Faith Types and The Parable of the Sower:
The Parable of the Sower soils can also be viewed via the lens of ones’ faith related to the four soil types, as follows:
- Faith Blinders
- Faith Rocky
- Faith Rebel
- Remaining Faith
Faith relates to one’s inner trust, belief, and following of Jesus Christ the Son of God, who is one in nature with God the Father and God’s Spirit.
Faith Blinders:
A person with Faith Blinders fails to comprehend the wisdom in trusting, believing, and following God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Consequently, God’s Word is disregarded, corresponding to seed sown along the path.
Matthew 13:19 (NIV): 19 When 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.
Those with blinders to faith can be the worldly outside the Church, or even those who appear religious inside the visible Church. The net result are people who never let God’s Word sink into their soul to grow and change it!
Luke 6:39 (ESV): 39 He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?
Hebrews 4:2 (ESV): 2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.
Faith Rocky:
A person with a Faith that is Rocky is content with a surface-level faith in God’s Word. A contributor to surface-level faith may even be how faith was explained! This contentment is counterproductive, leading an individual to skip the dedication required to stand firm. To stand firm requires increased understanding in depth with application of God’s Word learning from Jesus’ life. To squander the initial faith, even if received with joy & enthusiasm, mirrors seed sown along the path with rocks right below the surface.
Matthew 13:20-21(NIV): 20 The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
To have a faith that overcomes the world requires a deep focus on faith, so the faith produces a love for all people and a righteousness not of works or religiosity, but in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is one with God, and is God.
1 John 5:4-5 (ESV): 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world– our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
It critical to consider how deep or shallow one’s faith is to apply special care to learn Jesus’ character to be like Jesus in love, truth, righteousness, and endurance. Why? Self-interest of one’s final & eternal destination is at stake.
Faith Rebel:
People with Rebellious Faith destructively permit worldly priorities and aspirations to compete with faith in God as primary, rather than fully committing to Jesus Christ, despite knowing better. The result is predictably putting worldly ways in positions to interfere with their walk with God. This happens over time as choices in life solidify & reveal ones’ degenerate character, like when God’s Kingdom’s seed is sown among thorns.
Matthew 13:22 (NIV): 22 The 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.
To counter this self-destructive character pattern requires deliberate attention to make diligent efforts to pull up these competing worldly weeds. This responsibility to take steps to eliminate obstacles operates in tandem with our tending to God’s Words growing in our soul as number one.
Jude 1:3-4 (ESV): 3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
As the Bible verse in Jude illustrates, One’s Responsibility is to “contend for the faith” using all one’s heart, mind, body, and soul. The Holy Spirit will guide each serious contender in the ways of faith, truth, and love to know and imitate Jesus Christ and his apostles’ inner character. Like in the early centuries after Jesus’ life, crucifixion, death, and resurrection, be alert to any distortion of the Gospel of Grace that destructively encourages sin. Instead, apply deep knowledge of the truth of God to pluck up any weed seeds sown. God the Father oversees this process, to ensure true believers are never tempted more than they are able to bear, as God aids travelers through this faith journey.
Remaining Faith:
A Remaining Faith in Jesus the Savior exhibits a firm character rooted increasingly more deeply in God’s Word, that fruitfully understands and practices God’s Word. This faith tends to one’s own character diligently to work to eliminate evil thoughts and actions. The faith in God’s Son endures through hardship. This faith operates like the seed that fell on good soil.
Matthew 13:23 (NIV): 23 But 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.”
In the Bible, Peter’s Letter informs us that even after God calls and elects a person to have a remaining & enduring faith, that the faith is made certain through the proper nourishing and practicing of that faith in Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:9-11 (ESV): 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
What type of harvest in your character & soul & in the world, ought you to see? Can you explain your part in pursuing it? Peter elaborates on need to “make every effort” to add to your faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affecting, and love. Why? Doing so will ensure you are effective, productive, and fruitful in your faith in Jesus.
2 Peter 1:9-11 (ESV): 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faith Types Summary:
The seed of faith in Jesus gives us options regarding how the seed of faith, the seed of the Kingdom, is to grow in the soil of our soul, our mind, our character, and our heart:
- Properly understand & practice a Remaining Faith
- Strengthen faith or become blind again with Faith Blinders
- Deepen faith or let faith become week & wither away like a Rocky Faith
- Make faith the top priority or set it up to be toppled by the world’s cares, desires, aspirations, and concerns like a Faith Rebel
2 Peter 1:3-4 (ESV): 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
The choice that guarantees our eternity fruitfulness is to practice a Remaining Faith which continues to learn ever more about God’s character, through Jesus Christ the Son of God in whom the fullness of God’s nature is hidden, with guidance from the Holy Spirit as God’s Word is absorbed and applied.
Next Steps:
View the Parable of the Sower Slideshare Presentation.
You can also directly view the Parable of the Sower presentation at the Slideshare link http://www.slideshare.net/creationary/parable-of-the-sower-and-reapers-roadmap-slide-share
Continue your studies on the Parable of the Sower:
Invitation to Delve Deeply into the Parable of the Sower
https://bibleopia.wordpress.com/2011/01/01/invitation-to-delve-deeply-into-the-parable-of-the-sower
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