Continued from previous post.
VERSE 26 “But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also (Nominal Christians, much more numerous than the wheat, the children of the devil, imitation Christians, some of them very respectable, moral, and actually very good people, however not begotten of the Spirit or of the truth, most begotten by excitement, of fear of hell, or of hopes of worldly advantage, of pride, or of social and financial ambition).”
Herein lies an important point which is generally overlooked by the majority of believers, most are of the opinion that the battle or conflict is between believers and non-believers, not so, it’s between the true children of God (the wheat) and the children of the Adversary (the “tares”). Even then the general consensus is that the truth nevertheless prevails, but this too is not so. Think about it for a moment, if the tares are in the majority (as weeds always multiply faster than wheat), and as such control all the various denominations, sects and etc. whose teachings would then prevail or dominate throughout Christendom, the teachings of the true church or the teachings of the false church?
Despite what most naive Christians believe most of what is taught for doctrine coming from pulpit of the various churches these days comes by way of the tares. Venture into any Christian bookstore today and it’s a sure bet that most if not everything offered there was written by a tare. The problem is that the tares don’t actually know they are tares. The true standard of what it takes to be a Christian, a follower of Christ has been so lowered that now anyone can claim to be a Christian, a mere profession of faith is all that is required.
Thus the “tares” have grown and grown and grown and have overtaken the field, all but chocking off all the influence of the wheat. They are completely oblivious of their true condition as attested by our Lord in Rev 3:17 where he states that they know not “that they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.”
Nevertheless they continue to assert that ‘we are rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’
They honestly believe what they teach is the truth (the Adversary having successfully turned light for darkness and darkness for light); after all aren’t the doctrines they hold held by the majority, the common or (orthodoxy) view? The majority couldn’t possibly be wrong now could they?
The tares truly believe that they are the true church and that anyone who questions their teachings is obviously a dissenter preaching false doctrines. Tares don’t judge themselves in contrast with the true children of God, to do so would expose their hypocrisy, but rather they chose to contrast themselves with the world, with non-believers. The world obviously being for the most part in a much more degraded condition elevates their position amongst men.
VERSES 27-29 “So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, an enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, nay (We cannot follow the usual custom in this case, because of the greatly excessive proportion of tares) lest while ye gather up the tares ye root up also the wheat with them (The true and false are too intimately associated, their roots intertwining in society, home, etc. So closely intertwined are the roots of the two classes that to disturb such close relationship in life would cause great commotion. "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will manifest the counsels of the hearts." (1 Cor 4:5) So intimately are the true and false associated, that only the Lord, who could read the hearts, could distinguish between them with unerring precision).”
Next post.
