A80 : by Andy Woods
Thank you for your kind words concerning our teaching.
Regarding Mark 4, I am not sure if this passage is only about who is/is not
saved since it might deal with the situation of Christians who resist the
work of God in their lives thereby making them unfruitful.
Interestingly, some kind of spiritual activity is mentioned in each of the
four soils indicating the possibility that all groups are believers. The
first group has the word of God "in them" (Mark 2:15). The second batch of
seed "sprang up" (Mark 2:5) and they received the word of God "with joy"
(Mark 2:16). The third group apparently already had received the word but
became unfruitful in their Christian life due to the cares of this world.
Only a believer can be unfruitful. An unbeliever does not even have the
possibility of bearing any fruit. The thorns choking the good seed (Mark
2:7) seems to indicate that the good seed was initially taking effect in the
person's life before being choked. No one disputes the salvation of those in
the fourth group.
My view on some of these soteriological passages is a minority position. I
do not view them like a typical Calvinist (those that bore no fruit were not
saved in the first place) or Arminian (those that bore no fruit lost their
salvation). Rather, I see Scripture routinely warning against carnal
Christianity so that the believer can avoid losing rewards at the Bema Seat
Judgment (1 Cor 3:15).
For better validation of the rewards view, see Dillow's Reign of the Servant
Kings as well as many of the other fine books put out by the Grace
Evangelical Society.
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