MARK
CHAPTER 4
Mark details a rapid succession of Jesus’ parables about the Kingdom of God in this chapter, commencing with a most familiar one: The Parable of the Sower. The chapter concludes with a remarkable moment – Jesus calms the storm and the fearful disciples become terrified as they realize that Jesus has Divine power. Let’s take a look:
V1-20 – 1Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around Him was so large that He got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2He taught them many things by parables, and in His teaching said: 3“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.†9Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.†10When He was alone, the Twelve and the others around Him asked Him about the parables. 11He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven [Isaiah 6:9-10]’!†13Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14The farmer sows the word. 15Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop – some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.â€
Jesus taught from a boat overlooking the shore as the crowd gathered in the natural amphitheater to hear from Him. He spoke “many things by parables,†and before looking at the Parable of the Sower, it’s worth remembering why Jesus used parables in His teaching. Matthew 13 explains this issue in great detail, and so let’s consider what I wrote in my commentary there:
In Matthew 13:10, immediately after the parable is told, Jesus’ disciples ask Him why He speaks in parables; and Matthew 13:11-17 represent Jesus’ answer to them. It’s definitely worthy noticing, because there is a lot of disagreement from a theological perspective as to the reason for the parables. First Jesus says, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.†So Jesus acknowledges that the disciples have been given the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but He says that others have not been given the same. We need to understand the identity of the others, the “them†in v11. “They†definitely includes the Pharisees, but I think the group includes those who aren’t willing to pursue Jesus’ wisdom as well. That’s why Scripture teaches everyone to “taste and see that the Lord is good†(Psalm 34:8); we can’t see unless we taste; the disciples were tasting and seeing, but the Pharisees and the majority of the crowd surrounding Jesus waiting for the next big miracle, weren’t interested in tasting the teachings of the Lord. In John 5:24, Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.†Those who hear and believe, as evidenced by their pursuit of the meaning of the parables, are those who have been given the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, and they have spiritual life; but those who hear Jesus and do not believe, as evidenced by their disinterest in learning the meaning of the parables, are those who lack this knowledge and remain spiritually dead.
We’re not talking about some early form of gnosticism here. It’s a foundational understanding – a worldview – that grows and builds on itself. Thus, Jesus adds, “Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.†If you start the process of building a Christian worldview as a follower – not just a fan – of Jesus Christ, then you “have†and you will be given more. Though I just said, “If you start,†we must realize that it’s actually God starting the building in us. “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain†(Psalm 127:1); and “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus†(Philippians 1:6). This is the point where regeneration (being spiritually born again), intersects with new found faith in a new believer; chronologically, they seem to come about simultaneously, but logically, the new birth must precede faith. As knowledge and wisdom by faith in God is the foundation, the knowledge by faith grows on itself, and soon, there is abundance. We understand by faith (Hebrews 11:3). And, by grace, we grow in our understanding (2 Peter 3:18).
Jesus adds to this truth, “Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.†If we lack a foundation of faith, we will never understand even the most basic of spiritual truths, because even the natural understanding we have as humans will be confounded and corrupted by the sin nature. Jesus gives an example of this truth with Nicodemus in John 3:12, asking rhetorically while simultaneously condemning one of the leaders of the Jews, “I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?†And Paul explains the same thing in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.â€
Next, Jesus says, “This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.†The entire audience of Jesus sees Him and hears His words, but their continued unbelief and disinterest in the truths the parables convey prove that they really don’t see Him for who He really is – the Messiah, the Son of God – and they don’t really hear Him. It might be akin to reading C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia without realizing that Aslan represents God in the story. You can still hear the story and be entertained by it, but you miss the rich meaning intended by the author.
Don’t miss that this is the reason Jesus gives for speaking in parables! It’s a hardening purpose! As with the ministry of Isaiah, so Jesus’ ministry hardened so many of those who lacked spiritual life. Thus, Jesus quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 in v14-15, saying, “In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’â€
“In them†refers to the hardened ones, those who see but don’t see and hear but don’t hear. Those who disbelieve prove Jesus’ authenticity! Had everyone who heard Jesus believed in Him, we could be sure then that Jesus was not who He claimed to be. That sounds hard, but this is the reason for the parables – to harden the unbelievers and thereby prove that Jesus was who He claimed to be, the Savior of mankind. Furthermore, as Calvin says of the Isaiah passage, “The Lord, therefore, merely forewarns Isaiah that he will have to do with obstinate men, on whom he will produce little effect; but that so unusual an occurrence must not lead him to take offense, and lose courage, or yield to the rebellion of men; that, on the contrary, he must proceed with unshaken firmness, and rise superior to temptations of this nature. For God gives him due warning beforehand as to the result; as if He had said, ‘You will indeed teach without any good effect; but do not regret your teaching, for I enjoin it upon you; and do not refrain from teaching, because it yields no advantage; only obey Me, and leave to My disposal all the consequences of your labors. I give you all this information in good time, that the event may not terrify you, as if it had been strange and unexpected.’ Besides, he is commanded openly to reprove their blind obstinacy, as if he purposely taunted them.†In other words, just as this message of God to Isaiah was to strengthen Isaiah for the daunting task he had to endure, so this prophesy fulfilled in Jesus’ lifetime was to strengthen Him in His humanity to endure the ridicule and persecution that came with the rejection of His teaching and moreso the rejection of His person.
One last point with this quote from Isaiah: don’t miss the last part, that God would heal those who turn in repentance. If the hardening didn’t come from the teaching in parables, the people might have repented and God would have healed them. This sounds harsh, but God seems to have desired the hardening to ensure that He wouldn’t be obligated, by His promise of forgiveness to the penitent, to forgive them! This theology fits with the reformed understanding of predestination, election, and reprobation, all matters of God’s sovereignty in salvation. And Calvin’s lengthy comments on the Isaiah passage confirm this understanding:
“But whatever may be the result, still God assures us that our ministrations are acceptable to Him, because we obey His command; and although our labor appear to be fruitless, and men rush forward to their destruction, and become more rebellious, we must go forward; for we do nothing at our own suggestion, and ought to be satisfied with having the approbation of God. We ought, indeed, to be deeply grieved when success does not attend our exertions; and we ought to pray to God to give efficacy to His word. A part of the blame we ought even to lay on ourselves, when the fruits are so scanty; and yet we must not abandon our office, or throw away our weapons. The truth must always be heard from our lips, even though there be no ears to receive it, and though the world have neither sight nor feeling; for it is enough for us that we labor faithfully for the glory of God, and that our services are acceptable to Him; and the sound of our voice is not ineffectual, when it renders the world without excuse….
“We ought also to attend to this circumstance, that Isaiah was not sent to men indiscriminately, but to the Jews…. It is undoubtedly a harsh saying, that God sends a prophet to close the ears, stop up the eyes, and harden the heart of the people; because it appears as if these things were inconsistent with the nature of God, and therefore contradicted his word. But we ought not to think it strange if God punishes the wickedness of men by blinding them in the highest degree. Yet the Prophet shows, a little before, that the blame of this blindness lies with the people; for when he bids them hear, he bears witness that the doctrine is fitted for instructing the people, if they choose to submit to it; that light is given to guide them, if they will but open their eyes. The whole blame of the evil is laid on the people for rejecting the amazing kindness of God; and hence is obtained a more complete solution of that difficulty to which we formerly adverted.
“At first sight it seems unreasonable that the Prophets should be represented as making men’s hearts more hardened…. Such blinding and hardening influence does not arise out of the nature of the word, but is accidental, and must be ascribed exclusively to the depravity of man. As dim-sighted people cannot blame the sun for dazzling their eyes with its brightness; and those whose hearing is weak cannot complain of a clear and loud voice which the defect of their ears hinders them from hearing; and, lastly, a man of weak intellect cannot find fault with the difficulty of a subject which he is unable to understand; so ungodly men have no right to blame the word for making them worse after having heard it. The whole blame lies on themselves in altogether refusing it admission; and we need not wonder if that which ought to have led them to salvation become the cause of their destruction. It is right that the treachery and unbelief of men should be punished by meeting death where they might have received life, darkness where they might have had light; and, in short, evils as numerous as the blessings of salvation which they might have obtained. This ought to be carefully observed; for nothing is more customary with men than to abuse the gifts of God, and then not only to maintain that they are innocent, but even to be proud of appearing in borrowed feathers. But they are doubly wicked when they not only do not apply to their proper use, but wickedly corrupt and profane, those gifts which God had bestowed on them.
“John quotes this passage as a clear demonstration of the stubbornness of the Jews. He does not indeed absolutely give the very words, but he states the meaning clearly enough (John 12:39-40). True, this prediction was not the cause of their unbelief, but the Lord foretold it, because he foresaw that they would be such as they are here described. The Evangelist applies to the Gospel what had already taken place under the law, and at the same time shows that the Jews were deprived of reason and understanding, because they were rebels against God. Yet if you inquire into the first cause, we must come to the predestination of God. But as that purpose is hidden from us, we must not too eagerly search into it; for the everlasting scheme of the divine purpose is beyond our reach, but we ought to consider the cause which lies plainly before our eyes, namely, the rebellion by which they rendered themselves unworthy of blessings so numerous and so great.
“Paul, too, shows from this passage, on more than one occasion (Acts 28:27; Romans 11:8), that the whole blame of blindness rests with themselves. They have shut their ears, says he, and closed their eyes. What Isaiah here ascribes to doctrine, Paul traces to the wicked disposition of the nation, which was the cause of their own blindness; and accordingly, I have stated that this was an accidental and not a natural result of the doctrine…. Now, however ungodly men may bark against us with their reproaches, that our doctrine ought to bear the blame, because the world is made worse by the preaching of it, they gain nothing at all, and take nothing away from the authority of the doctrine; for they must at the same time condemn God Himself and the whole of His doctrine. But their calumnies will not hinder His justice from being displayed, or hinder Him from vindicating itself, and at the same time vindicating us.
“…He expressly declares that he did not send the Prophet because He intended to save the people; but, on the contrary, because He intended to destroy them. But the word of God brings salvation; at least some benefit must arise from the preaching of it, that it may do good to some, though many are deprived of the advantage by their own unbelief. I answer, the subject treated of is the whole body, which had already been condemned and devoted to destruction; for there were always some whom the Lord exempted from the general ruin; to them the word brought salvation, and on them it actually produced its proper effect; but the great body of the people were cut off and perished through obstinate unbelief and rebellion. So, then, we perceive that the word of God is never so destructive that there are not a few who perceive that it brings salvation to them, and feel that it does so in reality…. We ought also to observe from the order and connection of the words, that the first step of healing is repentance. But in the first place, we must understand what he means by the word healing; for he uses it in reference to the chastisements which had been inflicted on the people on account of their sins. Now, the cause of all the evils which we endure is our rebellion against God. When we repent, He is reconciled to us, and the rods with which He chastised us are no longer employed. This is our healing. And this order ought to be carefully observed, from which it is evident what object the Lord has in view in inviting us to Himself, and what is the design of the heavenly doctrine, namely, that we may be converted. …Then, offering reconciliation He holds out remedies for all diseases, not only of the body but of the soul. And such being the eminent advantage derived from the word of God, if we are not reconciled to God as soon as His word sounds in our ears, we have no right to lay the blame on any other, for it rests wholly with ourselves. Indeed, the Prophet here speaks of it as unnatural and monstrous, that, by the doctrine of the word, the native tendency of which is to heal and soften, men should become insolent and obstinate and altogether incurable. It is undoubtedly true, that when we are drawn inwardly (John 6:44), it is an extraordinary gift of God, and that the arm of God is not revealed to all (Isaiah 53:1), but by this dreadful punishment of obstinate malice, Isaiah intended to teach, that we ought earnestly to beware of despising when God calls.â€
Finally, Jesus concludes His reasoning for the parables in Matthew 13:16-17, saying, “But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.†Jesus says effectively that the disciples were not victims of the hardening ministry in which He was engaging. Instead, they were “blessed.†Specifically, their eyes were blessed, because they really saw Jesus for who He is; and their eyes were blessed, because they heard His teachings and believed. Scripture says, “Ears that hear and eyes that see – the Lord has made them both†(Proverbs 20:12; cf. Deuteronomy 29:4). In other words, if we have faith in Jesus, if we believe His words and seek His instruction, and test His will by doing it, then it’s only because God has blessed us. That’s confirmation that regeneration precedes faith (Acts 18:27); and it’s hard teaching. But it’s throughout Scripture. Take just one example, when Jesus spoke to the crowd after feeding the 5000, in John 6:35-37(44), saying, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen Me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never drive away… No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them, and I will raise them (the drawn ones) up at the last day.â€
There’s one more reason to see the disciples as “blessed.†Not only did God bless them with spiritual life when they were dead in their sins, enabling (and ensuring) that they would see and hear and believe in Jesus; but also, they lived in the time of the Messiah’s coming on earth. The faithful Old Testament Prophets, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, longed to understand in the way that the disciples got to understand, and because the former didn’t but the latter did, they were considered blessed. Just think, we who live 2000 years on the other side of the cross are far more blessed than even the disciples, for we have the indwelling Holy Spirit, to guard and guide us in our journey in this still broken world.
Now, returning to “The Parable of the Sower,†let’s see how Jesus explains it in Mark 4:11-20 and Matthew 13:18-23. The farmer sowing his seed is anyone who “sows the word.†So Jesus was a farmer during His earthly ministry, and the disciples were farmers, especially throughout the Book of Acts, and today, preachers and laymen are farmers when we talk about Jesus and spiritual truths related to the Gospel. Our speaking is the sowing, and it goes into the hearts of our hearers. But our hearers have four different responses, depending on the kind of soil by which they are represented. First are those who do not understand the message. The path represents them, and the reason they don’t grasp the gospel truth is that Satan, represented by the birds in the parable, snatches the message away from them. Paul understood this well, and he expressed it in 2 Corinthians 4:4, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.â€
There are those who hear the gospel and receive it with joy, thinking, “Hey, this is great news! I’m saved by Jesus and get to go to heaven!†The rocky, shallow soil represents these hearers, because, lacking depth in their understanding (no root), they don’t maintain their faith very long. “When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away†(v21). If you were to go on vacation and hear the gospel, receiving it with joy, and then return home where you reveal the good news to your friends, then you might be like this if they mock and ridicule you causing you to forget all about Jesus.
The third type of soil is thorny soil, and Jesus says this is “the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.†Jesus despises lukewarmness, an unfruitful faith, and much of the New Testament is written to guard against it. Sadly, there are many professing Christians who exhibit unfruitful faith, usually because of worldly concerns or laziness, perhaps even lack of energy due to being “choked!†And though Jesus doesn’t give a declaration of condemnation upon these hearers, this type of soil does not yield what the Gospel is intended to produce. So most commentators suggest that these hearers either lack possession of Christ – despite their profession of faith – and end up with eternal destruction in hell, or have a genuine possession of Christ and merely escape the fires of hell by the skin of their teeth, thereby missing out on the great rewards God will have for those who have grown in faithful fruitfulness (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).
The final hearer is represented by good soil, and this person not only understands the message of the Gospel, but also responds to it in faithful fruitfulness, applying the instructions of God found within the Gospel to good use. These hearers earn interest on their efforts, and they will reap reward here and/or there, by God’s grace and in His perfect timing. Elsewhere, Jesus says to store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, and having a fruitful faith is certainly one way to do that (Consider George Muller). Finally, note that while all 4 types of soil “hear†the word, the first 3 do so in a onetime fashion, while the 4th does so in an ongoing manner. Do you repeatedly sit under the Word of God? Or is it something you heard before but no longer consider as milk and meat to your daily life?
V21-34 – 21He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? 22For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.†24“Consider carefully what you hear,†He continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you – and even more. 25Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.†26He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28All by itself the soil produces grain – first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.†30Again He said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.†33With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when He was alone with His own disciples, He explained everything.
In this passage, Jesus asks rhetorical questions and makes a few short remarks that get His audience thinking about spiritual truths and the Kingdom of God (v21-25). Light is meant to shine and expose what is hidden by darkness; pay close attention to the truth; “Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.â€
Then He tells 2 short parables about what the Kingdom of God is like (v26-29, v30-32). Jesus wants to explain the workings of His kingdom, over which He reigns as king, because it doesn’t work the same way as earthly kingdoms. The kingdom of God is like “a man [who] scatters seed on the ground†(v26). It grows and produces fruit that is harvested, “though he does not know how†(v27). So the Kingdom of God starts small and grows, influencing nations and impacting individuals from the inside out, and it happens not by human power or influence but by the Holy Spirit. Also, the Kingdom of God “is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.†It starts off small and insignificant, but grows to be “the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade†(v32). Many commentators have put this parable into different words in various ways. The general understanding is that Jesus’ kingdom, over which He reigns, does not seem significant at first, in light of the world around us, but we find, as we grow in our understanding of His kingdom, that it grows and provides shelter and blessing (Daniel 2:44). One commentator says, “Though the dominion [of Jesus] appeared small like a seed during Jesus’ ministry, it would inexorably grow into something large and firmly rooted, which some would find shelter in and others would find obnoxious and try to root out.†And Mark explains that Jesus used “many similar parables†to reveal “as much as [the disciples] could understand†(v33). Jesus “explained everything†to His disciples when they were alone (v34). Since they would be passing on His teaching after His departure, they needed the fullness of His message, and since they were with Him constantly, they received His full instruction.
V35-41 – 35That day when evening came, He said to His disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.†36Leaving the crowd behind, they took Him along, just as He was, in the boat. There were also other boats with Him. 37A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?†39He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!†Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40He said to His disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?†41They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!â€
In the final passage of Mark 4, we learn what it means to be afraid. In v37, we see a “furious†storm come upon them, which was both a common threat and a serious threat to these men. With many of them being fishermen, they undoubtedly had experienced rough seas. And this particular geography leads to pop-up storms. But this storm was clearly more serious than the normal ones; the disciples were afraid for their lives. Have you really ever been that afraid? This is not horror-movie kind of fear. This is truly life or death terror. And Jesus slept right through it (v38). He was not only able to rest in the midst of the storm, but we see in v39 that He has complete control over the storm. With Jesus’ rebuke of both the storm (v39) and the disciples (v40), they become “terrified,†or “filled with great fear,†at the presence of God Himself in their midst. So even if you have been chased by a stalker wielding a knife, that was only the first kind of fear. I don’t think any of us have truly experienced the second kind, for to fall into the hands of the living God is what real fear is. As Jesus later says in Matthew 10:28, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell†(cf. Isaiah 66:24).
The disciples conclude, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him†(v41)! That’s exactly what we are left to ponder as the chapter concludes. Who is this Jesus? Have you humbled yourself before Him, recognizing His glory as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Have you rightly feared Him for His power and authority? Have you marveled as His grace in bringing you to faith and showing you love and mercy and forgiveness, even declaring you justified and a co-heir with Christ of all things?
“By his instruction [Isaiah, and likewise Jesus] will also blind the people, so as to be the occasion of producing greater insensibility and stubbornness, and to end in their destruction. [God] declares that the people, bereft of reason and understanding, will perish, and there will be no means of obtaining relief; and yet He at the same time affirms that the labors of the Prophet, though they bring death and ruin on the Jews, will be to Him an acceptable sacrifice. This is a truly remarkable declaration; not only because Isaiah here foretold what was afterwards fulfilled under the reign of Christ, but also because it contains a most useful doctrine, which will be of perpetual use in the Church of God; for all who shall labor faithfully in the ministry of the word will be laid under the necessity of meeting with the same result. We too have experienced it more than we could have wished; but it has been shared by all the servants of Christ, and therefore we ought to endure it with greater patience, though it is a very grievous stumbling-block to those who serve God with a pure conscience. Not only does it give great offense, but Satan powerfully excites his followers to raise a dislike of instruction on the pretense of its being not merely useless, but even injurious; that it renders men more obstinate, and leads to their destruction. At the present day, those who have no other reproach to bring against the doctrine of the gospel maintain that the only effect produced by the preaching of it has been, that the world has become worse.
Footnotes
Bible text from
Gospelcom.net. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society.
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