<p>8:11 <i>Now the parable is this. The seed is the word of God- </i>The word of the Gospel of the Kingdom (Mt. 13:19). The parable gives the impression that the ground was in a certain condition when the seed was first sown; there seems no hint at the possibility of changing the ground, although we will see later that there is a sense in which this is possible. The stony ground, for example, is in that state as soon as the seed lands upon it. It seems the Lord is showing us how God looks down upon the preaching of the Gospel to various people, seeing that He speaks about things which are future as if they are already (Rom. 4:17). He knows the type of ground which each of us will ultimately be. Therefore, as far as God is concerned, we are good ground, or whatever, at the time of our first encounter with the Gospel, even if we are initially stony or thistle-filled.</p><p>The seed is the word; but &quot;the word&quot; doesn't necessarily mean the whole Bible (although the whole Bible is of course inspired). The phrase specifically means the word of the power of the Gospel, by which we were ushered into spiritual being. And <i>this </i>is what brings forth fruit, through our 'patient' and continued response to it. We were born again, &quot;not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God... and this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you&quot; (1 Pet. 1:23,25). Time and again the New Testament uses &quot;the word of God&quot; or &quot;the word of the Lord (Jesus)&quot; as shorthand for the preaching of the basic Gospel. <i>This</i> is the seed, this is the source of new life, this is what can lead to new character and behaviour in us. James speaks of being &quot;doers of the word&quot; (1:22,25), using the same word as in the parable of the sower, there translated 'to bring forth fruit'. Note that &quot;the word of God&quot; in the NT often refers specifically to the Gospel. James foresaw the possibility of hearing the word of the Gospel but not doing it, not bringing forth what those basic doctrines imply. He foresees how we can admire it as a vain man seeing his reflection in a mirror. We are not to be &quot;forgetful hearers&quot; of the word of the basics, the &quot;implanted word&quot; (1:21 RV- another reference to the sower parable). We aren't to learn the Gospel and then forget those doctrines. We are to be doers of them.</p>