The Seed Of Salvation

Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!” When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” Luke 8:8 (NLT)

We are all sinners, (Romans 5:12). We're born in sin, (Psalm 51:5), and we are, by our very nature, "children of wrath," (Ephesians 2:2-3). Through the fall of Adam and Eve, sin entered into this world and corrupted it (Romans 5:12–21). But, by the grace of God, we are not left without hope. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we can find forgiveness and mercy and have all our sins washed away by His cleansing blood on the cross (Isaiah 1:18). All we have to do is confess our sins, (1 John 1:9), repent of them, (Acts 3:19), and place our faith and trust in Christ, (Ephesians 2:8). Jesus bore our sins on the cross, (1 Peter 2:24), so that we will die to sin and live to righteousness. We become a new creation, (2 Corinthians 5:17), justified by faith (Romans 5:1). The Holy Spirit indwells us (Romans 8:11) and continues to work in us to bring about sanctification (Romans 15:16).

In Luke 8, Jesus tells us a parable of a farmer scattering seed. The seed is the Gospel being preached and the different types of soil represents the hearer. Out of those who hear the message preached, only one of the four soils will produce a crop, while the rest, due to one reason or another, will walk away.

So how do we know what type of soil we are?

Out of the four types of soil, three of them represent the false convert while the fourth represents the soundly saved.

➢ The first seed in verse 5 is the easiest to spot. This person will hear the Gospel and walk away unchanged.

➢ The second seed in verse 6 represents someone who hears the Gospel and initially receives it with joy. But as soon as temptation strikes they become disinterested and walk away.

➢ The third seed in verse 7 receives the Gospel but after a time they turn back to the pursuits and passions of the world and walk away.

As you can see, the first three seeds have the same thing in common. The false convert will eventually walk away if death doesn't take them first. It doesn't matter how long you've been "in the faith" either. If you walk away, you show yourself to be a false convert.

➣ However, once the seed is planted in good soil, it will continue to grow and mature because the soundly saved have the perfect gardener, the Holy Spirit, tending it. This is the true test of salvation. If you are continuing to grow in your relationship with God, continuing to repent of your sins, becoming more sensitive to your sins, growing in your knowledge of God and His Word, then you can have assurance in your salvation. Philippians 1:6 says, "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns."NLT

The problem is in not caring if you sin. When you are saved, the Holy Spirit brings conviction, John 16:8, so if you're not being convicted of your iniquity, then you need to worry, seek God, and repent. Only those who were not saved to begin with will walk away, 1 John 2:19, while the soundly saved will never walk away from Christ, John 10:28.

So which soil are you?

Repent and believe before it's too late

Photo source: One and Two

The Reflection of Marriage

Several years back I was in a Christmas play at my local church. It was a lot of fun and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I played one of four Nutcrackers and before each performance began, we would stand in the foyer, opposite one another, and pretend that we were statues. Of course, the children liked to come up and poke us to try and get us to move. We would remain motionless until it was time for the play to start, at which point I would yell like a soldier and march toward the platform. It was great to be on stage and I'm glad I was a part of it. Just like the play I was in was meant to represent God's love for us in sending His Son into the world, our marriages are God's play to the rest of the world.

Marriage for a Christian is not only a blessing, if done right, it should also be a great representation of the relationship between the Church and God. The blessing, of course, is that God unites us as one and we get to share our lives with the person we love. And I am so thankful that God bestowed such a huge blessing on me, that He gave me such a wonderful wife. But as great a blessing as it is, I must never forget that it's also God's cosmic play to represent Christ and His bride.

When the outside world looks at us, they should be able to see what it is like to have a proper relationship with God. In this play, the man represents Jesus and the woman represents the Church. How you play your role is critical to the development of the story. Let's take a closer look to get a better understanding of our "roles".

"For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything." (Ephesians 5:22-24 NLT)

This passage has been very controversial over the ages as husbands have abused and twisted what this Scripture is saying. They believe submission is domination and that can't be further from the truth.

Think of it like this, Jesus submits to the Father and He did so even to the point of death on the cross (Philippians 2:8). Jesus is in no way lesser than the Father as they are equal in all things (John 10:30). Jesus submits to the Father without losing His equality, and the wife does so in the same way. Jesus is a willing participant, there is no power struggle between the two because, and I can not stress this enough, they are equal. Jesus submits to bring ultimate glory to God, in which He is a part of, and so brings glory to Himself. The submission of the wife is a reflection of the Church's submission to Christ. So wives, by allowing the husbands the leading role, you are giving others a sight into what it means to be a Christian.

"For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her." (Ephesians 5:25 NLT)

Husbands, the greater responsibility is on our shoulders. To love our wives as Christ loves the Church is impossible, and yet, it is required of us. There is no greater love than that of God, for God is love (1John 4:8). We are to love them so much that we give up our lives for our wives, to devote ourselves to the ministry of marriage. The reason...

"To make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault." (Ephesians 5:26, 27 NLT)

It is our duty to ensure that our wives have every available resource to grow in her relationship to God and to not be a hindrance. Being the spiritual leader in the home is not about dominance but about love, we are to love our wives as ourselves.

"In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church." (Ephesians 5:28, 29 NLT)

In every way our wives are our first and primary ministry. We must love them, cherish them, and spend more time with them than our hobbies and friends. We must put our wives needs first. Repent of pornography and the sin of lust (Matthew 5:28). We must listen to them. Being submissive does not mean that our wives have no say or authority. They are equal to us in every way and God has so much for our wives to teach us. We can not be foolish in this. Remember, this ministry is a reflection of the love between Jesus and the Church. It is evangelism to the world around us and believe me, the world is watching you. If the world around you can not say, "Wow, Jesus loves me that much!" than you are not fulfilling your role in God's cosmic play.

"So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." (Ephesians 5:33 NLT)

Repent and believe before it's too late

Photo source: First and Second