I would never agree that salvation is by works in any way. The same epistle that has MB's quote says in chapter 1 that if any of the little children says they they have not sinned is a liar and makes him a liar.
I am an advocate of easy believism if the only other alternative is hard believism. Defining the soils in the parable in Matt 13 is easy. Soil #1 = Jerusalem. Soil #2 = Judea. Soil #3 = Samaria. Soil # 4 = all the world (Jn 4:43)
I always say when speaking of locations and geography, one just needs to look at what the historical records say about it to determine where it is.
For instance the scriptures say that Jesus came to his own and I looked and he only ministered in Jerusalem (Jn 3:1-21), Juda (Jn 3:22-36), Samaria (Jn 4:42), and Galilee, called Galilee of the nations. That was the order. It was not at the same time.This is the same order the apostles took in Acts.
The scriptures say Paul was sent by God to the gentiles and I wondered how to define gentiles and so I looked to see where he went. He went west into Europe on all of his missionary trips. What am I to make of that since there is an east, north, and south?
We differ both in our understanding of scripture and in our method of study of scripture.
1) No one is advocating "works salvation."
2) No one is saying born anew believers are not aware that they sin, and should strive to not do the things they see as sinful.
3) I am saying, if a person is indeed born anew, from God's perspective they do not sin, because God remembers no more their sins forever.
4) "Hard believism" seems to be a strawman construct of the Easy Believism advocates.
5) I believe all four soils refers to types of people, and not to areas.
6) Jesus said to spread the gospel everywhere, to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
7) Gentiles are simply "non-Jews" or everyone else.