11
votes
Accepted
How do "once saved, always saved" advocates explain the Parable of the Sower?
As expected, "once saved, always saved" advocates (I'll use "reformed" as shorthand for this) generally agree that both the second and third types of soil represent people who were ...
- 42.3k
7
votes
If Jews are not allowed to eat pork why in the Bible appear pig farmers?
If your question is: "why did jews at that time raise pigs", then the answer is: The Jews didn't raise pigs. Let's look at the two examples you cite:
In Luke 15, the younger son goes away &...
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6
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Why did Jesus use parables to teach?
James E. Talmage discusses this in his book "Jesus the Christ" (read online here)
An excerpt from this chapter:
To the chosen and devoted followers who came asking the Master why He had ...
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6
votes
Accepted
How do "once saved, always saved" advocates explain the Parable about wise virgins?
While it is impossible to account for all OSAS interpretations of of the passage, the most obvious answer is that the unwise virgins were not saved. Remember that certain (purported) proponents of ...
- 3,650
6
votes
Strange take on the Parable of the 10 talents - Kids book
Oh, dear! Once we realise that this parable is about the coming kingdom of God, whose King is Christ Jesus, then any suggestion that “the king was angry and greedy” should ring spiritual alarm bells! ...
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5
votes
How do "once saved, always saved" advocates explain the Parable of the Sower?
(I know the question says good answers will have references from published commentaries; I may look for some later when I get the chance to go to my college library, but for now this answer will be my ...
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5
votes
Why was the prodigal son spoken harshly of by his elder brother?
The brother's harsh remark betrayed that he had the spirit of a hireling, rather than that of a son. His service for the father was not one motivated by love, but rather by the promise of reward. Even ...
- 3,270
5
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How do parables communicate the inspired word of God?
The parables of Jesus do not 'communicate the inspired word of God'. They, themselves are the inspired word of God. For God - that is to say the Son of God - actually spoke them on earth from his own ...
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4
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What about the story of the "Rich Man and Lazarus" indicates whether it is a parable or not?
We normally think of "parable" as referring to a fictional analogical story. But the Greek word παραβολή has a broader meaning than this. BDAG gives this definition:
someth. that serves as ...
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4
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What about the story of the "Rich Man and Lazarus" indicates whether it is a parable or not?
One more point in favor of the story being a parable, aside from those above, is that it contains internal self-interpretations which are unlikely in a straightforward recounting, but perfectly ...
4
votes
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From reformed perspective, what does the oil in the foolish virgin's lamp represent?
John Calvin in his commentary on Matthew encourages us to not get bogged down in the minutia of the parables. However, he essentially equates the oil to zeal.
Some people give themselves a good ...
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4
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Did Jesus have the tradition of preserving of leavening agent in mind, while speaking of the Pharisees' Yeast?
In Luke 12 Jesus tells us exactly what the leaven of the Pharisees is: hypocrisy.
In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one ...
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3
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How do "once saved, always saved" advocates explain the Parable about wise virgins?
Matthew 25:1-13 is not about the Christian belief in once-saved always saved. The Lord says to the foolish virgins upon their return for admittance ‘I know you not’. The verb (to know) is in the ...
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3
votes
Why did Jesus use parables to teach?
Being brought up in a Protestant, Evangelical church, I found myself in Sunday school from age six. I remember one of my teachers, Mrs. Valcore, telling me that a parable is an "earthly story ...
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3
votes
From where did Jesus draw the notion of salt losing its saltiness, for his usage "You are the salt of the earth"
The history of salt is actually very interesting. A deeper study of the subject perhaps not fitting for this format is definitely justified. I will however provide a brief summery.
Salt is History ...
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3
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According to Catholicism, why did the robbers strip the traveler to Jericho?
The robbers represent the demons, the fallen angels, who take advantage of man fallen into sin:
From the Catena Aurea on Luke 10:
AMBROSE: But who are those robbers but the Angels of night and ...
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3
votes
New Wine and Old Wine
To understand the link between fasting and the parables Jesus gave in answer in Mark 2:18-22 (ESV), we need to note that the Mosaic Law prescribed only one fast on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:...
- 29.7k
3
votes
Accepted
Does the parable of the Unforgiving Servant have implications re: "once saved, always saved"?
What the parable teaches
Jesus's parables are not comprehensive systematic theology lectures. They teach particular things through analogies but without telling the whole story. What this parable ...
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3
votes
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How does one explain that the Church is the Bride of Christ?
1. Reading the Gospels as Protestants
This verse from the Aramaic scriptures tells us the virgins (we, Christians) will meet both the bridegroom and bride.
A few things here: firstly only a very ...
- 19.7k
3
votes
How do parables communicate the inspired word of God?
The disciples ask Jesus a similar question:
The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” [Matthew 13:10 (NIV)]
Jesus' answer is that it clearly divides the ...
- 1,288
3
votes
How do parables communicate the inspired word of God?
How do parables communicate the inspired word of God?
The parables of Our Lord Jesus Christ are definitely to be viewed as the inspired word of God; otherwise they would not be part of Sacred ...
- 67.7k
3
votes
What was the origin of the phrase "Abraham's Bosom" as used by Jesus?
"Bosom of Abraham" refers to the place of comfort in the Biblical Sheol (or Hades in the Greek Septuagint version of the Hebrew scriptures from around 200 BCE, and therefore so described in ...
- 1,389
3
votes
Accepted
What was the origin of the phrase "Abraham's Bosom" as used by Jesus?
Prior to the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the declaration that he is the Son of God, which is made after his resurrection - see Romans 1:4 - the revelation of the Father was not fully declared to ...
- 23.6k
3
votes
Accepted
Did Jesus have the tradition of preserving of leavening agent in mind, while speaking of the Pharisees' Yeast?
The straightforward meaning of using the illustration of yeast to apply to Pharisaical teaching is in yeast's property of spreading throughout the dough it is mixed into, to make the dough rise.
Yeast ...
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2
votes
What about the story of the "Rich Man and Lazarus" indicates whether it is a parable or not?
The story of the rich man and Lazarus appears in Luke's Gospel as part of a group of parables, because of which it is unlikely to have been a true event. More importantly, it has close parallels to ...
- 14.4k
2
votes
How do "once saved, always saved" advocates explain the Parable of the Sower?
As with all Scripture it is not possible to take only a part of Jesus teachings alone and understand Salvation, but all of his teachings are a part of gaining access to the Kingdom. Otherwise Jesus ...
- 13.3k
2
votes
Why was the prodigal son spoken harshly of by his elder brother?
Why was the prodigal son spoken harshly of by his elder brother?
Three reasons come to mind.
When the prodigal left he took one half of everything and left his brother to do all of the work ...
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