The statement “you will know them by their fruits” comes from Matthew 7:16 in the Bible. It forms part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, where He warns about false prophets. In Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus states:
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
So what does Jesus mean when He says “you will know them by their fruits”? Let’s explore this in more detail:
1. The context is about testing false prophets
Jesus has been warning His listeners about false prophets – people who claim to speak for God but actually lead people astray. In Matthew 7:15, He describes them as wolves in sheep’s clothing. They may seem gentle and harmless like sheep on the outside, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves ready to devour their prey.
So Jesus tells His listeners they can test these false prophets by looking at their “fruit”. Fruit is what results from something – it reveals the true nature inside. Just as apples grow on apple trees and oranges on orange trees, the works and lifestyle of a person will reveal their true spiritual condition.
2. Fruit refers to teachings, character and deeds
When Jesus talks about “fruit”, He means what comes out of a person’s life:
- Teachings – what doctrines and ideas do they promote? Are they aligned with God’s Word or do they distort it? (Matthew 15:9)
- Character – what attitudes, values and worldview do they hold? Are they characterized by the fruits of the Spirit like love, joy, peace? Or by the works of the flesh like greed, anger, pride? (Galatians 5:19-23)
- Deeds – how do they live their life? Do their actions line up with their words? Do they practice what they preach? (Matthew 23:3)
A person’s fruit reveals their spiritual source. Good teachings, Christlike character and righteous living come from God and indicate someone is a true prophet. False doctrine, sinful attitudes and hypocritical actions have their source in the flesh or evil spirits rather than God’s Spirit.
3. Good trees bear good fruit, bad trees bear bad fruit
Jesus uses a metaphor about trees and fruit. A good, healthy tree will naturally bear good fruit. But a bad, diseased tree will bear bad, rotten fruit. He says you can’t pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles – the fruit always matches the tree.
In the same way, what comes out of someone’s life is determined by their spiritual condition. Someone with a good heart transformed by God’s Spirit will produce good fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8). But someone with an evil, unrepentant heart will keep producing bad fruit – despite outward appearances.
So Jesus says inspect the fruit to know what kind of tree it is. Check the deeds, words, lifestyle and character to assess someone’s true spiritual state. The fruits will determine if they are a good tree (a genuine prophet) or a bad tree (a false prophet). Their fruits – not their outward appearance – will expose their deception.
4. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down
Jesus warns that trees failing to bear good fruit face dire consequences – they get cut down and thrown into the fire. This is a picture of God’s judgment.
Just as farmers get rid of bad trees to make space for good ones, God will remove unrepentant sinners on the day of judgment (Matthew 3:10). False prophets who deceive and spread bad fruit will be judged for leading people away from God’s kingdom (Matthew 23:13-15).
But the righteous bearing good fruit will receive their eternal reward in God’s kingdom. So we must ensure we are good trees producing fruit pleasing to God, not bad trees that get cut down (Matthew 7:19).
5. We will recognize false prophets by their fruits
Jesus assures His listeners they can recognize wolves in sheep’s clothing by inspecting their fruit. The secret to avoiding deception is being discerning – carefully considering someone’s lifestyle, words, actions and doctrine.
Do they practice what they preach? Do they display the fruit of God’s Spirit? Does their teaching align with Scripture? The answers will reveal if they are true or false.
We must be alert, using discernment to test those claiming to speak for God. We compare what comes out of their mouths to what comes out in their deeds – does the fruit match the tree? Then we will not be fooled by fake prophets masquerading as sheep when they are actually wolves.
6. We must also inspect our own fruit
While Jesus’ words focused on testing others, we should also inspect our own spiritual fruit. As believers, we want to cultivate good fruit in our lives that brings glory to God and leads others to Him.
So we must ask: What kind of teachings fill my mind? What attitudes shape my character? Do my deeds match my confessions of faith? Am I displaying the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?
If we find bad fruit, we must repent and ask God to transform our hearts, removing sin and growing righteousness. We want to be fruitful disciples producing a harvest of good fruit for God’s kingdom.
7. The Holy Spirit produces good fruit in believers
On our own we are unable to bear good spiritual fruit. It requires God’s Spirit at work within us, transforming our hearts to become more Christlike. As we walk in step with the Spirit, His fruit blossoms in our lives – love, joy, peace, patience, etc. (Galatians 5:22-23).
The Spirit’s presence is revealed by His fruit. If we are not displaying the Spirit’s fruit in our lives, we may not be walking closely with God or allowing His Spirit to shape us. Examining our fruit can lead to repentance and revival.
As we yield to the Spirit’s leading each day, He empowers us to live godly lives bearing fruit that honors Christ. Our spiritual fruit glorifies God and draws people to follow Jesus too.
8. Our works demonstrate our faith is genuine
James 2:14-26 explains that our actions – the fruit we bear – demonstrates whether our faith is genuine. Just claiming to have faith without deeds to match is useless. True, living faith produces fruit such as caring for the needy and bridling our tongue.
Fruit reveals what’s inside our hearts – whether or not God’s Spirit and word are shaping us. Our deeds and lifestyle either authenticate our faith or expose it as counterfeit. Works aren’t the root of our salvation, but they are evidence of a transformed heart.
So we must humbly inspect our fruit. If we find areas lacking good fruit, we should pray for God to change our hearts and empower our lives to honor Him and serve others.
9. Bearing fruit glorifies God and spreads the gospel
In John 15:1-8, Jesus compares believers to branches connected to Him the vine. He says God prunes branches bearing fruit to be even more fruitful. The purpose is to glorify God and prove we are Jesus’ disciples.
Bearing spiritual fruit brings glory to God as people see Christ’s transforming work in our lives. It’s a powerful witness spreading the gospel as others are drawn to follow Jesus by our Christlike love, joy, peace, etc. Fruitful lives fulfill our purpose – glorifying God by making Him known.
So we aim to stay attached to Jesus the vine through abiding in Him, prayer, obeying His Word. As we yield to the Spirit, He produces bountiful fruit through our lives for God’s great glory.
10. At the harvest, the fruit reveals what’s been sown
Galatians 6:7-10 explains that whatever a person sows, that’s what they’ll reap at the harvest. Sowing to the flesh produces destruction. Sowing to the Spirit by doing good brings eternal life.
The harvest in view is final judgment. Then the fruit of each life will be clearly seen, revealing what’s been sown in the heart. The righteous will reap eternal life, the wicked eternal destruction. Our deeds – the fruit – discloses whether we belong to Christ.
This reminds us to intentionally sow spiritual fruit daily by walking in the Spirit, obeying Christ. Then we will reap an eternal harvest of righteousness rather than judgment.
Conclusion
When Jesus says “you will know them by their fruits” in Matthew 7:16, He gives an important principle for discerning false prophets – inspect their deeds, lifestyle and doctrines. The spiritual fruit reveals what fills their hearts. We must beware wolves in sheep’s clothing by looking beyond appearances to assess the true nature of someone’s fruit.
But this principle also applies to our own lives. As believers, we want to cultivate good spiritual fruit through walking closely with God and allowing His Spirit to sanctify us. Our fruits – words, actions, character – authenticate our faith and bring glory to God. So we must humbly examine our fruit and pursue greater Christlikeness as we await the ultimate harvest.