2 Samuel 12
And the Lord sent x Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, y “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, [1] and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5 Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, z “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 6 and he shall restore the lamb a fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, b ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 8 And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 9 c Why have you despised the word of the Lord, d to do what is evil in his sight? e You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and f have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, g but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” 13 h David said to Nathan, i “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, j “TheLord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
Parables are stories used to explain or convince. They are stories with intent. Parables are the means Jesus used most frequently to explain the kingdom and to show the character of God and the expectations that God has for humans.
// Klyne R. Snodgrass, Scholar
Perhaps the most common overemphasis is the confessional reduction of the gospel to Jesus’ death, forgiveness of sin, and imputed righteousness leading to eternal life in heaven…it neglects Jesus’ exemplary life, resurrection and imparted life of regeneration. Tragically many Christians have lost the understanding of the new life of the Spirit. Rather than living out a joy-filled life flowing from their deepest desire to be like Jesus, they settle for being sinners saved by grace obligated to do all they can to keep the law of God by duty rather than delight.
// Mark Driscoll, Pastor
Many people today understand justification as the only essential result of the gospel, and the gospel they preach is that your sins can be forgiven. That’s it! In contrast, I make bold to say, the gospel of the entire New Testament is that you can have new life now in the Kingdom of God if you will trust Jesus Christ…If you preach a gospel that has only to do with the forgiveness of sins you will be as we are today stuck in a position where you have faith over here and abundance over there, and no way to get from here to there because the necessary bridge is discipleship.
// Dallas Willard, Theologial
The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.
// CS Lewis, Philosopher
Romans 8.14
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Colossians 1.13
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
Matthew 5.48
48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
1 Jn. 3.9:
No one who is born of God practices (habitual) sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
1 Jn. 3.6:
No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.
1 Jn. 5.18:
We know that no one who is born of God sins;
Rom. 6.6:
We should no longer be slaves to sin…
“Consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus…present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead” (Rom. 6.11-13).
“We serve in the newness of the Spirit” (Rom 7.6)
“Having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God who raised Him from the dead…He made you alive” (Col. 2.12-13)
“If you have been raised up with Christ keep seeking the things above” (Col. 3.1)
“Anyone in Christ is a new creation!” (2 Cor. 5.17)
