On the one extreme of God's sovereignty, man is entirely at God's mercy and has no responsibility whatsoever. God chooses and saves as He wills. On the other end, man is fully responsible for his own life and for saving himself.
In the parable of the Sower, we can see that man does have a part to play in determining the outcome of life. The seeds sowed on different grounds of man hearts are the same seeds. The potential to produce is the same for all the seeds. However the outcomes are determined by man's heart; or more specifically, man's reactions to external factors.
We have the hard heart that allows Satan to take the seed away.
We have a shallow heart that allows persecution to destroy our growth.
We have a choked heart that prevents the growth to produce fruits.
Lastly, we have a good heart that allows the seed to grow and produce harvests of different sizes.
The seeds are the same, but our hearts determine the harvest size.
God's love for everyone is the same, but our reception and response to God determine the abundance of life in us. Some Christians struggle through life while some live in great joy and success.
Related posts: God Initiates & Man Follows上帝主动先而人跟随
是神还是人的责任？
这始终是上帝的主权与人的责任之间的平衡。
在上帝主权的一个极端，人完全处于上帝的怜悯之中，没有任何责任。上帝按照自己的意愿选择和拯救。在另一方面，人对自己的生命以及拯救自己负有完全的责任。
在撒种人的比喻中，我们可以看到人确实在决定生命的结果方面有一定作用。撒在不同人心田地的种子是相同的种子。所有种子的潜力是相同的。然而，结果是由人的心决定的；更具体地说，是由人对外部因素的反应决定的。
我们有坚硬的心，使撒旦夺走种子。
我们有浅薄的心，允许逆境摧毁我们的成长。
我们有被扼制的心，阻止生长产生果实。
最后，我们有善良的心，使种子能够生长并且产生不同大小的收获。
种子是一样的，但是我们的心决定了收获的大小。
上帝对每个人的爱都是相同的，但是我们对上帝的接纳和回应决定了我们生命的丰盛。有些基督徒在生活中挣扎，而有些人则在巨大的喜悦和成功中生活。
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