By Their Fruits You Shall Know Them

“By their fruits, you shall know them.” This is a word from Jesus the Savior as He concludes His famous sermon on the mount. “By their fruits you shall know them.” When Jesus says this, He is referring first of all to false teachers. In verses 15-20 of Matthew 7, He warns us to watch out for preachers and teachers who do not proclaim and promote the gospel truth, but rather some perversion thereof. It is then that Jesus tells us that we can know these false teachers and preachers by their fruits, or in other words, by how their teaching expresses itself in their lives. In verses 21-27 of Matthew 7, Jesus then applies His teaching about fruits not only in reference to false teachers and preachers but to people in general. Not everyone who says unto Him, “Lord, Lord”, is necessarily genuine. There are people who say they are Christians and who like to believe they are Christians, but who are really not so. And by their fruits you shall know them!

The single point I would press home in this article is, ‘What are the fruits now, and what should the fruits be in your and my life, assuming you confess Christ as Savior and Lord and believe yourself to be a Christian on the way to heaven’? Truly belonging to Christ will still show in certain fruits, and not really believing in Him, will show in certain fruits too. “Even so”, said Jesus, “every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree, (or bad tree) brings forth evil, (or bad) fruit.” What Jesus clearly and earnestly speaks against in our text is the idea that someone can be a true Christian and yet not have clear fruits showing that new life in Christ.

By their fruits you shall know them. Expanding on this gospel truth, let me now bring out five clear fruits of believers. In focusing on the fruits in a true believer’s life, we will indirectly be exposing what the fruits of hypocrites and unbelievers are too.

Let me begin with saying that a true believer can be known by basing his or her convictions on the whole Bible. A true child of God has God’s inspired and infallible Word as the authority in reference to his or her whole life. The true believer never wants to place himself above God’s Word, and never wants to be convicted or guided by something that is not in accordance with God’s Word. The true believer is known in that you want God’s word as a lamp unto your feet and a light upon your path in every way, every day.

For you as a Christian then, the Bible will be an open book in the home. As opportunity allows, especially also on the Lord’s Days, you will place yourself gladly and faithfully under the preaching of the Word, with all readiness of mind receiving the Word and believing it, not just because the preacher said it, but Berean like, because you know what you hear is based on the whole Word of God.

Are your convictions Scripture-based convictions? The hypocrite does not really care whether something is according to the Bible or not, especially when others around him believe the same as he. As long as his religion feels good, and people think he is a good person, that counts more than the gospel truth! But, this is not so for the true child of God! Then the holy Word of God is your counselor and guide and authority above all. Is this fruit evident in your life?

A second fruit of truly belonging to Christ and following after Him is that your character is affected too. The character of every true Christian will show evidence of having been touched by the Spirit of God. This is not to say at all that Christians are the same, for there is great variety of people in the family of God. However, what marks them all is a gracious, humble, and loving character deep in their hearts and lives. Let me quote what Dr. M. Lloyd Jones wrote in his commentary on the Sermon on the mount: “A Christian can generally be known by his very appearance. The man who really believes in the holiness of God and who knows his own sinfulness and the blackness of his own heart, the man who believes in the judgment of God and the possibility of hell and torment, the man who really believes that he himself is so vile and helpless that nothing but the coming of the Son of God from heaven to earth and His going to the bitter shame and agony and cruelty of the cross could ever save him, and reconcile him to God—this man is going to show all that in his personality. He is a man who is bound to give the impression of meekness, he is bound to be humble.” Yes, indeed! The hypocrite does not know and cannot show this character. They may appear so nice and smiley faced, but that is more plastic than real, for they do not know about their own sin and guilt and are not intimately acquainted with the only Savior from sin in the way of genuine faith and repentance before Him.

What about you who are listening now? Does your character reflect personal knowledge and experience of divine grace? By your fruits you shall know who are the true believers and who are not true believers.

Yes, you shall know them considering their convictions, their character, and their conduct or behavior in life. Is your conduct and behavior in obedience to God’s word, yes or no? In the context of our text, Jesus speaks of the believers in name only who do not do the will of the Father in heaven. Jesus gives warning about those who hear the Word and do them not. Many religious people, and confessing Christians too, are content to hear the gospel without heeding it. Many hear the gospel and want to get in with doing exciting things for Jesus, but do not concern themselves with personal repentance of sin, and faithful diligent obedience before God personally. They let go and excuse all kinds of behavior that are in open contradiction to God’s good and holy will. Any professing believer that does not mind living in a way that is knowingly inconsistent with God’s Word and will should question whether they really are saved at all. We read in 1 John 3:3 that everyone that has the hope of being saved in Him can be known in that then they purify themselves even as Jesus the Savior is pure.

Does your conduct and behavior before God and men, in public and in private reflect the earnest desire and resolve to be free from sin altogether, even here on earth? Are you not able to tolerate any sin in your own life, and is daily repentance something also very real in your life? It is amazing how many professing Christians can become defensive about certain sinful habits or practices in their life. If you are a genuine believer, however, you know even the most private sin that no one else knows about is not defensible and cannot be maintained. The true Christian may fall into sin, but he or she will not continue in sin, but cry to God for mercy and help time and again. “Order my steps in Thy word and let not any iniquity have dominion over me!” David prayed in one of the Psalms.

By their fruits you shall know them. It becomes evident when you truly believe or you just pretend to in your convictions, in your character and in your conduct. Going on, what further shows a true believer is also your concentration and main aim in life. The concentration of a true believer is that in and with everything in life, God may be honored and praised, and His church and kingdom increased. Is this not the priority of every true believer?

Is this not what every true child of God also checks himself or herself with too especially in all the busyness of life and the pursuits of daily life? Then your prayer is, again and again, “Lord, with all my earthly responsibilities, don’t let me get caught up with the here and now, but may I always seek first of all Thee and Thy kingdom, and keep me from forgetting that at any time.” Yes, then you do not want to be taken in with materialism and worldliness, and you do not want to be living for self or selfish gain. Rather, you want to live to God’s praise and the extension and promotion of His church and kingdom. And that becomes evident also in how you spend your free time, and in your giving tithes unto the Lord. Your prayer and care becomes and remains: “Search me, O God, my heart discern, Try me, my inmost thoughts to learn; And lead me, if in sin I stray, to choose the everlasting way!” Is this also the concentration in your life?

Then it will show in the last fruit I will mention yet too, namely, in your commitments in life. True godliness shows itself in Christian convictions, Christian character, Christian conduct, Christian concentration, and Christian commitments. Sadly, we live in an age of much lack of commitment, but the true Christian stands out as a person true to his or her commitments, and wanting to be true to them before God, no matter what! A true Christian is one who holds to his or her commitments and tries always to do so. Then in church life, in marriage, with parenting, with work responsibilities, in community life, you are a person of your word, God helping you. It is very sad the way many who profess to be followers of Christ do not mind at all to promise something, but then when the going gets tough to forget about their promise and their vows. See the resolve and commitment of the Lord Jesus when He came to this earth to serve and give His life a ransom for many! Nothing would or could stop Him from His commitment! Those who truly belong to Him show something of that same commitment, being and seeking to be always honest and upright in all their words, and works and ways. Is it so with you and me? An uncommitted Christian is a contradiction of terms and a believer who doesn’t care to be true to his or her commitments in life’s journey is surely not reflecting the Lord Jesus Christ or following after Him.

With these five fruits explained, it is clear who the true believer is, and at the same time, it exposes the believer in name only. By their fruits you shall know them. Do you profess to be a true Christian? Yes? Then let it be evident in your Christian convictions, and Christian character, and Christian conduct, and Christian concentration, and Christian commitments! How urgent that more and more this godly fruit be in evidence in our ungodly world! Jesus also says in John 15:8, “Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples.”

Here though, before I close, let me mention the only way of fruitfulness in believers. For this message is by no means intended to promote works righteousness! No, for as every true believer also knows, any real Christian fruit in our lives must come and can only come from the Lord Jesus Himself working in us by His Word and Spirit. Hear what Jesus also teaches clearly in John 15. “He that abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing.” So Jesus also ends His sermon telling about how the truly wise, the real children of God, build their life on the rock, Jesus Christ the Savior. Are you building on Him too? Take to heart this gospel word of Jesus, “By their fruits, you shall know them.” Amen.

By: H. Overduin