Kingdom Parables

M. M. NINAN
True enough rebirth is produced by the presence of the witness in a
community. "But how are men to call upon him in whom they have not
believed? And how are they to hear without a preacher?.... So faith
comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes from preaching
Christ." (Rom. 10:14-17)
However Jesus never expected the whole world to be born again. He
wants it. But he knows that it cannot be, so he compares Christians to
light and salt. But he never compared himself or his people to leaven.
The Kingdom is ushered in its fullness only on his personal return. Even
then after a thousand years of peaceful and righteous reign, when Satan
is unleashed, the unregenerate people of his temporal kingdom will
revolt against him. This only shows that sinful men cannot be reformed.
Then what is the meaning of this parable? This parable we know refers
to a period following the period of mustard tree.
5.2 THE LEAVEN
Let us look into the word of god to see the meaning of the symbols.
Nowhere , repeat, nowhere under any circumstance, leaven is associated
with a constructive process. Leavening is a decaying process and all
through the Bible it is seed as a symbol of sin and heresy and false
teachings.
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