Apples to Apples

We are told in scripture that we will be able to tell the false teachers from the real teachers based on the fruit they produce.

The question this should lead us to is what exactly does the fruit look like that we are supposed to produce

Most people are under the impression that the fruit is other Christians.

Today we will discuss how we know this is not the fruit that is spoken of in scripture.

Matthew 12:33–37 ESV

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

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This verse teaches us that based upon the teaching of Jesus and the idea that a tree is known by its fruits we can understand that fruit is what is produced by an individual.

The individual person or the tree as we are often referred to in scripture is the item that produces the fruit. We are told in the fruit that we get leads to sanctification and eternal life. If Fruit is the item that is produced by individuals then we know that fruit cannot be something that is out of the control of the individual who will be judged by the fruit in which he produces. This is not to say that the things we do and the actions we have will never have an impact on whether or not a person hears and obeys the gospel.

Galatians 5:16–26 ESV

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Galatians 5:16-26

Galatians gives us a clear understanding of what the fruits of the spirit are. If you will notice each and everyone one of the fruits of the spirit are not other people but rather they are attributes of an individual. If we put this idea to the test of being judged only by those things in which we control are we able to pass the test. The answer is clearly yes. These attributes are all things that we can control and therefore they are things that it would be fair to be judged by.

So the question becomes then how does this relate to our call found in

English Standard Version Chapter 16

Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17

We are told that we are to go into all the world and proclaim the gospel. We need to be reminded that no place in scripture are we told that we are to make sure that we have a certain number of people baptized or converted by the time our life is over.

Scripture teaches us that we are to be in control of those things that we are able to control. Those fruits that are produced by us as individuals. If you will for a moment look with me at an apple tree as we look further into this.

If you will let us make the connections that we have made in scripture today. We understand that we are the tree or the branches that make up the tree. We are to produce fruit which we now understand are those attributes that are associated with being a Christian. If that is all that was included in the Apple tree then there would only be one apple tree.

We know that the thing that produces other apple trees are the seeds that are found in the center of the apple.

When we as Christians produce fruits of the Spirit that we mentioned above each of those fruits are associated with a seed at the center of them. When we produce those fruits we also produce seeds that will be spread to those that we come in contact with. Based on those seeds that we share through our fruits then the seeds are scattered and depending upon the soil in which they fall into determines whether or not our seeds produce other trees.

We read in that we are to plant and to water those seeds that are produced by the fruit that we produce. But the responsibility of growth lies with the person who is touched by the seed and God.