Lesson Six: A Tree and Its Fruit
Devotion #1: Beware
Melvin Frick
“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.” Matthew 7:15-20
Jesus knew there would be false prophets that would infiltrate the church, so here we find Him providing us with a stern warning concerning recognizing this issue. He begins with the word “beware.” It is a word better understood defined in its original Greek language as “to give heed; pay attention.” As the church, we keep watch over our brothers and sisters in Christ by paying attention to the teachings and actions of those we corporately listen to so that no one may be deceived.
In 2 Corinthians chapter 11, the Apostle Paul writes instructions to the believers in Corinth (present-day Greece) who were actively being deceived by these ravenous wolves Jesus warned us about in Matthew chapter 7. Take a moment to read what Paul is urging the Corinthians to pay attention to in order that they might not be deceived. In 2 Corinthians 11:4, we read, “For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.”
Paul warns the Corinthians of false teachers by providing them with three simple warning signs to beware of:
- Different Jesus – We must have a firm understanding of who our Lord Jesus Christ is so that we may know the difference between the Jesus that Scripture speaks of, as opposed to the Jesus false prophets speak of. We come to a firm understanding of who Jesus is by reading the Bible. Specifically, we see Him in the four Gospel accounts in our Bible that paint a beautiful and accurate picture of who our Lord Jesus is.
- Different Spirit – In Galatians 5:22-23, we learn what tangible characteristics we can expect to see from a person who claims to have the indwelling Holy Spirit. If we are to properly survey Matthew 7:15-20, cross-referencing Galatians 5:22-23 for the purpose of identifying these characteristics (fruit) is critical. We read, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”Can you identify these fruits in the lives of those you trust for spiritual guidance?
- Different Gospel – Last but not least, if any person comes to you and preaches a different Gospel than the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, that person is a false teacher. If we, as the church, are charged with removing a false Gospel, we ought to be familiar with the true Gospel. Paul declares the true Gospel we are speaking of this way, “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).