The word of God can be a times difficult to properly interpret. We must be careful to pay close attention to the complete context and surrounding text. Many times people will either over emphasize a particular teaching or minimize the intent of a passage. As an example I would like to take a look at one particular passage of scripture in the New Testament, Mark 4:3-20. This scripture has been taught from many different view points. The first view point I would like to examine is the minimizing view.
Some preachers teach that there are three types of “saved soil” represented. They consider that only the first type of soil “by the road” where the seed is taken away by the birds represents the unsaved. This position sees the next two soils as backslidden Christians. True believers that have let things get in their way of following Christ. and they might would say the last type is the believer that is actively following God. This is an example of minimizing the impact of the words of Christ. If we just look at Christ’s own explanation it becomes clear that the first three soil types are all unbelievers because the only soil that produces good fruit is the final one. Not only that but not everyone in the last category produces the same amount. The key point is that they all produce something. Verse 16 makes clear the connection between the first and second types of soil. The third type is a bit more difficult in that there appears to be something going on, but nothing is being produced. These are likely representative of the unsaved within the congregation – tares among the wheat. They look the part, say the right things, but their heart is completely entangled in the affairs of this world they are the religious that have an appearance of godliness but there is no power in them. Next we will consider the supersizing of this teaching.
Still others will look at this with such overemphasis that they cannot leave any room for Christians that do struggle with remaining sin in their life yet have proof of God’s redemption in their heart. There is a reason that the master commands his servants not to rip up the tares from the wheat. They would likely pull up and destroy some who are truly God’s children in the process. We really cannot tell which is which until they reach maturity. The point really is that we must be aware that there are unsaved masquerading as the real deal and that we are called to examine our own faith and see if it is real. You don’t need to be trusting in a persons affirmation that your faith is real, but knowing it because of the living relationship you have with Christ. Another position that has been taken is that since there are only four types of soil and that only one type is truly regenerated then only 25% of all humanity will be saved. This again is not the point of the passage to name a number, in fact it may well be much lower percentage than that – just consider the narrow and wide gate scripture. So what is the point of this passage.
In verses 13-20 Christ Himself tells us just what this text means without any ambiguity. The first He tells us in verse 13 is that there is something in this parable that will be critical to understanding all of the other parables. So what is it that we must understand from this parable? Not everyone who hears the gospel will be saved. Not everyone who says a prayer and walks an isle posses eternal life. We cannot always tell the difference between real and fake Christians. Every true believer will produce good works as a result of their salvation not as a condition for receiving salvation.
Ephesians 2: 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Every true believer will produce good works as a result of their salvation not as a condition for receiving salvation. Hearing then receiving the word will always produce a life that desires to OBEY God.
I believe that most people have good intentions when they supersize or downsize a section of scripture. Seeing it as either too harsh that there is no way that is what is meant or they key in on a singular doctrine and concentrate so much on that one doctrine that they almost ignore the rest. It is never love to soften the force of scripture nor is it love to hammer home some pet doctrine. We need to let the word of God clearly speak for itself consistently interpreting scripture with scripture.
Basic hermeneutics (that means how we interpret the Bible) is simply this read the scripture in complete context that means the entire book of the Bible where it is located and in light of what the rest of scripture declares on that subject. If you read something and the meaning seems right and makes sense then you likely have the right sense of the passage.
The bottom line is there are some very wonderful promises and very real consequences in scripture. Just because we have trouble accepting or understanding something doesn’t make it wrong. The point of growing in Christ is to become more and more like Him, not to somehow conform God into some image of Him that we have to make Christianity compatible with our own beliefs.
Read the word faithfully, pray for clarity and understanding, obey what you already understand and you will grow more and more into the image of Christ.
sherman
