Spiritual Vision

This post will address Jesus’ famous parable about the four soils (a/k/a “the Sower”). It’s essentially about true and false conversions and how the devil and the cares of this world can easily snatch the “gospel-saving” seed from a person before it ever takes permanent root. In other words, when this happens it essentially keeps the unsuspecting person spiritually blind. This is a very serious topic so please read this parable very carefully.  It is taken from Matthew 13:

3 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.

16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 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 their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

The divine truth from this parable is that when the gospel (the good news about Jesus) is preached there are different responses to the gospel. The response is determined by the condition of the person’s heart, and ultimately leads to “true” and “false” conversions. In other words, only some of the people who believe they are Christians are truly saved, while the majority of others who presumably believe they are Christians are not truly saved, and thus are living with “false” hope.  This means they are still lost, are still spiritually blind, and are not genuinely saved! Friends, this is a very serious question that everyone should reflect upon. The Bible speaks of various tests, or self-assessments, to examine whether or not a person is genuinely in the faith (i.e., truly saved). One example is the fruit of the spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23.  Another example is whether a person bears good fruit found in Matthew 7:15-20.