Matthew 13 Kingdom Parables and the Church

The parables in Matthew 13 can be misunderstood to state the church will grow and influence the world, and everyone lives happily ever after. Thus, it’s the church’s job to “help” God along in that task, usually via government programs. Some even go so far as to state it’s our job to establish God’s kingdom, again, usually by using extreme political ideology like social justice.

But consider what Jesus actually said in Matthew 13:

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field. Which indeed is the least of all seeds; but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. Another parable spoke he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. (Matthew 13:31–33)

Whoops. Notice who the birds are? They’re not the good guys.

It might surprise some to learn the church won’t be pure — heretics will infest it. Not just obvious cultists, but mainline denominations and popular pastors will promote heresy as they abandon orthodox Biblical doctrine.

What?

Have you heard the current fad of “the gospel of social justice”? That’s one example of a popular fad (promoted by supposedly trusted pastors) which turns out to be 100% incorrect.

You see, Paul defined the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15, so if someone uses a different gospel like social justice and good works, they’re telling you one of several things:

  • Paul was wrong.
  • They’re a new prophet who can overrule the Bible.
  • Paul didn’t really mean what he wrote, it must be re-interpreted.
  • That part doesn’t apply today.
  • The Bible isn’t really God’s Word.
  • … or some other equally absurd nonsense.

Of course, when you call them on it, they’ll be slippery and try to squirm out of the problem created by placing radical political ideology over the Bible, but nevertheless facts remain: they substitute their own idea for God’s Word — simply ask why their idea should overrule Paul.

They’ll revert to traditional Christian words, but you must get them to define them. You’ll quickly discover when discussing the Gospel, for example, liberals aren’t using the same definition as orthodox Christianity.

No doubt heretics and apostates infect the church. Jesus Himself warned heretics will infest the church — the birds remember, are workers of Satan, and leaven normally refers to sin and corruption.

Liberal theology. Workers of Satan. Re-interpretation. Modern scholarship. Leaven. Social justice. Corruption. All birds of the same flock.

We’ve been warned, but are we doing anything? Are we worried about being offended instead of using truth?

We’re not talking about minor points — pre-trib, methods of baptism, etc. No, what concerns us is foundational doctrine — the Gospel — and it ain’t social justice, good works, common good, modern theology, or pot-lucks. Denying the Biblical Gospel removes Christianity from … Christianity.

The Gospel is Jesus Christ as God became a man, died on the cross for our sin, and was resurrected the third day.

Yet liberals reject some or all Paul’s definition, even as Paul himself warned some people will not accept Biblical doctrine.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

What do we see today in the church? The popular book-of-the-month. Philosophy. Re-interpretation of the Bible. Abandonment of truth. Seeker-friendly.

Certainly these fads can be popular, but that’s not the question. The question will always be: are they true? And the answer is if they contradict the Bible, they most assuredly are false, and heresy as well.

The church has been warned, but will we heed the warning, or allow the leaven of liberal theology to corrupt the church?

Filed Under: Doctrine

Recommended Citation:
Yeager, Darrin "Matthew 13 Kingdom Parables and the Church" (2023-11-23 14:45),
https://www.dyeager.org/post/matthew-13-kingdom-parables-and-the-church.html
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