than interpreting those discussions in terms of the parables. He explained, parables point to truth for those who can understand, but at some point they break down, usually when we try to assign meaning to every little thing. For example, in Easop's fable of the fox and the grapes, we could surmise that foxes can reason and foxes like to eat grapes. Clearly, this is not the point Easop was making about our attitudes when we don't get what we want, i.e. "those grapes were sour anyway". So, to summarize, this parable is best understood from the perspective of the sower, not the soil, and any inferences we make beyond this simple truth for the sower are perhaps going beyond what Jesus intended. Yet, I submit that since this parable is from Jesus, the truth of it cannot be denied. There is a real difference in outcome for each type of soil, but this difference is not for us to determine or be concerned with. Whether this difference relates to a loss of salvation is not clear and should not influence our work of spreading the gospel. Regarding Matthew 7:14 "But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it", this says only that not many accept the gospel and does not say anything about what happens to those who do find the narrow gate but then lose it, or even if they can lose it. I apologize if I have misrepresented Jesus intent with his parable and description of the narrow gate. It is clear to me that His work on the cross and offer of salvation are meaningful precisely because the alternative is real. And, it seems hard to imagine anyone accepting His free gift, then rejecting it. But, then again, people ARE fickle and I have learned not to underestimate their capacity for sin. Fortunately, I have also learned not to underestimate Christ's capacity for mercy and grace. After all, He died for us while we were but sinners (Romans 5:8). |
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5 | Parable, who in Matt 13:3-23 is saved? | Rom 7:1 | Morant61 | 44968 | ||
Greetings Parable! Your pastor sounds like a wise man! :-) Your post will be very helpful in instructing people how to approach the different genres of Scripture. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
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