15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
8:15
But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
The seed that fell on good soil represents those who are receptive to the Word of God and produce fruit as a result. These are people who both understand the message and apply it to their experience with a “noble and good heart.”
These are people who allow the discipleship process to reach a stage of maturity. They do not allow themselves to become distracted by the devil or the world. Jesus’ point is not how to be saved but how to mature and bear fruit. Eternal salvation comes by belief in the finished work of Christ on the cross. Fruit is the result of the persistent application of the Word to experience. It takes “patience” to arrive at that place. This believer plows the seed of the Word into his life.
PRINCIPLE:
Fruit-bearing believers have a heart for knowing and applying the Word of God to their experience.
APPLICATION:
Believers who represent good soil welcome God’s Word; they engage with it to the point that it absorbs into their being. They translate it into their lives. Truly converted people show an outward indication of their salvation.
The same seed by the same sower can produce radically different results. It is the nature of the soil that makes the difference. Maximum application of the Word to one’s experience will produce a bumper crop in their character (Lu 8:8, 15).
These believers not only listen to the Word, but they retain it in their souls, resulting in spiritual growth toward maturity.
