Does your god command all men to believe Jesus as their savior?
Yes, of course!
Then he must have given Jesus to be the Savior of all men?
Sure, sure, of course! Your are quite right, buddy!
Blah... blah... blah...
October 6 at 5:41pm ·
Friends, does your God command and require a man to believe a lie? Many preachers speak and act as though their God most certainly does! If God does not, then are they not taking the name of the Lord in vain - the 3rd commandment?
The new school calvinists believe in gospel regeneration and free offer of salvation.
They believe that the gospel preaching is a necessary means to aid the Holy Spirit in His work of regenerating the spiritually dead. Therefore their minis...try is INDISPENSABLE - i.e. without their preaching,, the Holy Spirit is impotent in His work of regeneration.
In their preaching, they sincerely and genuinely and compassionately offer the salvation in Jesus Christ to all the hearers, calling all to repent and believe in Jesus Christ in order to be saved by God. They declares that God demands and requires all men everywhere, including the non-elect to believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior in order to be saved by God.
Does God command the non-elect to believe that God sent Jesus Christ to be their Savior? Does God require a man to believe a lie?
Does God command a preacher to command the non-elect to believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior? Does God require a preacher to misrepresent him, and make Him a liar?
Patron
"Does God command the non-elect to believe that God sent Jesus Christ to be their Savior? Does God require a man to believe a lie?"
According to that statement , If I'm gonna share the gospel with people I've never met before , should I ask them: "Is there any elect from God here, because I'm about to share the gospel and command to believe and repent"
Sing F Lau
Good question.
Yoel, what are you actually doing when you share the gospel?
Are you declaring the good news of what God has done to save His people, and that whosoever believe HAS ETERNAL life, or are you offering salvation to all your hearers so that whoever will believe will get eternal life?
If the former, why do you have to find out if any among the hearers are elect from God? How do you find out where there are any of God's children in the crowd? You proclaim the good news of what God has done. God's children among the hearers will manifest themselves by their faith in Jesus Christ.
What is the purpose or need for you to identify who among your hearers are elect from God? Elect from God who has not be regenerated will ALSO consider the most eloquent preaching of the cross utter foolishness anyway!
In any crowd of hearers, there will be God's children, and those who are not. Just preach to the whole crowd... like the apostles did, very conscious that your preaching is ONLY relevant to God's children among your hearers, EVEN THOUGH you cannot identity who they are. Only God's children among your hearers can believe
But if you preach in such a way as to offer salvation to all your hearers, and say that God demands and commands all your hearers to believe in Jesus Christ, then you are in effect command the non-elect to believe a BIG FAT LIE!
Chapin
Bro. Sing, you covered all that very well, as usual...Your answer is plain and understandable to those that seek the truth, but will be passed by those who already have their agenda in place...
Patron
very helpful , much as gracias!! and I have a few books from modern reformed, it doesn't mean that everything written in their books is 100% error ?? found a lot of things helpful.... from the old ones I have John Owen on the Holy Spirit. Lloyd Jones Studies in the sermon on the Mount
Sing F Lau
Get your hands on John Gill's work - especially his Body of Divinity, and The Cause of Truth. John Owen is good too - I have his complete work, and have studied most of them. But John Gill's Body of Divinity is really great!
No, I didn't say that everything written in their books is 100% error! [ I have plenty of those books - you name the Puritans, I would have them in my earlier days as a new Christian, I spent all my salary (was still single then!) buying up all those books published by the Banner of Truth (UK).]
On those points I have raised in my blogs and on the Facebook - they are MOST SERIOUSLY WRONG. I want to save them - some were very close friends and fellow ministers - from their horrible errors.
The Lord says:
19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
This is true evangelism!
Patron
I hear you brother , I myself I'm in the middle of a Christ-less Christianity in USA churches, little preaching on the true Gospel and a lot of religion and moral-ism.
I'm in a typical "good people" church is all about being nice but little ...heart and passion for my hero Christ and the Gospel...
I can go to another church but they preach Lordship salvation gospel and is performance/moral/faith-evidence driven church and their pope is Dr. John MacArthur..... very sad
Christenson
Come to Beacon in Jupiter, Yoel. Will challenge you I am sure.
Sing F Lau
Yoel, board the next Space Shuttle, transit at ISS, then continue to Jupiter on Spate Cuttle!
For truth sake, I will move to a place there is a faithful NT church.
Ward
sing, the imperative command is given to all men everywhere to repent and believe the gospel. Jesus preached repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand. Apart from the incorruptible seed of the word of God no one is born again.there is a reason God ordains the church to preach the Word of God.We know that it will only be heard by those with ears to hear, but we don't know who they are prior to preaching to them
Page
@ Lindsey. According to five point Calvinism if the imperative command is given to all men everywhere to repent and believe the gospel then all men are regenerated? right? universal regeneration?
Ward
no, an imperative command does not imply that someone has the capacity to comply. there is no such teaching in scripture, nor is it implied that the atonement for sin is universal. many people hear the gospel, only the elect will respond to it in such a way as to receive it by faith.
That said we are called and commanded to preach the gospel to all.
Page
Is preaching to all including the call to all men to repent?
Ward
of course charles, the command is made to all men to surrender unconditionally to the Lord Jesus. [sing: ya, even those for whom Christ did not die to save... they are also commanded to believe in jesus Christ as their Savior... so they are commanded to be a LIE!]
Page
Repent? All the unregenerate are called to (repent) surrender unconditionally to the Lord Jesus? Can they resist this call?
Ward
charles i used the term commanded in my statement but if you want to use the word call you will have to distinguish between the call of the herald of the gospel and the call of the Holy Spirit to the elect. The first can be rejected the latter cannot.
Charles you really should give up your hyper-calvinism. It really is an unorthodox position. It denies that God has chosen the means as well as the end
Page
You think hyper-Calvinism "denies that God has chosen the means as well as the end" for men to be regenerated. I would think that is Calvinism at it's best!
Moderated Calvinism believes "that God has chosen the means as well as the end" for regeneration. [Ah... how many neo-calvinists can differentiate bewteen the two!]
Ward
Charles you would be incorrect then as the scripture says that God has given to us the ministry of reconciliation
2Cr 5:18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
2Cr 5:19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
keep studing Charles i have seen you grow in your knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, and I am convinced that He who began a good work in you will complete it, but hyper calvinism is not a good doctrine
Sing F Lau
Hi Lindsey, some Chinese offer food and drink to the dead... and we say they are grossly superstitious... when the non-Chinese sincerely and genuinely call the dead to eat and drink, we say they are insanely delirious.
Yet so many intelligent new school calvinists believe the all wise and knowing God would offer salvation to the dead, and that He commands the dead to believe that Jesus is their Savior. Not only that, they also believe that God commands those whom He did not predestine to eternal salvation in Jesus Christ and for whom He expressly did not give his Son to be their Savior, to believe Jesus to be their Savior!
Some people can believe such a god as wise and rational and truthful. I believe such a god is a perverse and schizophrenic LIAR!
God purposed eternal salvation for a specific people, Christ secured that salvation for exactly the same people, and the Spirit of Christ applies that salvation to each elect personally... and the gospel ministry is sent forth to call EXACTLY THOSE to believe that which is already true of them by grace.
The call may be heard by many beside those intended because of the nature of the public call... that does not mean for one minute that it is intended for all who hear it with their ears.
When will God's children understand the divinely ordained purpose of the gospel ministry?
Sing F Lau
ONLY THOSE FOR WHOM THE GOSPEL IS INTENDED are called to repent and believe the truth.
All men everywhere is just that... God's children are found every where... so the gospel must be preached everywhere, and only God's children will believe..., because the gospel is true ONLY of the children of God.
The God I believe is the God of truth, and He does not command nor require any man to believe a lie. Any one who preaches and speak as though He does is most certainly a liar, as well as makes God a liar... He bears false witness against God.
The public proclamation of the gospel, in the nature of the case, though addressed to all indiscriminately, is only intended for God's children, i.e. the elect whom God has regenerated. Such are commanded to repent and believe the truth of their salvation by God's free grace.
A preacher who says that God commands and requires a non-elect to believe that Jesus died to save him is making a mockery of God...
Patron
Charles sound that one of those guys asking the Lord Jesus: "then who is my neighbor?" .... * right after Jesus command to love your neighbor as yourself!...
So Jesus command to love all men brethren or not , Jew or not Jew .
We all know that every person sitting on a pew at Church on Sundays is NOT a regenerated or born again nor an elect.... and because of that the preacher according to Charles can't preach any commands from the Lord??
Sing F Lau
Yoel, Charles can answer your questions.
I just want to make one comment so that your mind may stay clear:
God as creator, loves and cares for all His creatures. Therefore, the law to His people, 'love thy neighbors as thyself' for they are you fellow creature.
God as redeemer, loves and cares for His own. He purposed salvation for them, He secured salvation for them through His son Jesus Christ, and He applied that same salvation to each elect personally, and He send forth gospel preachers to proclaim the good news to such, so that they may be instructed concerning their eternal salvation in Jesus Christ, and be taught to live soberly, righteousness and godly in this present life here, before entering their eternal inheritance!
Ward
sing, both you and charles have a misunderstanding of preaching the Gospel. The command to repent and believe is the message the herald proclaims. The gospel will do one of two things. It will either save or it will harden, there is no neutral ground so to speak. The herald has no idea what are Gods purposes all he knows is that he is under divine compulsion to preach the gospel. If God chooses to save some ,or if He chooses to bring further condemnation that is solely up to God.
scripture references for my statement are
2Cr 2:16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? and
Mar 16:15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature
Mar 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Patron
A Bible NT example of evangelism and the sharing of the Gospel of the Christ, can't get more clear than these** "all that hear me this day"**
ACTS 26:28Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. 29 And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.
Patron
But what I learn and I really like is that there is already regenerated people that are gonna be converted as soon as somebody preaches the gospel of Christ to them and also already converted like myself will get strengthened in the faith even more
Ward
love it when God converts a sinner to the faith
Sing F Lau
Lindsay, it would be very kind of you to at least explain or elaborate on where I have misunderstood the preaching of the gospel.
I will say that you are muddle headed... and here are the explanation, from the things you have stated.
You said: "The command to repent and believe is the message the herald proclaims. The gospel will do one of two things it will either save or it will harden there is no neutral ground so to speak."
The gospel, the good news of what God HAS DONE to save His people, will be received as the good news of God's power in salvation to those that God HAS SAVED. The same message will be rejected as a message of foolishness.
The gospel HAS NO POWER to save... the gospel is the good news of what God has done to save His elect in Jesus Christ, and applied by His Spirit.
Take note of this declaration very carefully:
1Cor 1:18 "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."
The preaching of the gospel COMES to those that ARE SAVED (already saved by God's free grace) and to them that are perishing (those that are still in their native state of sins and death). To those that ARE SAVED (by God's free grace) the gospel is perceived and believed as the power of God in saving them. To them are perishing, the same glorious gospel is perceived and rejected as foolishness.
The gospel is INTENDED for those that ARE SAVED by God. Of course when they believe the gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ will also save them... save them from lies and falsehood and superstition... not the way God HAS SAVED through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Sing F Lau
Lindsay, I will say that you are muddle headed... and here is another explanation, from the things you have stated.
Uou said: "The herald has no idea what are Gods purposes all he knows is that he is under divine compulsion to preach the gospel. If God chooses to save some, or if He chooses to bring further condemnation that is solely up to God."
This where the trouble is. You say the herald has no idea what are God's purposes. Horror of horror! That professed ignorance is the root of all trouble!
The apostles KNEW VERY well why they were sent forth by God as His ambassadors... to call HIS PEOPLE to be reconciled to God... and the means to do so is the gospel message, that His people may come to the knowledge of their salvation by God's free grace. They knew EXACTLY God's purpose for them - to make disciples of God's children, the elect that are already effectually called to grace and salvation by God's free grace.
Sing F Lau
Lindsay @ "scripture references for my statement are
2Cr 2:16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?"
This Scripture you quoted to support your idea states the OPPOSITE to what you want to make it say.
To those that are perishing, i.e. still in their natural state of sin and death, the gospel preachers (the pronoun 'we') are the aroma of death unto death - But to them that are already SAVED by God's free grace, the same gospel preachers are the aroma of life leading to life.
To those that ARE SAVED by God, the gospel preachers and their ministry nourish the life that God has already bestowed. But to them that are perishing, their hatred and rejection of the gospel preachers and their message confirm the deadness of these people.
Sing F Lau
Lindsay @ Mar 16:15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature Mar 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
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Yes, Jesus instructed the Jewish disciples to go into all the world... don't just restrict yourselves to the Jews. God's children are found in all the tribes, nations, tongues and languages throughout the world... "Re 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;"
Please remember that the salvation by God's free grace that enables a man to believe and be baptized is VERY DIFFERENT and DISTINCT from the salvation that comes from his believing the gospel and submission to water baptism.
God's children who are unbelieving shall suffer terrible condemnation here in this life. Many of God's children suffered condemnation because of unbelief... they were roasted like pigs in 70AD when the Romans razed Jerusalem to the ground.
Now, your turn to show forth my MIS-understanding of the preaching of the gospel.
Ward
sing not only does our preaching not "smell good to the unregenerate" it also serves to increase their sin and their rebellion toward God. You know like in the exodus with pharaoh.
Where you fail to understand the gospel ministry is that you seem to think that people are saved apart from the preaching of the gospel you say that there is a distinction between salvation by "free grace", and salvation that comes by believing the gospel.
*Please remember that the salvation by God's free grace that enables a man to believe and be baptized is VERY DIFFERENT and DISTINCT from the salvation that comes from his believing the gospel and submission to water baptism.*
Sing, there is only one salvation taught in scripture it is in common parlance called the gospel
What in my posts would suggest that I made any distinction between a Jewish and a gentile disciple. Yes, Jesus instructed the Jewish disciples to go into all the world... don't just restrict yourselves to the Jews
What do you offer as evidence that any christian lost his life in the great tribulation of the siege of Jerusalem. the only people to suffer during that siege were unbelievers and blasphemers you might read the wars of the Jews by Josephus
"God's children who are unbelieving shall suffer terrible condemnation here in this life. Many of God's children suffered condemnation because of unbelief... they were roasted like pigs in 70AD when the Romans razed Jerusalem to the ground."
also, what do you mean by suggesting that Gods children shall suffer terrible condemnation here in this life for their unbelief. suffering is no proof of sin.
Sing F Lau
Lindsey, "where you fail to understand the gospel ministry is that you seem to think that people are saved apart from the preaching of the gospel you say that there is a distinction between salvation by "free grace",and salvation that comes... by believing the gospel."
==========
Let me try help to cure your misunderstanding.
Help to answer this question:
- How does God save you, and save you from what?
- How does your believing save you, and save you from what?
- Will you be able to believe if God has not saved you first?
- How can the salvation by God's free grace that enables you to believe be the same as the salvation that will come by your believing? How, dear brother? Gird up the loin of your mind, and think a little please!
I believe your main problem is that you fail to differentiate between the salvation that is by God's free grace, and the salvation that comes by your believing.
You would agree that God purposed eternal salvation for His people, and Christ accomplish that eternal salvation for the same people, and the Spirit of God applies that eternal salvation to each individual elect when they were in their native state of sin and death... and all these took place by God's free and sovereign grace, i.e. APART FROM any human co-operation or aid or instrument. That is why we say 'salvation is by God's free grace.' Anything that man can do is the EFFECTS of the salvation that has been bestowed by God's free grace.
There is a salvation that comes by hearing and believing the gospel. It saves a children of God from falsehood and superstition and lies - such as salvation somehow related to man's efforts. It enlightens him concerning the truth of his salvation by God's free grace, that instills assurance, confidence, hope, peace comfort, etc.
Let me give you an illustration: the life that you received from your parents through birth, and the life you will get through your obedience to their godly parenting are NOT one and the same are they? In the former, you were completely passive, they brought you into BEING; in the latter you are actively involved for your WELL-BEING.
God's free grace brought you into BEING as a child of God, all fitted for eternal glory, without any help or contribution or assistance from you - that is salvation by God's free grace in its true and correct sense.
You, having been brought in BEING as God's child, are commanded to believe the truth concerning your salvation by His free and sovereign grace... that you may know the truth and WALK in the truth... to live soberly, godly and righteously in the PRESENT life.
The gospel ministry is needed for the well-being of God's children... for their temporal salvation in this present life.
Their eternal salvation, to be delivered from the eternal wrath due to their sins is completely by the free grace of God.
If you can't or don't believe that, then refrain from mouthing 'salvation by God's free grace' ever again... because then you are only mouthing a religious shibboleth!
Sing F Lau
Lindsay @ "Sing, there is only one salvation taught in scripture it is in common parlance called the gospel"
========
Have you not read in the Holy Scriptures, that there is a salvation (of eternal in nature, as in the eternal redemption in ...Christ Jesus) by God's free grace, and there is a salvation (of temporal in nature) that God's children must work out for themselves with fear and trembling?
Common parlance is for the market place and slums, for ignorant and woolly folks... We who are students in the school of Jesus Christ have better learn to speak more exactly!
There is a salvation that is solely by the finished work of Jesus Christ, applied to God's elect solely by the free grace of God. That is eternal salvation, delivering His elect from the eternal wrath due to them for their sins.
There is a distinct salvation that comes through the response of God's children - that whom God has saved with eternal salvation - to God's commands and instructions for them.
Sing F Lau
Lindsay @ also, what do you mean by suggesting that Gods children shall suffer terrible condemnation here in this life for their unbelief.suffering is no proof of sin
=====
The lives of some Corinthians saints were terminated prematurely for ...their disobedience and unbelief, handling holy things with defiled hands, profaning holy things!
God's children who take the wide gate and broad way suffer destruction in this life. God's children who takes the strait gate and narrow way lead to abundance of life here.
Paul warned the believers, "Therefore BRETHREN, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
This is no hypothetical warning: God's children who live after the flesh, ye shall die... suffer destruction here in this life.
Sing F Lau
Lindsay @what do you offer as evidence that any christian lost his life in the great tribulation of the siege of Jerusalem.the only people to suffer during that siege were unbelievers and blasphemers you might read the wars of the Jews by Josephus
=====
From Apostle Peter's epistle, there were already scoffers concerning the judgment coming upon Jerusalem... Apostle Peter found it necessary to warn them against such scoffers.
In Christ parables of the kingdom of heaven, we read of those who by their unbelief and negligence did not escape the destruction that came upon Jerusalem.
Patron
I agree with scriptures and Sing on gospel, but I still trying to get understanding on the 2 types of children of God:
1) just believers but with no fruit nor sanctification in process = like reformers will call it zero evidence. Christ only as savior but rejecting HIS Lordship and carry on a sinful lifestyle.
2) disciples believers that have a lifestyle of continuous repentance not perfect but are at least have goals for the Kingdom and some fruits, deeds, growing in the knowledge of the Lord, in other words and active sanctification as synergism. showing and enjoying their new nature with new heart, desires and mind of Christ ...
Ward
The ones destroyed in the siege were not believers. the herald of the gospel has no idea who the elect are. All he knows is that he is under divine compulsion to preach.some will be saved some will be hardened God will be glorified. All sinners suffer, but suffering is not an indicator of a specific sin in a believer.
I believe your main problem is that you fail to differentiate between the salvation that is by God's free grace, and the salvation that comes by your believing.
this statement is erroneous
you cant have two means of salvation, and from your context you do not seem to be referring to salvation form some temporal calamity, but from the wrath of God which will include temporal as well as eternal judgment.
It is highly unlikely that any believer was left in Jerusalem in 70ad. Most all had sold all their properties earlier and were liquid and could travel, and the Jewish persecution drove many out and far away from the city as there were several would be Saul's of tarsus,and no body wants to be a Stephen if he can help it.even the apostle peter was killed in Rome years prior to ad.70. There were scoffers about the coming tribulation on Jerusalem sense the first preaching of the gospel.the dispys still scoff today
Ward
Yoel. the regenerate person has a desire to do the things that are pleasing to God. The unbeliever has no such desire.the unbeliever may be upset because he faces the consequences of his sin but he is in no way sorry for offending a Holy God like david was .there are not two types of children of God.unless you want to consider that all are his offspring by virtue of their being created by Him.
Patron
I know Lindsey but according to Sing understanding of Scriptures he believes that regeneration does not guarantee a change of lifestyle ...Sing also belives that some saved believers just get regenerated and never show what Jeremiah spoke on God's removing a rebel heart of stone, giving us a new heart, making us love Him and his Law etc, etc
Sing F Lau
Yoel @ I agree with scriptures and Sing on gospel... but I still trying to get understanding on the 2 types of children of God:
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I don't know where you get that 2 types of children of God from... probably you didn't understand what I have... said. There is only ONE TYPE of God's children - all born through the same DIVINE process - but each at different stage of spiritual maturity.
Consider Cornelius... he was made a child of God long before Apostle Peter was send to bring the gospel to him. When he wasn't even a believer (in the gospel, of course) he manifests much evidence of being a child of God.
I believe there are God's children like Cornelius in all the world, who fear God and work righteousness. The gospel ministry need to be brought to them... so that they may be CONVERTED to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
A child of God - as a result of divine work of effectual call out of sin and death to grace and salvation - DOES NOT carry on a sinful life style. They begin to fear God and work righteousness. But they are still ignorant of the gospel truth concerning their salvation in Jesus Christ. Regeneration brings some radical and fundamental change to a man. But without the gospel ministry he is still very ignorant of much things as a child of God.
Children of God who have been converted are in all sort of spiritual state - some robust, other mediocre, and many sick and weak. Some are soundly taught, others woolly and muddled headed! Others plainly untaught and unlearned as Apostle Peter warned!
Patron
thanks Sing...Oh I see, thats why I have seen and met a few children of God in the Jehovah witness church, Mormons and Roman Catholicism. I believe a lot of them are saved, but under serious doctrinal error .
Sing F Lau
Children of God are found in ALL SORTS of background and situation. They needed to be called out by the gospel call into the NT church. Many are not yet called by the gospel. Of the many that have heard the gospel call, they are not converted, others are converted to various degree.
The gospel is for the instruction and enlightenment of God's children... to save them from their doctrinal errors, and whole lots of other superstition and falsehood... to bring them to a knowledge of the truth of their redemption by God's free grace.
Patron
Awesome Sing! But it does not hurt to go as an evangelistic force in to the world approaching every person as a potentially child of God . I shared the seed of the word of God/Gospel of the Christ, and God decide of the growth and to make that heart/soil prepared and regenerated to respond into conversion when they hear the Gospel.
Patron
Sing what your take/understanding on the parable of the soils on Matthew 13? I heard to different camps one says two of the soils are saved, are children of God and will go to heaven.
The other camp (lordship salvation camp) says only one... the good soil , the one that became very fruitful is saved.??
I think both might be wrong and the Lord Jesus wasn't using these parable to teach on true or false saved believers. What you think Sing?
Sing F Lau
It would do a great deal of good to go wherever the Spirit of God leads an elder to preach the gospel, and gather God's children into churches. It is urgent that God's people hear and know the truth of their salvation by God's free and sovereign grace, and that they may be taught to live soberly, godly and righteously in this present world. The gospel will save God's children from much lies and falsehood, the gospel truth will set them free from superstition, give them assurance and hope and comfort, and strength etc...
But nearly all those who go forth to evangelize BELIEVE that they are helping God to produce His children, and helping God to gather souls into heaven!
Sing F Lau
Interesting question about the parable of the hearers!
Let me lay this fundamental and basic rule in interpretation: since eternal salvation is by God's free grace alone, whenever man's role or activity is involved, it CANNOT be about eternal salvation. Otherwise God's word is CONTRADICTED!
There is NOT A SINGLE INSTANT in the whole of the Scriptures where man is commanded to do something in order to save himself from the eternal misery he deserved.
Whenever men are commanded to do something to save themselves, it is often God's children being instructed to work out their own temporal salvation... work for their WELL-BEING as God's children.
The parable is about the manner the word of God is heard and received, and its corresponding effect. It SAYS NOTHING about what man must do in order to be saved - it is not a parable telling what men must do in order to be saved from their eternal condemnation.
The parable is addressed to those who have ears to hear the spiritual truth sown trough the preaching of the word. Those who have ears to hear - if taken in a wooden literal sense would apply to literally everyone except the deaf. But is that what it means? Do the spiritually dead have ears to hear spiritual things conveyed in the sowing of the word? Obviously not!
The parable is addressed to those who have ears to hear the preached word of God. The parable deal with God's children... how they should hear the word of God preached to them.
The parable informs and warns of the various types of hearers among God's children, and exhorts them to be like the good soil hearers... such that they bear fruit to the glory of God.
This parable is about the discipleship of God's children. Many of God's children are stunted because of the way they hear the preached word. The good ground hearers are those who hear and grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ
October 12 at 12:48am.
