question on interpretation of sower and seeds parable

I can eat 50 eggs said:

I was hoping I could get some help from you good people. This Sunday I'm teaching a lesson on the parable of the sower and the seeds. (luke 8:4)
I want to present what various groups of Christians think about this passage. Of all the major schools of though in Christianity, I know the least about the Reformed viewpoint. Could you please tell me how this parable fits in with your view of salvation?

thanks so much

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Well, a full answer would be difficult here. I would encourage you to do a little bit of research on the subject and look up the passage in a few Reformed commentaries. I can help you out with some references for those.

Calvin, of course, would be a good place to start. The parable of the sower is contained in his Commentary, Harmony of the Gospels, vol. 2, pp. 58-76. Because it is a "harmony" commentary, Calvin also covers the record of the parable as expounded in Matthew and Mark. You can download or view this volume here: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom33.html.

Another good resource is John Gill. You can see his comments on the Lukan passage here: http://bible.crosswalk.com/Commentaries/GillsExpositionoftheBible/gil.cgi?book=lu&chapter=008.

I also recommend Matthew Henry. You can read his comments in his commentary, volume five, pages 946-951. See also his comments on the accounts in Matthew and Mark contained in the same volume. You can download/view it here: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc5.html.

And, finally, there is the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentary. They exposite the parable in the Markan account, so you will have to refer to pages 1982-1984. If you go to the passage in Luke, they refer you back to Mark. You can download/view this commentary here: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/jamieson/jfb.html.

Soli Deo Gloria

Jon

I can eat 50 eggs,

Even though you have those links to read...never rely on that. Always go back to the word of God. I fully understand the parable as it took me sometime to learn it but its basically its talking about those who hear the gospel, some become saved, some think they're saved but are not and are caught up in the world. When God is about to save someone, he disallows Satan to take away the word of God in someone's heart so God can apply the word of God into their to become saved and they are sent out preaching the gospel to bring the other fold into the kingdom of God not knowing who they are but God only knows who the lost sheep are (John 10:16). And there are other times if its not God's good pleasure to save that person, then Satan will be allowed to take away the word from that person's heart and be deceived. There are those who received the word of God and have joy in their for a short time and endures for a little while but when they are told the truth about the true gospel they are offended, despising God's salvation program. Now since I have told you what I have understood about the parable(I use the whole light of the bible pertaining to a particular verse or subject to come to truth) Don't trust me...read the word yourself and see if its true what I have said.

James1979 said:

Even though you have those links to read...never rely on that. Always go back to the word of God.

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Sage advice, but if you re-read his post, he is presenting various interpretations throughout the denominational spectrum and was looking specifically for Reformed viewpoints.

Soli Deo Gloria

Jon

By the way, 50 eggs, I love the name you took. Is it true?

CoffeeSwirls said:

By the way, 50 eggs, I love the name you took. Is it true?

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I'm glad you asked, cause I was wondering that too.