Christ is Looking for a Commitment
The Bible is full of scripture that tell us our salvation is a free gift of God and our actions cannot get us to heaven because of our sinful nature. One example is Romans 10:9-10 where we are told if we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart, we will be saved. Another tells us if we knock, the door to salvation will be opened for us. It is wonderful to know the Lord is waiting on us to ask Him to be apart of our lives. Then because Christ died on the cross, our sins are wiped clean.
However, what happens next is all up to us. In Matthew 13:3-9 Jesus tells us the parable of the farmer sowing seed. Parables are used through out the New Testament and the meanings can sometimes be interpreted differently, but in this case Christ explains the parable so there can be no misunderstanding. If you remember, the seed is the Word of God and some falls on the path, some on rocky places, and some among the thorns and of course some fell on the good soil, growing to produce fruit. The seed that fell on the path was immediately eaten by the birds or rejected by those that heard it. However, the seed that fell on the rocky ground and among the thorns was received and sprouted. But like the people hearing His Word who initially get excited about it will often fall away because of pressures of this world and were really not that serious. God did His part by forgiving our sins and the plants grew to a point, but because there was no commitment, they withered and died. God did not just allow those plants to be small and unfruitful, but they died.
The seed that fell on the good soil is like someone who makes a full commitment to follow and obey God’s commandments. Our salvation is so much more than perfect attendance at our CCD classes or an emotional night at a revival. It may very well start there, but the Lord is looking for a commitment when we invite Him into our life. We are given power over sin, but we have to make a conscious effort to turn from sin in order to experience the fruits of the Spirit.
This parable may sound like we must earn our way into heaven, but it is not so. The Bible may sound like it contradicts itself and we may not understand all God wishes us to know. However, this is the Word of God and Luke tells us heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s words never will. Then in 2 Timothy we are told “All scripture is God-breathed…”, so we have to be very careful not to pick and choose which scriptures we quote. So often our churches are guilty of not telling the whole story, but this came directly from the mouth of our Lord and Savior. We worship a loving Lord, but just like our earthly parents who will often ask up to behave in a certain way, so does our heavenly Father, expecting us to turn from sin.
