CHAPTER III

"Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience." (Luke 8:11-15 )

In our last article on the subject of "THE GLORIOUS GOSPEL" it was clearly and irrefutably shown from Scripture that the "good ground" and the "good heart" could not have been produced by human nature, for human nature at its very best state is altogether vanity (Psalm 39:5), and fallen man in his utterly depraved mind, thinks that God is altogether such an one as himself (Psalm 50:21). So it is, the elect of God are by "nature the children of wrath, even as others" (Ephesians 2:3). Thus, we are forced to conclude whatever the "good ground" and "good heart" are, they were unproductive prior to the "seed" or word of God being sown in them.

It was the gospel or "the word of God" that manifested the difference in the various grounds, and made the heretofore barren "good ground" alive and fruitful. Paul asked the Corinthian saints a pride-destructive question, saying unto them: "Who maketh thee to differ from another? ..." (I Corinthians 4:7). Then, in the same chapter, verse 15, he lets them know by Whom and what means their difference was realized; "... For in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel." Speaking of Christ and His gospel, Paul wrote the Ephesian church, saying: "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13). When Paul said he was "not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth ..." (Romans 1:16), neither was he fearful of being disproved, for his evidence at the time was yet alive and exceeding great in number (II Timothy 2:2).

The Apostle Peter, by inspiration of God, emphatically declares that the gospel is a Divine means of regeneration. Peter testifies, saying: "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever" (I Peter 1:23). Peter’s words in this text are self-explanatory, and give the novice Christian a ready exegesis that cannot be gainsaid. So as to highlight the place of the gospel word in regeneration, and to allay any confusion that would arise concerning the incarnate Word and the gospel word, the Lord said: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24).

By hearing the gospel word, and believing what it says about the living Word, we are saved; but we need to keep in the forefront of our mind, that it was the power of God that enabled us to believe the gospel. The gospel is a Divine means that God uses in regenerating His elect people, whereby they are made spiritually alive, become the sons of God experientially, receive the imputed righteousness of Christ, and become heralds of the gospel. It is not the power of mere human words, nor is it the power of the persuasive preacher. It is not the sophistication and learning of the hearer, nor is it by the will of man, but it is by the power of God. God, by sovereign design and mercy, speaks to His people through His written word, and uses that word in connection with the living Word to regenerate His people.

In Matthew 13 Jesus spoke in parables to great multitudes of people, and in verse 35 of Matthew 13 the Lord tells us why He spoke in parables to the multitudes: "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world" (Isaiah 6:9-10; Acts 28:25-28). At the conclusion of this session of parabolic teaching by the Lord, He asked His disciples, saying unto them: "Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old" (Matthew 13: 51-52). Please note, the "new" and "old" things are "treasures". The Lord in these parables (Matthew 13; Mark 4; Luke 8) is teaching His disciples something that is new and something that is old to their ears.

In Matthew 13:52 the Lord gives His disciples scribal status. They had been disciples of Moses, but now they are disciples of the prophesied and manifested Messiah, and are to bring forth things new and old from the treasury of the gospel. There are many covenants referred to in Scripture, such as the Edenic, Noachian, Abrahamic, Mosiac, etc., but none are as ancient as the gospel covenant, which is referred to as the "better covenant" with "better promises" (Hebrews 8:6). The gospel of Christ is an indispensable part of the eternal or "everlasting covenant" ( Hebrews 13:20 ), and is referred to as "new" only in the sense the Mosiac (works) covenant has waxed old, decayed, and ready to vanish away (Hebrews 8:13).

The fall of Adam nullified the Edenic covenant, but did not in any sense or degree alter the covenant of sovereign grace, for it antedates creation, and is underwritten by Divine omniscience and omnipotent providence. The Lord of glory never decreed or intended to save any person by a covenant of works (Hebrews 10:4), but they were products of God’s wisdom, for they were shadows which reflected the gospel of salvation, and the one sacrifice in Whom the elect of God were chosen before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4; Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 10:1). The eternal covenant of redemption has never been in a state of inertia, for God has never left Himself without a gospel witness in the earth (Acts 14:17; Hebrews 2:3-4). Christ said if His disciples refused to witness of His mighty works, then "The stones would immediately cry out" (Luke 19:40). So, there has never been a season since creation, wherein the gospel was ineffectual or fruitless.

The "good ground" in the parable of the sower was prepared and inviting before the sower went out to sow his seed. The covenant of elective grace was prepared ere the ages were born, and Christ the Mediator of that covenant, says: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28; I Peter 1:18-21). The "ground" of election is eternal ground, for it is made ready by the Lord, and all that the Father gave unto the Son in the covenant of redemption, which the Lord likened unto "good ground", shall be a part of that bountiful harvest which hear the gospel; for the Lord hath loved them with an "everlasting love" (John 6:37; Jeremiah 31:3).

To say, as Arminianism says, that election is a bilateral covenant, drawn up by God and presented to the will of fallen man for ratification, is blasphemy. The covenant of election is a unilateral compact, drawn up by the triune God ere there was an angel, much less man. The covenant needs not the sanction of creatures, for God is absolutely sovereign, His "counsel shall stand", and He says: "I will do all My pleasure" (Isaiah 46:10). While God does not look to man for ratification of any of His actions, He does look to His blood bought children for gratification, and He is never disappointed in this matter, for one of the first fruits of hearing and believing the gospel is gratitude toward God for His infinite mercy in providing them a Saviour from their merited condemnation. Thus it is, Paul says: "Rejoice evermore" (I Thessalonians 5:16).

The preacher of the glorious gospel of Christ does not have access to the "Lamb’s book of life" (Luke 10:20; Revelation 21:27). He cannot distinguish by his own intellect between the covenant sons of God, and those whom God passed over in the redemptive scheme. Spiritually speaking, the God called preacher cannot tell the "good ground" from any other ground. This is why the gospel is to be preached indiscriminately, or to "every creature" (Mark 16:15). The Holy Spirit tutored preacher knows that Jesus "shall save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21), and he knows the gospel is the glorious instrument the Lord uses in calling His elect people from death unto life, or from sin unto salvation. He knows there is some "good ground", or covenant souls in whom the gospel seed needs to be sown. Then too, he knows if he is faithful in preaching the gospel, the Lord will give him an increase, even as much as an hundred fold in some cases (Matthew 13:8).

Let me say ere we leave off further consideration of the "parable of sower", the covenant people of God or "good ground" people need to hear and believe the gospel, as much so as the "way side" people, "rocky ground" people, or "thorny ground" people, for all their "righteousnesses are as filthy rags" in God’s sight (Isaiah 64:6). The old nature is not changed in regeneration, but remains as depraved and capable of sin as it was prior to hearing and believing the gospel. The old nature is carnal, and is fully a servant of sin. The new nature is not merely God-imparted, but is God-implanted. Paul said: "Christ liveth in me" (Galatians 2:20), and in another place he said: "For to me to live is Christ" (Philippians 1:21). Paul knew the old nature was capable only of sin, but he also knew that hearing and believing the gospel would go a very long way in checking the old sin-loving nature.

The covenant of eternal and unconditional election is symbolized by the term "good ground", for it is out of this "good ground" the fruit of election is brought forth. The "honest heart" does not precede regeneration in the experience of God’s elect, but it is what God sees in His chosen people when He considers the sovereignty of the gospel, and it is what He sees when He looks at His people through the eyes of covenant omniscience. Let us remember God is not subject to the law of time as is man. God is the God of supreme logic, but He is not bound by chronology. God is the author of time. With the creation of heaven and earth, time was first introduced, and time is infallibly subservient to the decrees of God. More about time later in this series.