Part 5—Soils That Cannot Be Saved

“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred….And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” Mark 4:3-8, 15-20 (NKJV) emphasis added.

Jesus calls this soil good soil or good ground. This ground is not hard but has been broken. This soil has no hidden stones underneath that would hinder the growth of the seed. This soil is deep; all the stones hiding underneath have been removed. This soil has been weeded. The seed will not be choked out in this soil for everything has been removed that would kill the growth of the seed.

This person has been broken. This person will endure through trials and persecution. This person is not easily entangled with the things of this world because this person’s desires have been changed. This person sits under the Word, and the Word takes root. There is a continual and constant desire for the Word of God in the life of this person, and fruit is born by the power of God in the life of this individual. They are growing and fruit is produced. You can see spiritual growth in this person. This soil, unlike the others, is saved.

Some may say that all the soils can be saved, but in reality they all cannot. For only the soil that bears fruit is good soil, and the others will not bear fruit. The only way the other soils can be saved is for them to be radically altered, and only God can do that. The hard ground will not break itself. The stony ground will not dig deep enough and pull out the stones that lie beneath. The stony ground doesn’t even recognize that it is stony. The thorny soil is deceived and thinks they can live for God according to the world’s standards. It is imperative that these first three soils be completely changed before they can and will receive the seed so that it will grow in them; and this is the supernatural work of God.

The first three soils are finally eclipsed by the three good soils. There are those soils that produce some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred. Jesus points out in greater detail the first three soils, for He is surrounded by them as the multitudes of those who call themselves God’s people gather around Him yet have little to know reality to their so-called faith. The multitudes will abandon Him in the end, for they will be offended by Him.

Which soil best represents your life? If you are not growing in the Lord, I urge you to examine yourself to see if you are truly in the faith. Where there is no growth, there is no life. I implore you to run to Christ and beg for forgiveness. Repent and believe.

Part 4—Soils That Cannot Be Saved

“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.…And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, an it becomes unfruitful.” Mark 4:3-7, 15-19 (NKJV) emphasis added.

Let us now look at the third soil that cannot be saved. This soil is not hard, but soft. The Word can penetrate this soil. This soil is not shallow. The Word can take root. But this soil’s condition is still a problem.

With each soil Jesus shows to us, there seems to be an increasing ability to take in the Word, but there seems to be an increasingly more sinister and deeper problem that lies beneath. The first soil or heart is proud and stubborn and will not be broken under the influence of the Word. The second is more receptive, but isn’t committed when it becomes difficult to be a follower of Christ. Now we have an even greater problem lying beneath the surface.

This soil is soft and deep, but what lies beneath is as deadly to the Word as bedrock of limestone or as being hardened on top. This soil is the crowded soil. Here there are thorns beneath the surface. There’s too much that's crowding out the seed. The weeds may not be visible at first. They may have been chopped down, but under the surface there remains a strong weed root system.

This heart has heard the full disclosure of the Word, but they are distracted by everything else. They think they have Christ in one hand and the the things of this world in the other, but this is an impossible combination. These have one foot in the Word and one foot in the world. These are the half-hearted followers. There is no room for the good seed to bring new life. There is no fruit of repentance. There is no fruit of saving faith. There is no fruit of obedience. They are so full of the system of the world that the seed of the Word gets choked out. They are charmed by the world, and they are unconverted.

John wrote to the church in Ephesus in his letter of 1 John in chapter 2:15-17 (ESV),

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

This soil succumbs to the world. This soil will try to have its hand in the world and hold onto heaven. There is no evidence of grace here. This heart is not totally given to Christ, but sees the life of Christ as merely a part of their life. They can be easily distracted from the things of God, and will be in and out the congregation depending on if there are other things that are going on. The root system of this world chokes out any hope of the life-changing Word of God. This is the crowded soil, and this culture is full of this soil. This soil is lost but thinks it is saved. This soil sees no fruit but doesn’t expect any anyway.

This person professes Christ, but the pursuit of their life is filled with everything but the pursuit of holiness. They will pursue happiness, and Christ will be an additive to make their life better. This person is lost but thinks they are saved.

This soil cannot be saved for the Word is unable to produce fruit in it. Is the Word of God being strangled out in your life? Are the cares of this world consuming you? Have you fallen for the idea that wealth solve bring lasting fulfillment? Do you continually desire for more things? What is it that you truly live for?

If God is not producing His fruit in your life, you are not saved by Him. Only He can free you from that which entangles you. Only He can free you from the weeds of this world that entangles you. Only He can remove the thorns and weeds of this world. Run to Him.

Receiving Christ—John 1:12

By Robert Pruitt (Pastor: Coloma Bible Church, Coloma MI)

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Hans Kerrl, the minister for Church Affairs under Adolf Hitler, railed against a man named Zoellner who was the Chairman of the Church Committees in Germany, saying,

that he . . . spoke always of belief in Christ as the Son of God. This was laughable. For that was a dogma of the past; true Christianity was represented by National Socialism; National Socialism was the fulfillment of God’s will; it was not the Church which had exhibited the faith which moves mountains it was the Füher, and he was therefore the herald of a new revelation (1).

Such blasphemy is difficult to image. Here is one who stood for and with Hitler, perhaps one of the most evil men the world has ever known. Here is a man who agreed with the persecution of true Christians in Germany and with the murder of millions of Jews. Here is a man who claimed that the Füher was better than, and in fact had taken the place of Christ. Surely many have rejected the Lord Jesus through the centuries of church history. And, though such saddens all who love the Lord, we are not surprised, for Scripture declares plainly that there will be many who will reject the Lord who created them. John, early in his gospel that deals with the Lordship of Christ and of belief in Christ stated, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:10-11). Thankfully the apostle went on to assure us that some would also believe in the Lord Jesus stating, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).

The wording of John’s gospel is truly marvelous here! Read again these marvelous words, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Though there is much in verse 13 that needs to be considered, for now consider verse 12. It will speak of the adoption by God of those who receive Christ. Verse 12 emphasizes that salvation comes to all who believe in the Lord Jesus. According to John’s teaching all who will become children of God will do so by receiving or believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. The word rendered “received” is the Greek word lambano. According to one author,

Lambano (received) could be translated “take hold of,” “obtain,” or “grasp.” To receive Christ involves more than mere intellectual acknowledgment of His claims. The last clause of verse 12 refers to those who received as those who believe in His name. . . . His name refers to the totality of Christ’s being, all that He is and does. Thus, it is not possible to separate His deity from His humanity, His being Savior from His being Lord, or His person from His redemptive work. Saving faith accepts Jesus Christ in all that Scripture reveals concerning Him (2).

I think it best to qualify this statement only marginally. Surely no believer understands all there is to understand about Christ, even after many years of study and obedience to His Word. Therefore, we certainly do not know everything about Christ when we are saved. However, a truly saved person who does not fully comprehend certain fundamental truths about Christ at the time of his salvation will not reject these truths when they are taught Him. He will yield to the truth about the Lord Jesus.

Note that all who receive Christ, or believe in Christ, are given the right, we might even say the privilege of becoming children of God. Scripture is clear that the teaching that we are all God’s children is false. We are all a part of God’s creation, and in that sense belong to God. However, the right to become children of God is reserved for those who receive Christ. In a day in which any and all “belief” claims are deemed sure, it is important to be reminded of what John said later in his gospel, John 2:23-25:

Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

The same root word is used in the Greek for the “belief” of those who “believed in His name,” and for the fact that Jesus did not “commit Himself to them,” or He did not “believe” in them. It is true that these people had a certain kind of belief in Christ, but it was not a saving belief in Christ. To receive Christ is to believe in Him in His fullness. It is true that He is the Savior of all who come to Him in faith, but we must remember that, as God, He is also the Lord of all who come to Him in a true faith. A. W. Tozer was right when he said,

“To urge men and women to believe in a divided Christ is bad teaching for no one can receive half of Christ, or a third of Christ, or a quarter of the Person of Christ!" (3)

 Oh sinner, receive the Lord Jesus Christ and receive from Him the right to become a son or daughter of God!

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(1) Cited in Mary Bosanquet, The Life and Death of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 182.

(2) John MacArthur, Jr., The MacArthur New Testament Commentaries, John 1-11 (Chicago: Moody, 2006), 34-35.

(3) A. W. Tozer, I Call It Heresy (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, Inc., 1974), 10-11.

Part 3—Soils That Cannot Be Saved

“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away…And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.” Mark 4:3-6, 15-17 (NKJV) emphasis added.

We will now take a look at the second soil mentioned in Jesus’ parable. This soil, like the previous one, has the seed broadcast upon it. This soil has what looks like good soil on top, but what lies beneath is hard bedrock. But unlike the previous soil, the seed seems to penetrate because we see a plant. Not only do we get to see a plant, but Jesus says that the plant sprang up immediately. There is fast growth; it is almost as if it sprang up over night. This is exciting! We love to see growth. It is almost as if the plant is growing before our very eyes because of the speed in which it grows. It was as if the plant could hardly wait to grow, but there is a catch. When the sun was up, the plant couldn’t survive. The sun scorched the plant, and it withered away. Why did the plant wither away? It withered away because it was lacking the foundational root system it needed in order to survive. Why did it not grow down deep so it could withstand the hot rays of the sun? It had something underneath the soil that hindered it from growing deep. There was bedrock hidden beneath the soil, and made what seemed like good soil nothing but shallow ground.

Jesus makes it clear, in His explanation of the parable, that this person sits under the Word of God; but unlike the previous soil, this person immediately receives the Word of God. Not only do they receive the Word of God, but Jesus tells us that they receive it with gladness. These people are excited and seem to blossom fast. In the beginning, they are active, exuberant, and excited. But though they seemed to grow extremely fast at the beginning, it doesn’t take long before they fade away. These people are shallow; there is no depth to them. They are hard hearted, but it is hard to see at first because their enthusiasm masks it.

When does the growth seem to stop, and the person begin to wither? Jesus says that these people fade away and do not endure for long when tribulation or persecution comes. Tribulation, in this verse, refers to pressure—like that of walls closing in around you. When we think of persecution, we often think of being physically harmed; persecution often comes, however, in the form of verbal ridicule. Jesus says, that when either of these two things come (tribulation or persecution), these people immediately stumble. The word “stumble” refers to these people being offended. These people are offended when the world persecutes them because of the Word of God. These people were looking for a feeling. They may visit and even join a church. They will be excited, but their excitement will not last long. As soon as they feel the resistance of society to the Word of God, they are gone. They may float around from church to church in order to maintain some sense of feeling. These people have never wrestled with the Word of God; and they don’t want to. That’s not why they come. They are moving around looking for a place that will feed their feelings, rather than feed them the truth. The truth is often painful and cuts like a knife.

These people wanted a pain free and problem free life. Sorry! That is not the life of Christ. Jesus said in

Matthew 10:24, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.”

 Jesus said this on the heels of eight verses dealing with the coming persecution of His disciples. The apostle Paul writes,

“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12 (NKJV).

This soil cannot be saved because of the stones that lie beneath. This person is hard hearted. This person may sit under the Word of God and seem to be excited about it; but the test of whether this person is truly saved or not comes in the midst of trials and persecution. Those who have been truly saved will endure unto the end. Scripture says that Jesus is the “author” or “originator” of our faith. That same passage says that He is, as well, the “finisher” of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus doesn’t start a work that He does not bring to completion. The so-called Christian that is offended by the Word and withers away when problems, pressures, and persecution come is not saved though they may think that they are. Their trust is not in the saving work of Christ but in the feelings of the moment.

Are you saved by God? A true test of that is found in the face of trials. Do you disassociate yourself from Christ when people begin to mock or ridicule you because of the Word of God? Do you jump ship and look for another congregation when the Word cuts a little to close to home? Are you looking for a smooth sailing salvation? No one is above his/her master. The true believer can expect the same treatment from the world that Jesus received. This soil in its present condition cannot be saved; this soil will need the Master to transform it by breaking it and removing the stones that hinder true growth. Only then will this soil be saved. But if this soil remains as stony ground, it will never be saved.

Part 2—Soils That Cannot Be Saved

“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it…And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.” Mark 4:3-4, 15 (NKJV)

As we continue to look at the parable of the soils, we must look at the first soil that Jesus mentions in His parable. This is the soil by the wayside. There are a few things we need to note about this soil.

     1. Seed falls upon it. It is present when the Word is broadcast.

     2. It is located by the wayside. It is a path that is trodden down and hard. People have walked this path over and over again, and now it is firm. Nothing much grows here, but it remains a comfortable and easy path for people to walk in.

     3. Birds can easily see the seed and remove it because it just sits on top of the soil. Chances are the birds know this path well and have often feasted upon the seed that has been thrown there in the past.

We are thankful unto Christ Jesus for He has gone on to explain what He means by this parable. This soil represents those people who are by the wayside where the Word of God is sown. He tells us that they hear the Word of God, but Satan comes immediately and snatches the Word of God from their hearts.

With that said, let us now re-examine the soil in light of what Jesus has told us.

     1. This person is one who sits under the proclamation of the Word of God; he/she very well may be regularly seen in the congregation and very well may be a member of the local body of a church. They may even be in leadership. This soil is best represented by the Pharisees of Jesus day; they were the religious leaders of their time. They were not only responsible for knowing and sharing the Word of God with the people, they also had listened to the words of Jesus himself many times. But this soil is not limited to them alone, for there were surely many in the multitude that day that sat under Jesus’ teaching without seemingly any effect.

     2. This person is by the wayside. They may hear the Word of God, but it never penetrates. Their hearts are trodden down and hardened by the feet or the traditions of men. Their way is an easy way to walk, but there is no life in them. People can easily get caught up in the traditions of religion and still be dead unto God. No ritual or traditions have ever or will ever save man from the wrath of God.

     3. This person unknowingly gives Satan reign over his/her life. They may sit and listen to the Word of God; but because it is never allowed to penetrate their lives, the Word is snatched away with no effect to the hearer.

This person believes that he/she is in the kingdom because of the actions that he/she does, but there is no change. This soil cannot be saved for it shows no evidence of God’s supernatural work in their life. There is no self-examination because there is no life; they are cold, hard, and dead. The saddest part about this soil is the fact that, even if they hear the Word of God, it never penetrates their heart. They may even think that the Word of God that they hear is intended for someone else because they think themselves to be okay. They are not sensitive to their own sin for they have never been awakened to it. They may readily see the sins of others, but, once again, there is never any self-examination.

Are you saved? If given the opportunity, how would you prove it? If you are banking on the things you have done for God, let the following Words of Christ be a resounding and clear warning for you.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV).

My hope for you is that God breaks the ground of your heart that the Word may penetrate and produce fruit. It isn’t enough to penetrate the ground of the heart; there must be fruit as we will see in the next three soils. Can the soil by the wayside be saved? No, not as it is. This soil must be broken and changed by the only One who can do that—God. So I ask again, are you saved? Have you repented before the One, True, and Living God? If not, you are lost; you are not saved. Will you even now run to Him? Will you even now beg at His feet for mercy?

Part 1—Soils That Cannot Be Saved

We live in a time when many are concerned about the environment. There are those who take up causes that they believe in and invest all their resources in. Some desire to save the whales, save the rainforests, and overall save the planet. As one of many who live in rural communities, with farming playing a major role in the economic structure of society, I want to turn our attention to what Jesus says about the soil of the heart.


In chapter 4 of Mark’s gospel, Jesus is speaking to a great multitude of people. As He taught them He told them this parable.

“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced; some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

Jesus then says to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Mark 4:3-9 NKJV)

One of the wonderful things about this parable is that Jesus explains it to us so that we have no misunderstanding.

Mark 4:14 says, “The sower sows the word.” The sower broadcasts or scatters seed liberally. The sower does this with the anticipation of reaping the fruit from his labors. He isn’t merely out to feed the wild birds or throw his seed away. Jesus tells us that the seed is the Word. The sower doesn’t come with anything in his bag but the Word of God. Why? There is nothing but the Word of God that will produce what he desires. But though the sower and the seed are important in this parable; they are not the focal point.

Jesus points the hearer and reader’s attention to the condition of the soils. A soil that isn’t prepared for the seed will not produce the desired fruit. Let us now look as Jesus gives the explanation of the parable of the soils in Mark 4:15-20.

“And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

Here are some basic observations that Jesus is giving us. The soils represent those people who sit under or hear the Word of God. These people may in fact sit regularly under the teaching of God’s Word, but the majority of them are lost and remain under the wrath of God. It is only the last soil that shows evidence of the work of God in them. Paul writes in Romans 1:18-19, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.”

Let us clearly understand the importance of being where the Word is clearly and accurately taught. If we do not learn what the passage means by what the preacher has said, one of two things is happening:

1. He is not truly teaching the passage (which is often the case) or
2. You are one of the first three soils.

Do not be deceived. There are many who sit in congregations week after week that believe that they are born again but remain under the wrath of God as they suppress the truth in unrighteousness. For those who sit under the Word of God and yet there is no fruit displayed in their lives, hear the words of Christ, “Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15b). Will you run to Him? Will you beg Him for forgiveness? Will you deny yourself? Will you leave your life behind in order to follow Him?