By their fruits (part 2)…

In Matthew 7:16-18 Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.” And again in Matthew 12:33 and Luke 6:40, Jesus said, “each tree is known by its fruit.”

The logic of these statements is as powerful as it is simple. Jesus is saying that people are known and defined by the type of “fruit” they bear, just as a tree is known and defined by the type of fruit it bears. In other words, you can usually know what something is by what it does. This same principle applies to us individually as Christians, and to us corporately as the church. A person will be known by the “fruit” they bear – that is, by the things they do, just as a church will be know by what it does.

It is interesting that in Matthew 7:16 Jesus was talking to the people specifically about how they could recognize false prophets. His point was that they could tell whether a prophet was a true prophet or a false prophet by the type of “fruit” he bore, because certain types of fruit would be seen in someone’s life if he was a true prophet of God, and certain other types of fruit would be seen in his life if he were a false prophet.

This same thing is true of us as Christians. If a person is truly a Christian, then there are certain types of “fruit” that will be seen in their life. In John 13:35 Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” And in John 15:8 he told us that by bearing much fruit we both glorify the father and prove that we are truly his disciples. A true disciple of Jesus (the word “disciple” was synonymous with “Christian” in the early church – Acts 11:26) can be “known” by the “fruit” of Love being evident in their lives – particularly in their relationship with other Christians.

Love, by its very nature, is always seeking a way to express itself in some form of “fruit” to others. Whether it is ministering the life of God’s word and spirit through teaching, sharing an encouraging word, lending a helping hand, delivering a timely rebuke, serving in some ministry capacity, or blessing someone with a financial gift, there are an infinite variety of ways we can produce the fruit of love through good works. There are a number of verses in the New Testament that make it clear that doing good works is to be a central focus of the church, Consider the following examples:

Matthew 5:16

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Ephesians 2:10

“We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Colossians 1:10

“Live a life worthy of the Lord, pleasing him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work.”

Titus 2:14

“Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

Hebrews 13:16

“Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

As you consider your own life today, keep this principle in mind. Do those around you know that you are a Christian simply by the “fruits” you produce? If you never told anyone that you were a Christian or that you went to church, or dropped any other such overt hints, would they still be able to tell, based only upon your words and actions?