Genuine Fruit

Genuine Fruit

Read: Matthew 7:15-20

“By their fruit you will recognize them.”

Matthew 7:20

“Our actions disclose what goes on within us, just as its fruit makes known a tree otherwise unknown to us.”

—Thalassios the Libyan

IN WORD How do we recognize an apple tree? Some knowledgeable people may be able to tell from the leaves or the bark, but most of us will rely on clearer evidence. If it bears apples, we have our answer. It’s an apple tree. Peach trees don’t bear apples, and apple trees don’t bear peaches. We can tell the tree by its fruit.

False prophets abound. Jesus told us to guard against them and to expect to encounter many. He encountered many Himself. But how do we detect them? Jesus’ answer is simple. It’s all in the fruit.

When we hear a new teaching, we listen closely to the teacher’s words to determine if they line up with our understanding of biblical doctrine. This is a good start. But a better indicator is the behavior of the teacher. If we really want to know what people believe, we will not focus on their words but on their actions. Words are easy to fake. Behavior is not. Jesus tells us we will recognize false teachers by what they produce. We won’t find perfection in any human, but when someone comes with gentle words and ferocious actions, we know the truth about that person. We know that with bad trees, bad fruit will eventually be evident.

IN DEED We can apply Jesus’ principle of fruit to ourselves as well. What do you really believe? What you do will indicate what’s deep down inside. If we say we believe in the power of prayer but rarely pray, we don’t really believe what we say. If we say we believe in the power of love to change lives, yet harbor critical and judgmental attitudes, once again we deceive ourselves. We may not be like the false prophets Jesus warns His disciples about by preying on people like ferocious wolves, but we are like them by exhibiting a contradiction between our words and our deeds.

What is the evidence of genuine belief? Learn to discern the truth. It’s all in the fruit.