The Onus Is on the Believer

2024-06-01

The Word of God is the incorruptible seed that causes rebirth. “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Peter 1:23). This salvation by regeneration precedes anything before a person can bear any fruit to the Lord. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). If it is the Word of God, the Gospel of grace, that causes salvation, then the onus is on the Christian for other people to be saved.

The seed of the Word of God, when it falls in the fertile, prepared soil of a human heart, will always bear fruit. This is the parable of the sower in action. Now understand what this means. If the seed of the Word of God is incorruptible and without blemish, the problem is not with the seed. The problem is with the soil. “But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold” (Matthew 13:8). Where do we plant seeds? Do we intentionally plant seed on rocky soil, or on soil of shallow depth, or on soil with thorns in it? Surely, we would not plant them by the wayside. We would intentionally plant the seed on the good soil.

But do we neglect the other soils? No, we must prepare those soils. Clear the rocks. Remove the thorns. Plough the shallow soil. Make those necessary preparations. Even the wayside can be ground up. Then plant the seed of the Gospel.

What are the rocks and shallowness and thorns and the wayside? It is all the baggage for living in this world. Years of public schools telling our children they are evolved animals fit for slaughter. Endless entertainment that dulls the nerves to the truth of God’s Word. The busyness of career and the cares of this life. Every individual experience is different with different obstacles. Some have extreme trauma to deal with. Even if children are exposed to an hour a week at church, what good is one hour of usually superficial teaching against the deluge of Satan’s filth being injected through the eyes and ears of humanity daily?

The onus is on us to get with people and to plough and plough and plough through the stones and thorns and shallowness and filth. We need to get people to a place where they can hear and understand the Word of God. We plough so a new foundation can be laid, the real narrative of human history where God is creator and judge, how humankind rebelled against Him, and that the Savior is Jesus Christ. It is the details of Genesis’ primeval history. It is the patterns of Christ throughout the Old Testament. These serve as the background so the Gospel can fall on the proper soil.

So maybe it less emphasis on God’s election or the hearer’s responsibility, but more on the believer who ploughs the hearts of humankind to sow the precious seed of the Gospel. So the Word is fulfilled, “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:6).

So how do we move forward from here?