Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 14 minutes ago
In the well-known parable of the sower, Jesus describes four different types of people who hear the message of the gospel, yet only one group produced fruit in accordance with salvation. Free-grace adherents teach that all of these people were saved because you can ‘just believe and live any way you like’, and Calvinists teach that although all four groups responded to the gospel, God only gave enough faith to those who were the chosen…the rest were predetermined to hell. Both of these views are completely false.
In this I explore Jesus’ own interpretation and challenge people to ask which group they are and if they are producing the fruit Jesus spoke of. There are many very important lessons to be learned from this parable, not the least being what kind of gospel are we preaching.
00:01 Free-grace and Calvinism: False interpretations of the parable!
02:20 The Parable of the Sower.
04:21 The disciples ask a question.
08:42 The seed along the path.
10:37 The seed on rocky ground.
11:27 ‘Car park evangelism’. Inoculating people from the real gospel!
15:42 The seed among the thorns.
17:07 ‘Believer’ and ‘disciple’. There is no distinction!
19:03 The seed planted in good soil. They ‘understood’, they counted the cost.
21:02 In Summary
stevecopland.com/practical-systematic-theology-book
In the well-known parable of the sower, Jesus describes four different types of people who hear the message of the gospel, yet only one group produced fruit in accordance with salvation. Free-grace adherents teach that all of these people were saved because you can ‘just believe and live any way you like’, and Calvinists teach that although all four groups responded to the gospel, God only gave enough faith to those who were the chosen…the rest were predetermined to hell. Both of these views are completely false.
In this I explore Jesus’ own interpretation and challenge people to ask which group they are and if they are producing the fruit Jesus spoke of. There are many very important lessons to be learned from this parable, not the least being what kind of gospel are we preaching.
00:01 Free-grace and Calvinism: False interpretations of the parable!
02:20 The Parable of the Sower.
04:21 The disciples ask a question.
08:42 The seed along the path.
10:37 The seed on rocky ground.
11:27 ‘Car park evangelism’. Inoculating people from the real gospel!
15:42 The seed among the thorns.
17:07 ‘Believer’ and ‘disciple’. There is no distinction!
19:03 The seed planted in good soil. They ‘understood’, they counted the cost.
21:02 In Summary
stevecopland.com/practical-systematic-theology-book
