As a Christian, you have an identity that we cannot deny. In 1 Peter 1:1-2, Peter calls the Christians ‘aliens’ who are chosen by God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. This is their identity. One of the key ways to identify a true believer is love and trust in God’s word. We love His Word because we love Him. It is by His word that we are saved and by His word anyone can be saved. The parable of the soils distinguishes between the unsaved and the saved by their response to God’s word, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The first soil is hard and outright rejects God’s word from the beginning. They could be saved if they just listened and believed but they don’t want to hear. The gospel is available to anyone if they would only listen and believe.

The rocky soil receives the seed but falls away after facing some hardship or suffering. An example is Demas who sought the comforts of the world rather than the difficulties of faith. The true believer remains faithful through all circumstances. They persevere not because they are strong but because they are held fast by Jesus. The Lord by His grace will not lose a single one of his sheep.

Luke 8:14 Thorny Soil – Thirdly we have the thorny soil. Thorns are a bad sign. In farming, thorns are a menace that ruins a crop. This is because weeds and thorns are usually stronger than crops and grow easier and more abundantly. A farm field requires constant attention, removing the weeds continually, so they don’t overtake the crop.

To put it spiritually, a soil with thorns is a worldly heart. Jesus says, “As they go on their way”. A thorny heart does not go in the Lord’s way but in its own way. They hear the word and interpret it in their own way. The word does not truly pierce or break their heart, meaning they do not fully surrender and submit to God. They have two masters in their hearts, the old with the new. They did not deny themselves and take up their cross. Richard Baxter insightfully shares, “The self is the most treacherous enemy and the most insinuating deceiver in the world.” If it is not removed, then there is no salvation.

Those who pursue self are like the prodigal son who left his father and went his own way (Luke 15:2-3). Judas also took his own way as he betrayed Jesus for money (Luke 22:3-4). The worldly are eventually choked by three things: worries, money, and pleasure. The Christian must forsake these things if we are to know Christ. Why would we seek these terrible idols when we know God and His glory?

• Worry: We do not need to worry because we have a Heavenly Father who knows our needs and He has given us His Son Jesus who fully satisfies us (Matthew 6:31-32, Phil 4:12-13). Worries belong to non-believers while Christians possess the gift of trusting in God above.
• Money: It is dangerous to love money. In Luke 12:15,11 Jesus warns against greed and its folly of empty promises. Dear saint, we are rich and have all that we need in Christ (2 Cor 8:9). Be satisfied with Christ for He is ours and we have unending blessings which no amount of money could ever buy.
• Pleasure: Pleasure, lust, or sensuality is another dangerous idol rooted in the wicked world (Romans 14:17). Our hope is for believers to find their joy in the Lord rather than the superficial and destructive pleasures of the world.

What is the result of worldliness? They do not bear fruit. “Is not every fruitless professor of Christianity in dreadful danger of becoming a withered fig tree? There can be no doubt of it. So long as a man is content with the leaves of religion–with a name to live while he is dead, and a form of godliness without the power–so long his soul is in great peril. So long as he is satisfied with going to church or chapel, and receiving the Lord’s supper, and being called a Christian, while his heart is not changed, and his sins not forsaken–then he is daily provoking God to cut him off without remedy. Fruit, fruit–the fruit of the Spirit, is the only sure proof that we are savingly united to Christ, and on our way to heaven. May this sink down into our hearts, and never be forgotten!” – J. C. Ryle

Luke 8:15 – The Good Soil No one is born as good soil. Scripture clearly says that no one is good and no one seeks after God. Only God is good. So how does the hard, rocky, or thorny soil become good soil? When God comes and works in a man’s heart, the soil is prepared for receiving the seed and bearing fruit (Exodus 15:16-17). Apostle Paul’s heart is an example of a bad soil turned good (Acts 25:19).

The good soil hears like all the other soils but they hear with an honest and good heart and hold it fast. They understand that the message is God’s living and holy word and respond by believing (Acts 17:11). Regardless of their circumstances, even though obedience might be tough and detrimental, the believer knows it is better to obey God’s word. A good and honest heart recognizes the true divine nature of the gospel message.

What kind of fruit? The fruit is an acceptable attitude towards the Lord followed by acceptable action. Some display very obviously and some might not. However, there is always a sign of fruit. The fruit must be there if the soil is good. A concluding suggestion to bear fruit more clearly: First read the Bible every day and examine yourself. Also, ask those close to you if they see the signs of fruit. Ask yourself which soil are you? If you are a hard, rocky, or thorny soil, then thankfully God’s word is still available for you to receive through repentance. If you are good soil, then continue to immerse yourself in God’s word so that you may bear more fruit.

We continue to identify hallmarks of God’s kingdom citizens in the Parable of the Sower. 

In this parable, Jesus describes four types of soil on which the sower’s seeds fall. The seed represents the word of God; the soil represents the heart. The first three soils show the marks of unregenerate hearts that all men are born with- the Wayside Heart, the Rocky Heart, and the Thorny Heart. Though they vary in their responses to God’s Word, they all ultimately fail to bear fruit. The last soil represents the Good Heart. This soil is the heart made good not by man’s deeds, but by regeneration through God’s mercy. (Titus 3:5) This is the only soil that represents the heart of a true Christian.

As we delve into the characteristics of the first two soils in this parable, we are called to examine our own hearts through God’s Word. Do you recognize in your own heart these traits of those who are not kingdom citizens?

Wayside Heart

The soil of the well-trodden path represents a heart that is as hard as stone. Just as a packed and hardened dirt path is unable to allow a seed to penetrate its soil, this wayside heart is of a stiff-necked person who will not listen and hear the gospel with faith. When the Word of God comes to him, Satan comes and snatches it away so he wouldn’t be saved. He confuses them with lies that misrepresent the severity of sin, God’s wrath against sin, and man’s futile pursuit of truth apart from God’s Word.

How should we deal with these people who reject the gospel? As long as they are alive, we must pray for them to repent as they hear the gospel. 

Rocky Heart

The rocky soil represents the hearts of those who are shallow and superficial. They may seem like believers, but there is no depth to their confession. These individuals respond quickly to what they hear, but their joyful response is merely an emotional reaction. They view the gospel as the key to solving all their problems, but their problem is never about sin but is merely psychological and circumstantial.

It is difficult for the gospel to take root in a rocky heart because these types of people do not count the cost of Christianity. They claim salvation on their own terms, wanting God’s grace but rejecting His lordship. Their faith is not genuine, and because of this, they fall away when they are tested with persecution or suffering.

These soils exist within the church. They exist among those who may be falsely assured of their salvation. Salvation is a gift of God, who shed His blood on the cross to save us. As we examine ourselves to see that the Holy Spirit is truly working in our hearts, we can appreciate this matchless gift and give glory to our merciful God.

The kingdom of God abides and operates in all believers. There are internal and external marks of kingdom evidence in Christians. These marks are seen in producing fruit up to a hundredfold as the gospel takes root and bears fruit.

The distinct feature of kingdom people is they are able to hear the voice of God (v 8). Hearing is better than seeing (Ro. 10:14, 17). Thus, hearing the gospel and the Word of God is what is most important for anyone, whether to believe in Christ Jesus for salvation or continue to grow in spiritual understanding.

The Spirit of God is who regenerates our heart, allows someone to have spiritual understanding in the first place that leads to repentance and faith. And it is through Scripture that God speaks personally before someone believes. Sanctification, then, occurs through continual understanding until glorification.

As Jesus says, “The one who has ears to hear, let him hear”, a person can only hear God through the Bible. The Bible is the only right source. Reading coupled with the Holy Spirit enables Christians to gain an understanding of God’s intending meaning. More importantly, prayer to God for understanding is so vital as God is the author of sacred Scripture.

Trust in God results in having confidence in what we hear and understand from the Bible. Naturally, trust leads to obedience (Phil. 2:8; Mk. 4:10). In other words, hearers delight in the word of God. Kingdom citizens take pleasure in His word and find joy in it. What distinguishes believers and unbelievers is the heart attitude towards the word of God. The disciple of God loves God and His word. Mere knowledge does not make one a kingdom citizen nor can it lead to obedience, but heart transformation leads to obedience.

To reiterate, God is the only one that is able to grant divine understanding to a sinner to hear and delight in Him and His word. Without God’s grace, there is no life or understanding. Transformation can only take place through the supernatural work of God by His grace through faith (Gal. 2:20). If we are granted grace, we must genuinely and sincerely repent as we see the love of God on the cross. Repentance, faith, and humility follow upon being given grace as we understand what Jesus has done for us.

Therefore, the spiritual understanding given by the Holy Spirit to the Christian leads to delighting in Him and His word, which is evidenced in a life of obedience and bearing fruit for His glory.

Jesus is known for teaching in parables. Throughout history, many teachers have used parables to make a point or teach morality. However, the Lord’s parables were unique, they were firmly based in reality, and played an important role in His ministry, not just to teach, but to discern. The parable of the sower in Luke 8 is one of the longest and most well-known parables that Jesus taught.

We find that when the crowd gathered, Jesus switched to parables. As the Teacher, Jesus used parables to paint a vibrant and colorful picture of the Kingdom of God. Through the parables, we gain insight and clarity into the Kingdom of God through the connection made to the tangible real-life experiences that everyone would be familiar with. Also when Jesus spoke in parables, he desired response from the crowd, either acceptance or rejection.

Three kinds of parables

1. The true parable: based on daily life that everyone understands. (Luke 8:4-8 farming)
2. The story parable: explains an experience. (Luke 15:11-32 the prodigal son)
3. The illustration: tells of what should be avoided or followed by example. (Luke 10:37 Good Samaritan)

Some might argue based on Mark 4:33-34 that Jesus used parables to hide truths. However, if we consider the heart of Jesus, how His purpose in leaving heaven and coming to earth was to seek the lost and save sinners, it makes sense that parables are the best means of communicating the invisible kingdom of God to the common man. Jesus preached repentance and the kingdom of God continually (Luke 4:43). Jesus clearly wanted everyone to hear the gospel and be saved. So the way Jesus used parables was not to conceal, to entertain, or to leave open for interpretation, but to explain and clarify.

It is true, Jesus used parables to both reveal and conceal. To the believer, the parables are open and produce a hunger for more truth for they teach us about God’s kingdom. To the non-believer, they have no response, and the truth is hidden from them. In the same way, the straightforward gospel is hidden and rejected by the non-believer, the parables are also hidden because they know nothing of the Kingdom of God. The non-believer has no desire to repent so how will they know and accept the truths in the parables? It’s not that the parables themselves are hidden but because their unrepentant heart has no ability or desire to know the truth.

Going back to the scene of the parable. It says “When a large crowd was coming together”. They were coming from all over. Jesus’ popularity had risen to feverish heights (Mt 4:25, Mk 1:33, LK 5:1). He was so popular because He was healing every disease, performing miracles, feeding them, and preaching like no one else ever preached. They almost took him by force to make him King (John 6:15)

However, Jesus’ popularity took a nosedive when he started preaching in Luke 6:35 about being the Bread of Life. This is the fickle nature of the crowd. Based on the fluctuating size of Jesus’ followers, we must ask how many of them are saved. A lot or a little? The disciples asked the same thing (Luke 13:22-24). Jesus says the door is narrow and many will try to enter but won’t be able to. This should sober everyone. The Lord tells us to strive to enter through the narrow gate. This means diligently pursuing holiness and obedience. Our striving does not justify us, justification is by the blood of Jesus, but those who enter the narrow gate, through the blood of Jesus, must pursue holiness. This is in direct opposition to the comfortable way of salvation that is popular with the crowd. So Jesus spoke parables to the few who were truly saved, not to the crowds who were gathered.

The sower went out to sow (Luke 8:5). Jesus is the sower. He is not a sower but The Sower. The sower sowed on four soils. These four soils are actual soils that farmers faced in their fields. All the people, especially the farmers would know exactly how these four soils behaved. Especially the good soil, every farmer would know the joy and satisfaction of the seed-bearing a fruitful harvest.

While speaking in parables (Luke 8:8), Jesus would call out. Jesus calls out to you. Listen to Him. He doesn’t just inform you but calls out to you. His final goal is not to teach but to save. Hear His calling. If you have ears to hear, then by faith receive the truth of the gospel and believe.

In Paul’s greeting to the Thessalonian church, we can uncover three precious treasures that all believers possess.

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Believers have intimacy with God. Paul uses the word “in” to refer to the church’s union, communion, and relationship with God. The church- which refers to the gathering of worshippers who have pledged their lives to Jesus Christ- is in God the Father. God as Father is not a metaphor, but it is real. How do you view God? Distant? Scary? Unapproachable? If so, you do not truly know God. Jesus showed God to us as a loving, protective, sacrificial, and trustworthy Father.

The church is also in the Lord Jesus Christ. Believers are in salvation because they are in Christ. He is the Lord, in whom all things hold together. He is the Savior, who transforms us when we are converted. He is the Christ, the Messiah who fulfilled God’s promise of salvation.

Grace to you and peace.

Believers have grace. Grace is God’s unmerited favor. All of us are sinners who deserve the greatest curse- God’s wrath in hell. But by God’s grace, we are given the greatest gift- salvation through Jesus Christ. Christians must be filled with grace. If we are filled with grace, we would aim to glorify God because of His amazing grace. We would be continually sanctified and would labor heartily for the Lord, whose grace strengthens us to change as we become more gentle and kind. Lastly, grace would cause us to be testimonial, as we seek God in all circumstances.

Believers have peace. We live in a terribly tumultuous world but Christians can have the peace of God in any situation since they have peace with God. Everyone desires to have inner peace, but it can not be attained by man because of his sin. We need Jesus to reconcile us to God.

Christians may experience a lack of peace when they lack conviction of their forgiveness. Guilt is the thief of peace, so Christians must seek to know their sins are forgiven. Believers may also lack peace when they do not totally surrender to Jesus. We must let the Lord rule in our hearts, rather than ourselves. Lastly, Christians lack peace when they lack trust in prayer. Do not take prayer lightly. Prayer is communion with God, which brings peace beyond all circumstances and understanding.

Let us begin this study in Thessalonians by pondering on these three priceless treasures that have been given to us- intimacy with God and His wonderful grace and peace.

As Christians, we have a duality in our lives. We live in both the physical and spiritual realm. We are in the world but also in heaven, we are earthly citizens and at the same time citizens of God’s Kingdom. Today’s Christian suffer from a diminished view of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is more real and more powerful and more wonderful than any earthly nation. Jesus says the kingdom is in our midst (Luke 17:20-21). We get confused because we cannot see or touch God’s kingdom. Yet we know Jesus is the King and His kingdom was established when He came to earth and it continues to grow by the preaching of His word and its citizens wait for His second coming (Philippians 3:20).

Three Characteristics of the Kingdom Message
The kingdom of God has a central gospel message and that message is good. The gospel is indescribably and perfectly good and it draws the attention of those who are called. In Luke 8:1, we see how Jesus loved and treasured the message of the kingdom of God. He went from place to place, anywhere He could go, constantly spreading the gospel message. The great Preacher wanted everyone to hear the kingdom message and come to salvation. Throughout his ministry, from beginning to end, Jesus had only one topic for His sermons, the good news of the kingdom of God, the Gospel (Acts 1:3).

The gospel message is good because it saves people from death to life. Everyone is born spiritually dead because of our sinful nature yet we can be made alive by the message of Jesus Christ. Also, dead sinners, we belonged to Satan but by the saving grace of the gospel, now we belong to God (1 John 5:19). The world is broken because of sin. Just look around and everyone is outraged at all the evils and wrongs in this modern society. But they don’t call it sin and therefore their solutions don’t work. The only way to break out of the broken world system is by the gospel of Jesus of Christ. That’s why the message is good.

The gospel message is good because it makes suffering worthwhile. In Acts 14:22 it says through tribulations we enter the kingdom of God. So if we see our suffering from God’s perspective, suffering is a good fight with a good reward. “Losses and crosses are better for us, if they lead us to Christ” – JC Ryle. Therefore in your suffering, seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and you will find yourself under a powerful and good King (Matthew 6:33).

The Kingdom Message is Powerful
In Luke 8:2-3, we see those who have experienced the power of the kingdom message externally and internally. Mary Magdalene’s life had been ruined by the control of seven demons. She was helpless and abused by those wicked demons and no power on earth could rescue her. We must realize that demons are real and extremely powerful. They are fallen angels who serve Satan. These vile beings have many ways to attack people either directly or indirectly. This entire world is under their influence of hatred towards God. Yet by the gospel message, a person can be set free. This is the power of the Gospel that no other power can resist.

The kingdom message is powerful to reach both high and low. Chuza was Herod’s steward, a royal official with great power in the kingdom, and he believed in the gospel message and was changed. This is because the kingdom message is not mere words but power (1 Corinthians 4:20). Today we have brilliant teachers who speak many words but they carry little power. By contrast, in the early church, the preachers weren’t intellectuals but fishermen. Their power came from their faith and the faithfulness of the message they spoke. The gospel contains the power that comes from the Holy Spirit, not from academics (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The kingdom message is a message of repentance (change). Both John the Baptist and Jesus proclaimed, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). True repentance is genuine sorrow over your sin which leads to trust in the Lord for forgiveness and salvation. That trust is then demonstrated by obedience. A lack of obedience means there was a lack of true repentance. This is why people claim that Christianity doesn’t work. They lack true repentance. We can be confident that the gospel message works because God is good and He is almighty God who graciously gives a powerful and effective message (Romans 8:32). It is life-changing gratitude and joy that comes when we repent and receive the salvation that is not earned by our deeds but paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross.

The Kingdom Message is Practical
In Luke 8:3, we see all those who are in the kingdom of God become servants of God. They have experienced the goodness and power of the message. Now they want to serve and help the church. These women continually, voluntarily, and sacrificially serve the Lord out of their love for Him. They desire to be like Jesus who loved and sacrificed Himself for them.

Likewise, Christian, be bold and share the kingdom message because we know who is our King! We are already in the kingdom of God and we love Jesus Christ the most. This love is an obedient love (Matthew 11:28-30). As servants and citizens, we come to our King and are satisfied with Him and His reign in our lives. Let us bring more people into this blessed kingdom as we live out and proclaim the gospel message to them.

In this part of Luke’s gospel, two individuals are with Jesus- Simon the Pharisee and a woman who is identified as a sinner. Although both are with Jesus, it is only the woman who is truly transformed, who has a right relationship with Jesus. She is a picture of a true Christian.

Transformed people serve Jesus, not money.

When the woman learned that Jesus was dining at Simon’s house, she brought an alabaster flask of ointment. (v. 37) This was a costly item, showing that she valued Jesus over money. In this fallen world, money is a powerful god. But for believers, there must be a distinguishing line between money and Jesus. No one can serve two masters. (Matt 6:24) As transformed people, we must be willing to choose Jesus over anything.

Transformed people are joyous.

Luke describes how the woman stood behind Jesus, weeping. This woman, who was an infamous sinner, wept with joy from being forgiven by God. Are you continually amazed by the grace you have received from God? What is your daily source of joy? For this transformed woman, she couldn’t contain her emotions of gratitude and love as she stood in Jesus’ presence. 

Transformed people are humble.

The woman began to wet Jesus’ feet with her tears as she wiped them with the hair of her head. In biblical times, a woman’s hair was her glory. For her to wipe Jesus’ feet- which would have likely been very dirty from walking through dusty and unpaved roads- reveals her humility before God and others. She was humble because she knew God and she knew herself. As believers, we must seek to know God to be a humble people.

Transformed people love Jesus.

After washing and drying Jesus’ feet with her hair, the woman kissed his feet. It was her expression of love for Him. This is the ultimate test of true religion- do you love Christ? If you love Christ, you would love His Word and His church. You would love to commune with Him in prayer. If you love Christ, you would obey. True love is demonstrated through action. We demonstrate our love for Christ with good works.

Simon the Pharisee’s relationship with Jesus was different. His was a formal, lifeless, mechanical relationship. He was lacking understanding of two key components to having a genuine relationship with Jesus- sin and God’s forgiveness. He was unable to see his own sin, and therefore unable to experience God’s forgiveness.

Jesus tried to help Simon understand his situation by telling him a parable that represented Simon and the woman. The parable was about two debtors, one who owed more than the other. Both debts were forgiven by the lender, and it was concluded that the one with the greater debt would have had a greater love towards the lender. We are indebted to God, and a relationship with Jesus can only begin as you understand that you are a sinner whose wages is death and eternal damnation. Sin is powerfully devastating, bringing sorrow, pain, and death. The woman understood this, but Simon practiced self-righteousness and was blind and numb to his sin.

Knowing the seriousness of her sin enabled the woman to see how amazing God’s grace was. God Himself became man to die in our place so that we could be forgiven. The woman was aware of the greatness of her sin; therefore, she understood she was forgiven much. Those who think they have not sinned much have yet to know what sin is. Salvation is ultimately a supernatural act of God. Only the Holy Spirit can show your wretchedness as well as the precious grace in Jesus Christ. Salvation is therefore all of God’s grace.

What is your current condition? We must show our total devotion and love for Christ. If you know you’ve been forgiven much, you will love much.

Jesus is continuing His explanation of John the Baptist and the kingdom of heaven. He turns the subject of his explanation to the people who are challenging and rejecting Him, the Scribes and Pharisees, who had also rejected John the Baptist. They refused to repent and practiced unbelief. There is a difference between unbelief and doubt. Christians know who God is but sometimes they might doubt like John the Baptist just did. The Pharisees are not doubting but actually know nothing and hate Jesus. J. C. Ryle says that a refusal to admit God’s word as truth and to live without depending on it is the essence of unbelief.

Three Aspects of Unbelief

Self Righteousness

The first cause of unbelief is self-righteousness. The Pharisees were correct in their own eyes even though the Lord Incarnate is speaking right before them. Self-righteousness is a challenge against the Creator, the source of life and truth.

In Luke 7:32, Jesus uses kids playing a game as an analogy. In ancient times, the children would play by pretending to be at a wedding or funeral, similar to how kids play make-believe today. When the joyful wedding music plays, the kids were supposed to dance. And when the funeral song plays then they are supposed to weep. In this analogy, Jesus says there are kids who do not react to either and ignore the rules of the game. The flute represents Jesus’ ministry which is full of joy and hope. John the Baptist’s ministry is the mourning song, which is more somber and warns of judgment. Regardless of the ministry, the self-righteous only consider themselves as righteous. They reject both when they should have known their sin (Romans 3:10, Luke 18:9). Self-righteousness can take many forms, from a great belief in self to a belief that you are beyond God’s salvation. Either way, you are setting your own standard of righteousness. Self-righteousness is unbelief because it believes in self rather than God and His word.

Men do not go to hell because they commit all sorts of sin but because they practice unbelief. To paraphrase Charles Spurgeon, self-righteousness denies the salvation that God provides through His Son Jesus but tries to make its own way. This arrogance is an insult to God’s glory and honor.

Forms of self-righteousness

1. Legalism
2. Adding to God’s commands. For example: claiming early morning prayer is most divine prayer
3. Hypocrisy which is saying the truth but not living according to it (Luke 18:11-12)
4. Being Religious: People who have the form of holiness without power. Jesus calls them alive but dead (Revelation 3:2)

The cure for self-righteousness is self-knowledge. Knowing yourself. We must read the Bible and pray to God to know who we are. When you encounter Jesus and reflect on who He is, then you will know who you are more (Romans 7:19,24). So, pursue Christ until you meet Him in His word and through prayer (Romans 7:25).

Misunderstanding the truth and falsely accusing true religion

In Luke 7:33 The Pharisees did not understand John the Baptist and as a result, accused him of demon possession. John the Baptist was not a typical prophet. His attire and tone were very identifiable. He lived in the wilderness wearing camel skin and eating locusts and wild honey. His message was focused on repentance to the people of Israel who had wandered from the truth (Luke 3:8). Jesus also proclaimed the same message (Matthew 3:2). They preached repentance because repentance is the true gospel and vital to being saved. Yet those who practice unbelief either ignore or deny repentance.

Stylistically, Jesus did the opposite of John the Baptist. He ate and drank with many people, even sinners. He was always surrounded by crowds wherever he went. This is why Jesus is called the Son of Man. He is like us, born of Mary, and lived like us. The Son of God came as the Son of Man and lived like men but righteous so that He might turn us from worshipping idols to serve the living and true God (Mark 10:45; Matthew 1:21,23;1 Thessalonians 1:9)

Even though Jesus’ ministry looked different from John the Baptist’s, they also accused Him of being false, gluttonous, a drunkard, and demonic because their message was the same. Still today, the self-righteous will continue to deny and accuse Christians and Christ. They say Jesus is not real or not true. They twist His words and deeds. How can we assure ourselves that Jesus and the gospel are true and truly save? There is no religion that can atone for sin. Only Christianity knows the way of atonement by depending on the work of Christ. Every other religion is based on works. Good deeds will never atone for sin. But by the power and work of Jesus, the believer is truly saved and they are forever changed (1 Cor 15:19). When you see a true believer changed by Christ, you can see it’s genuine and unique. There is nothing like it.

Foolishness

Jesus says “Wisdom is vindicated by all her children”. Wisdom is the wisdom of salvation. “you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” – 2 Timothy 3:15 The children of wisdom are the transformed believers. Reversely, the unbelievers are the children of foolishness. Jesus calls them foolish. There is no worst insult. “According to the Bible, to be called a fool is to be deemed irreligious and godless. The fool is the person who has no respect or reverence for God, and when someone does not have any reverence for God or adoration in his heart toward Him, his life will inevitably show it.” – R. C. Sproul The fool says in his heart, “There is no God” (Psalm 141:1).  The fool pursues foolish things (Matthew 16:26). They pursue knowing it won’t save them. The fool knows their pursuit will not satisfy them yet they cannot help it.

Conclusion

Jesus offers wisdom to the self-righteous and foolish. “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” – Matthew 18:2-3. The solution to unbelief is conversion. Steve Lawson on conversion. Steve Lawson says, “Conversion means a turning—a spiritual turning away from sin in repentance and to Christ in faith.” Conversion is different from sanctification. Conversion is abrupt and complete turning in direction. Sanctification is a gradual progression in holiness but conversion is once and final. It’s a turning to God. Conversion should not be confused with a better morality or spirituality. Conversion is the work of God’s grace and is the sign of belief. To convert to Christ, you must repent of your self-righteousness, receive the gospel of Jesus Christ and believe in Jesus as Lord.

Christians sometimes forget how precious we are, which is our spiritual reality in the sight of God. By faith, Christians see their spiritual reality. Luke helps to understand who Christians are as kingdom people and how Jesus presents us to the Father. To understand our spiritual reality, Jesus makes a comparison with John the Baptist in order to show that our status even surpasses the man whom Jesus called the greatest man to have ever lived born among women.

Jesus poses three questions related to John’s character and privileged calling. John had the spirit of Elijah, but he wasn’t Elijah himself. John was more than a prophet. In the Old Testament, there were many prophets, but John was considered greater than them because he was the direct connection to the promised Messiah.

John’s connection to Jesus made his ministry special as he was a contemporary of Jesus. However, his ministry was limited in calling men to repentance to prepare for Jesus who provided forgiveness of sins and salvation. Nevertheless, John’s calling made him the greatest man humanly speaking as he was the herald and the bridge between the Old Testament and Jesus. Other prophets before him prepared in words and prophecy, but John’s ministry made the prophecies actualized. And most importantly, it was only by John’s message of repentance the people were to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As prior theories became actualized by John, he prepared the direct path to Christ. This is what made him the greatest man to be born of a woman. But Jesus states that even the least in the kingdom is greater than John. This spiritual reality produces joy for the Christian as they understand their special spiritual status in God’s kingdom. Those who are least in the kingdom possess a childlike faith.

Moreover, John was not greater than anyone in the kingdom because his calling was temporary in the scope of redemptive history. His baptism could not save the sinner. Christians have a full and perfect knowledge of Jesus whereas John did not. Only through Jesus’ ministry, life, death, and resurrection was salvation fulfilled and completed.

Why should Christians be concerned about their spiritual reality more than anything in this world? Without focusing on our spiritual reality, we miss out on the joy of our status before the Lord and become swayed by the temporal things of this earth. Christians have been raised up with Christ; therefore, they are to keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God (Col. 3). The things above consist of being holy and beloved, putting on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other. Kingdom character is best demonstrated through love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And it is the peace of Christ that rules in the believer’s hearts, called in one body and filled with thankfulness. Living this way will give us strength and power.

Kingdom people are greater than John the Baptist and characterized by seeking the things above every day.