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NASB | Luke 8:15 "But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Luke 8:15 "But as for that seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word with a good and noble heart, and hold on to it tightly, and bear fruit with patience. |
Subject: Here is where I'm puzzled |
Bible Note: It might be instructive to insert at this moment the following quote from Apostle Paul: Rom 9:14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."[6] 16It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."[7] 18Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. 19One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?" 20But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' "[8] 21Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? 22What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath--prepared for destruction? 23What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory-- 24even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? This guidance from God's Word seems to go counter to the age-old position of His desire "that all men repent." The only conclusion I can come up with (and has been taught to me) is that God helps those who deceive themselves into their own world of self-deception. In other words, every time one lies to his conscience, it gets easier and easier because eventually our conscience gets burned out. Again, let me repeat one of God's main themes in His Word is the complete freedom of choice He gives in choosing to follow Him or His archfiend, the devil. If we choose the latter over and over again and again, knowing or at least suspecting everything is not quite right, God will help us get comfortable with that "not quite right." But if we earnestly and sincerely ask for God's guidance concerning His Word, then I believe He will re-activate our conscience and hopefully we should discover the true message behind that portion of scripture. Any response? God bless. |