15“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.16You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?17A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.18A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.19So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.20Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.21“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.22On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’23But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.
Notice, actions are a fruit, they are not the tree. We will know others, and ourselves, by our actions, but the actions are the result, not the cause. It is a clear lesson, but sometimes this gets reversed by people, and that is bad. The good deeds and the desire and ability to follow God’s laws do not make me good. No they are the fruit of me already being good. So how do I become good? By Jesus death on the cross for my sins. It is the only way.
But lets also not get so wrapped up in our faith in Jesus that we do not bear fruit! Our faith calls us to action. “If Christianity were a crime, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” I have always found that quote to be scary. I wonder. Would I be convicted “beyond the shadow of a doubt”? Am I clearly keeping God’s law (Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, and all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself)?
Jesus, through the power of your Holy Spirit, bear fruit through me for your glory. Beginner’s Online Bible Study *obbs*
