Luke 8:15 “But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.”
This verse is quite interesting because of the description of the heart of the persons represented by the seed on the good ground. Jesus says that these folks have a ‘noble’ and ‘good’ heart. Is Jesus saying that the only people that will be saved and bear fruit were good people to begin with? This seems inconsistent with His doctrine and with the rest of Scripture.
The best way to understand this is as an ‘in comparison to’ statement. In other words, these people have a noble heart as hearts go, or a good heart as hearts go. Individuals in this category are those who had retained some sense of the need for good in the world. The word ‘noble’ speaks of their being commendable. These are they who would rather see good done than evil. They have held onto the idea that there is good and evil and these matter for life. The word ‘good’ means to be upright or morally principled. In other words, these people are those who, before believing, had some idea of how we ought to live.
This does not mean they were sinless. On the contrary Scripture makes it clear that many who were saved were guilty of very egregious things. But, they had felt guilt and shame. Their heart was still, in some part of it, tender to the things of God. Even those who wander in sin for many years may still be like this. They have not completely turned their back on the idea that they need God.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your work in our lives! Without Your grace we would never find our way. We would live in a maze. You have shed light on everything. I will praise You forever! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.