Not the four from Greek teaching, but four types of outlook sketched by Christ in the parable of the sower. Everyone fits in here as our lives are scanned and our reactions to God described. Where is life going?

And it came to pass afterward that he, Jesus Christ the Lord, went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God, and the twelve were with him.

Well, we shall be looking at one of the most famous parables in the New Testament, the parable of the sower. And I’ve called our title for this brief address Four Personality Types in the Bible. Now, this has nothing to do with the four personality types that were taught in Greek culture in ancient times, which made rather an unlikely revival in recent years, and which for all their superficiality and oversimplification have become very popular in some circles. One of the most extraordinary things, that the Greek ideas about human personality should be revived in this most educated of ages.

But we’re looking at some personality types, if you like, here in this parable of the sower, for at least different attitudes towards the things of God and towards eternal things, which do reflect us and our deepest character and being. Well, this is the teaching of Jesus Christ, and we should look at it. Just to introduce the parable, in the first verse of this chapter, we read of how Christ went throughout every city and village in Judea, that is, preaching and showing the glad tidings, the good news of the kingdom of God.

Good news it is indeed that there is free salvation with the Lord, that there is pardon, forgiveness for all sin and new life with nothing to pay, because if there was anything to pay, none of us could have salvation, a new life. It must be free, and it comes to us when we come before the Lord in repentance and faith, trusting in Christ and what he has done in bearing away the penalty and the punishment of sin for all his people, all who would in due time come and repent and seek him and trust him. What good news this is. All we’ve ever done, all the sins we’ve committed, all our rebellion, everything which is foul and horrible and offensive to God, freely forgiven, and in its place new life and a walk with God, with Christ, and eternal life hereafter.