Good and Bad Fruit

As I tend to think in concrete terms, it was always difficult for me in my younger days to understand what Christians meant when they spoke about "fruit."  Because the Bible spoke about spiritual fruit in a figurative sense, it seemed a very subjective standard legalistic-leaning people were pleased to spell out.  I remember kids in our youth group debating whether we had a responsibility to be "fruit inspectors," that we were the ones qualified to determine whether others were living up to a biblical standard.  While the Bible does provide a clear contrast between obvious works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, being able to identify faults in others did nothing to ensure we faithfully walked in the Spirit ourselves!

Reading what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount would have been very helpful for me to read in regards to His warning about false prophets.  He said in Matthew 7:15-20:  “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them."  An illiterate child can easily determine the type of a tree by the fruit it produces--without any formal training in botany.  In knowing Jesus by experience a child of God is able to recognise true and false prophets by the fruit of their lips.  A young child knows the difference between apples and oranges, and thus with great accuracy can know one tree from another.  People could debate all they wanted about which tree was which after the leaves had dropped, but when fruit formed it would become obvious.

Jesus compared false prophets to wolves among the flock who wore the disguise of a sheep and looked like one of the flock they sought to infiltrate and scatter so they could easily seize and carry off prey.  As good trees produce good fruit, so sheep produce wool, millk and lambs for the shepherd.  A wolf that posed as a sheep cannot supply any of these things.  True prophets of God were known when all they said in the name of the LORD came to pass exactly as the prophet had said.  A false prophet would be exposed as an imposter when the word of the LORD supposedly spoken through him was proved to be untrue (Deut. 18:20-22).   Trees do not always have fruit on them, but the fruit will be produced over time.  Jesus said a good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.  The standard of goodness we are to uphold is the example of Jesus and the word of God, a standard we are all called to submit to ourselves.

Jesus went on to say in Matthew 7:21-23:  "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’"  A wolf can claim to be a sheep and look the part for awhile, but the howl of the wolf is quite different from the bleating of sheep.  A person can claim to speak for God, yet when the words of their mouths deny the scripture or subtly explain it away to justify themselves, this is most serious.  Those who teach falsehoods will do wickedly in God's eyes.  Those who call themselves prophets can feign God is their LORD, but Jesus knows better.  He will not be tricked or fooled by their flattery or smooth talk, for in their unregenerate state they are no children of His.  Their words, deeds and manner of life does not align with God's wisdom and word.  Good fruit is not "results" but is produced by being born again by faith in Jesus and His life being lived out through us for His glory.

You might wonder, if it is easy to discern between true and false prophets, how could anyone be deceived?  Well, it is because lies can be very appealing, and charismatic people can be compelling.  It also can occur when we rely upon what we see and think rather than what God has said.  We can be manipulated by fear and seek the approval of others instead of knowing God by faith and learning to follow Him.  I have observed leaders of cults typically shift away from the truth of God's word (which they must if they will assert influence) to themselves or a text other than scripture--which they usually write or re-write themselves.  Jesus bid His followers of false prophets because they exist, we can be decieved, and we can be led to worship what is not God when the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10).  Praise the LORD He has given us the Holy Spirit who guides us into truth, God's word, and the church--the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15)--with Jesus Christ Himself as our Head.  Connected to the Vine, Jesus causes us to bear good fruit.