“. . .the woman saw that the tree was good (suitable, pleasant) for food and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired. . .”(Gen 3:6)
“You will fully recognize them by their fruits. . .Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” (Matt. 7:16,17,18)
The word “by”(apo) can indicate “because of” or sometimes “after”.
The word “bears” or “bear” (poieo) can sometimes indicate “continuing” or “exercise” (by occupation).
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Often times when we think of bearing good fruit, we think of good ole Galatians 5 with the fruits of the spirit. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but there's more to consider.
When Eve was in the Garden of Eden, the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil looked good. It probably even tasted good if she was so willing to give it to Adam as well. It wasn't until after they'd eaten that they discovered how deadly the fruit really was.
Sometimes a fruit can be obviously rotten or full of worms and you know it just by looking at it. Sometimes the fruit looks great on the outside but you find out it's rotten or full of worms when you bite into it. Sometimes the fruit looks good and tastes good, but you don't know it's poisonous until it's too late (or unless someone warns you beforehand).
Not one of us is going to walk 100% in love 100% of the time. Even Peter, after being sent out, still made mistakes – that did not make him a bad tree.
We all still have times when we screw up and sin. That should not be considered continuing or exercising (by occupation) in sin or producing (continually) bad (rotten, putrid) fruit. A good tree bears good fruit, but even of the good fruit, one may spoil, in which case, the spoiled fruit should be thrown out (as the spoilage can spread).
A bad (toxic, putrid) tree cannot bear good fruit. Jesus didn't say it couldn't bear fruit, only that it couldn't bear good fruit, so it stands to reason that at least some bad trees can bear fruit of some kind. Let's take the Holly Tree (or bush, whichever you prefer) for example. It produces beautiful, red fruit – pleasing to the eye, but eat more than three berries, and you can expect a very toxic result.
In Matthew 3:8, John the Baptist says, “Bring forth fruit that is consistent with repentance [let your lives prove your change of heart]”.
When determining whether a person is producing good or bad fruit, it might be more accurate to look at Who their trust is in. Do they point people to Jesus (or at least try to), or do they draw people to themselves? Do they encourage you to trust in Jesus, or trust in them? Do they encourage you to get direction from the Lord and point you to His Word, or do they want you to hear from them?
Sometimes you just don't know how good or bad the fruit is until you've had a bite. Either way, it's sure to leave a lasting impression.
What are some other indicators of good or bad fruit?
“You will fully recognize them by their fruits. . .Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” (Matt. 7:16,17,18)
The word “by”(apo) can indicate “because of” or sometimes “after”.
The word “bears” or “bear” (poieo) can sometimes indicate “continuing” or “exercise” (by occupation).
==
Often times when we think of bearing good fruit, we think of good ole Galatians 5 with the fruits of the spirit. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but there's more to consider.
When Eve was in the Garden of Eden, the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil looked good. It probably even tasted good if she was so willing to give it to Adam as well. It wasn't until after they'd eaten that they discovered how deadly the fruit really was.
Sometimes a fruit can be obviously rotten or full of worms and you know it just by looking at it. Sometimes the fruit looks great on the outside but you find out it's rotten or full of worms when you bite into it. Sometimes the fruit looks good and tastes good, but you don't know it's poisonous until it's too late (or unless someone warns you beforehand).
Not one of us is going to walk 100% in love 100% of the time. Even Peter, after being sent out, still made mistakes – that did not make him a bad tree.
We all still have times when we screw up and sin. That should not be considered continuing or exercising (by occupation) in sin or producing (continually) bad (rotten, putrid) fruit. A good tree bears good fruit, but even of the good fruit, one may spoil, in which case, the spoiled fruit should be thrown out (as the spoilage can spread).
A bad (toxic, putrid) tree cannot bear good fruit. Jesus didn't say it couldn't bear fruit, only that it couldn't bear good fruit, so it stands to reason that at least some bad trees can bear fruit of some kind. Let's take the Holly Tree (or bush, whichever you prefer) for example. It produces beautiful, red fruit – pleasing to the eye, but eat more than three berries, and you can expect a very toxic result.
In Matthew 3:8, John the Baptist says, “Bring forth fruit that is consistent with repentance [let your lives prove your change of heart]”.
When determining whether a person is producing good or bad fruit, it might be more accurate to look at Who their trust is in. Do they point people to Jesus (or at least try to), or do they draw people to themselves? Do they encourage you to trust in Jesus, or trust in them? Do they encourage you to get direction from the Lord and point you to His Word, or do they want you to hear from them?
Sometimes you just don't know how good or bad the fruit is until you've had a bite. Either way, it's sure to leave a lasting impression.
What are some other indicators of good or bad fruit?
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