The Divine Seed (Divinity) Sown into the Soil (Humanity) in Matthew 13 VS The Spirit of God Making Home in Human Hearts in Ephesians 3

 

The Divine Seed (Divinity) Sown into the Soil (Humanity) in Matthew 13 VS The Spirit of God Making Home in Human Hearts in Ephesians 3

 

Matthew 13:23 "As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

Ephesians 3:16-17 "That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love."

Ephesians 3:20 "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us."

 

Aspect	Matthew 13 - Divine Seed Sown into Soil	Ephesians 3 - God's Spirit Making Home in Human Hearts
Comparison	Emphasizes the union and growth of divinity and humanity	Emphasizes God's building and settling in man
Explanation	Divinity as a seed sown in the soil of humanity, growing through the nutrients of human nature	The Triune God enters man, using Himself as the element and man's being as material, to build a home within man
Example	A farmer sowing seeds in soil, seeds absorbing nutrients from the soil to grow	Construction workers building a house on a plot of land, eventually becoming a dwelling place
Application	Believers need to provide good "soil" (thoughts, attitudes, etc.) for divinity to grow within	Believers need to be strengthened into their inner man, allowing Christ to make home in their hearts
Relevant Scriptures	Matthew 13:3-9 "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up...  Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."	John 14:23 "Jesus answered him, 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.'" Ephesians 1:19-22 "And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places... And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church."

 

This table compares and contrasts two biblical metaphors for God's work in believers: the growth of a seed in soil (Matthew 13) and the building of a home in the heart (Ephesians 3). Both illustrate the divine-human cooperation in spiritual growth and transformation, albeit with different emphases and imagery.

 

*Please refer to the 2024 Summer Live Training - Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (1)

 Message Two: Christ as the One Whose Action Is under Heavenly Rule, Our Shepherd, Our Rest, and the Sower