The Evangelical Universalist Forum

The parable of the Sower

Theology Soteriology
#21

I suppose Luke, I don’t understand your point. Jesus’ explanation of the parable does not indicate that it was about salvation, but that the parable is meant to explain a secret, a mystery, something hidden, something not obvious that has to do with the kingdom of God.

The parable doesn’t speak of the entire life span as you say. Rather, it notes how we react to the word of God over a period of time. For example, everyone I know has at some time or another been so overwhelmed by worry that they’ve had the joy and peace of the Kingdom chocked out. And I’ve known many people who for a season were hard against God and His word, only to repent later and joyfully recieve Jesus and have lasting fruit of repentance in thier lives. And I’ve seen people whose lives were marked by fear and worry but later received the revelation of the love of God for them and turned around to be people filled with faith and trust in God. The parable isn’t meant to classify people into 4 different groups, but it is meant to call us all to the sober reality that we need to be careful to be receptive to the Word of God. We need to check our hearts to make sure we are being receptive to the word of God, not rejecting because of being hardened against it, not allowing the worries of this life to choke out the love, joy, and peace of the Kingdom from our lives. We need to allow, even work with, the Holy Spirit when He brings the plow into our lives with the intent of breaking up the ground of our heart, embracing brokenness, recognizing our need of God.

When we recieve the word of God into our lives, yes it does produce good fruit, but such is not about us getting into heaven, but about heaven getting into us. In fact, truth brings good into our lives, whether we’re believers in Christ or not. For example, “Don’t be fooled, what a man sows so shall he reap” is a principle that is true and effective whether we have faith in Christ or not. To interpret this parable as a few people getting into heaven and most not getting into heaven is to nullify the power of this passage to call us all to repentance, to call us all to examine ourselves, whether we be really walking in the grace and power of the Lord or not. One could say, “It’s ok, I’m saved, it doesn’t matter that my life is consumed by fear, that I’m not walking in love and grace; all that matters is I’m going to heaven some day.” Of course, I’m exagerating to make a point; the purpose of the parable is to call us all to be careful on how receptive we are to the word of God.

For example let’s say that Jesus really is the savior of all humanity and fully accomplishes the reconciliation of all of creation for the glory of God; and though there are scriptures that evidently state such, many Christians do not accept these passages in faith and instead dismiss them as not really meaning what they say because they just cannot mean that. “All” does not mean “all” in Rom.5:18. “All of creation” in Col.1:20 does not really mean “all of creation”. “All” cannot mean “all” because the certainty of damnation for others is an assumed truth; and thus the “universalist” passages are quickly dismissed.

The parable of the sower is powerful in that it calls all of us to check our hearts and see if we are being receptive to the word of God, or are we quickly dismissing it because it doesn’t line up with our traditions/assumptions. Or do we receive the word, but when persecution comes because of the Word do we give up on it? Or do the worries and cares of this life fill us with fear so much that the love, joy, and peace of the Kingdom are being chocked out? And what can we do to work with the Lord of our hearts to break our hearts so that we are receptive to the Word?

#22

Sherman, thanks for saying what I wanted to say. I have had the life choked out of me because of the cares of this world and not recieved what God was telling me. Other times the soil of my heart has been very fertile and I gladly recieved it.

#23

Thanks nimblewill. The parable of the sower was very helpful in me coming to understand God working in my heart. I was in seminary, taking several Bible classes, but was becoming increasingly critical and judgmental of others, especially other ministers. I was getting to where that when a minister was preaching I was not seeking to hear God speak through them but unconsciously listening for any “incorrect” interpretation or “mis”-use of scripture, eisegetical instead of exegetical, not contextual, etc. I recognized this as a wrong attitude on myself. I mean, which of us is “perfect” in their understanding of scripture? Who understands and teaches scripture perfectly? None of us and yet God uses us to encourage and instruct one another. Even the Apostles and Jesus interpreted scripture non-exegetically, seeing in scripture something other than what was specifically there.

Well, anyhow, as I was praying about my wrong attitudes the Lord spoke to me and told me to drop one of my Bible classes. Doing so opened up more time for prayer, worship, fellowship, and rest. A few days after dropping the class, I was in my closet (literally) praying and I asked the Lord to explain why he wanted me to drop the class. He took me to the parable of the sower and explained that by having so many classes, I was constantly having people spread the Word in my heart, but I was not able to recieve it and incorporate it into my life. And the more people walked across my heart spreading the word, the more the hard-packed ground pathways in my heart expanded.

And the more I’d hear the word, but not recieve it, the harder I got towards it and the easier it was for Satan to steal the word from my heart like the birds take seeds from pathways. So, by dropping the class and spending more time in prayer, worship, fellowship, and just rest my heart becoming more open to the Word of God. And over time I’ve come to realize that I have all four types of ground in my heart. There are places that are hardened my tradition; there are things that I have been taught to be true that are not true that I subconsciously assume to be true - I just don’t know what they are. I’m blind to them. When I read or hear scripture that is contrary to this I unconsciously dismiss it as irrelevant.

In like manner, there are some things that I believe that are lies, error, that produce worry and fear in my life. These seeds grow in my heart and produce weeds that if left unchecked will choke out any good plants. And I don’t know how many times the Lord has uncovered rocks in my heart, places where I’ve been hurt and just buried it instead of allowing it to be healed. These rocks of bitterness pop up at the most inoppropriate times when someone does something to me that touches one of these “issues” I respond in a wrong manner because of this bitterness. So the Lord uncovers these issues so that he can bring healing to my life.

And thankfully, there is some good ground in my life that is open to the Word and is producing good fruit. And of course, all ground is good in reality. The hard ground can be broken up (this is happening in my life much right now). The stony ground can have the stones removed and even used to build healthy fences to protect the good ground. And the thorny ground can have the weeds pulled out by the roots and good seed planted in it’s stead.

So to me, to interpret the parable of the sower to speak of some people being saved and others being not saved is to miss the point completely. It is meant to help us understand how the word of God works in our hearts and help us work with the Lord in cultivating our hearts so that we can grow in the fruit of the Kingdom - righteousness, love, joy, peace, self control, etc. Worship, prayer, fellowship, fasting, rest, meditation, etc. all have their important place in the cultivation of our hearts. The parable is also meant to encourage us when others do not readily recieve the word we share and empower us in ministering to others.

#24

I love this Sherman–thanks for sharing!

Sonia

#25

Yes, thanks! That was very edifying, Sherman. I can especially identify with what you said of becoming “increasingly critical and judgmental” of people - especially leaders in my church who are simply doing their best to teach God’s word as they understand it. It is definitely a “weed” in my heart that needs to be pulled up by the roots and replaced with humility.