Be Ye Fruit Inspectors?

[Monksailor]

In (James 2:10) we are told that in being obedient in all righteousness but sinning in just one point (i.e.; showing favoritism, lying, deceit, adultery, gossip, greed, pride) one is guilty of ALL sin which would include all the formerly listed and murder, rape, and on and on. One metaphor over the years which I have heard many times loosely applied is, "The ground is level at the cross."

Isaiah 64:6 Informs us that even our most righteous acts are like "filthy rags" to God and the context of that was filthy menstrual rags (given by Dr. Chuck Swindoll many years ago on "Insight for Living", I believe) long before disposables, washing machines, plumbing (for the general populous, anyway) and such. Our righteousness is as such to God. I would say that it probably has something to do with motives and intentions of the heart: known to God.

Jeremiah 17:9 Informs us that the human heart is deceitful and desperately
wicked; hopeless.

In the Scriptures we are told repeatedly to have no trust in man but rather to put our trust in God, with all of our heart. (Isaiah 2:22, Jeremiah 17:5, Proverbs 3:5-6)

And immersed in all of this Scripture and tons more about NOT judging another some pride themselves in taking it upon themselves to be "fruit inspectors" of their brothers and sisters in Christ; thinking themselves of being "better" Christians?

These "fruit inspectors" when identifying themselves have described themselves as good deeds or works inspectors; that if one is a Christian there will be observable evidences. That type of an inspection is worthless in God's eyes. God knows our hearts and that good deeds like benevolence, singing, teaching, and even preaching in His house or initiating this thread do not necessarily mean that one is one of His own. Galatians 2:6 informs us that God does NOT judge us by our external appearances and that He judges us by our inward/unseen/undetectable motives and intentions 1Corinthians 4:3b-5. So, if one was to judge a Christian I would think that they should look for the fruit of the spirit. What does the intangible fruit of the Spirit (love, peace, joy, gentleness, kindness, patience, self-control, goodness, faithfulness- Galatians 5:22) look like anyway? Each one has many faces, colors, and seasons and NONE are necessarily self-evident. How does one REALLY inspect or observe evidence of being born again?

I know a good brother in Christ who grew up as a child under horribly hateful circumstances. Well-meaning and well-known Christian counselors/Psychs like Kevin Lehman (sp?)will tell you that even though one may be a Christian adult, if they grew up under such they will have a great tendency to abuse and Dr. Lehman said on the air that he would warn his daughter to abandon such if she found herself attracted. My friend, through Christ, is a good father and Husband and always has been but if observed by a fruit inspector he could be judged a bad one because of the "inspector's" ignorant and fallible standardized comparison "table" and not an individualized one taking specifics and the unseen in mind. Like, he may look like a husband really not working on his marriage when in fact he is a warrior in prayer and in battle against satan's attacks and temptations to employ/repeat/assimilate his father's behavior which was all he had observed and learned from all of his childhood. God gave judgement over to God the Son, Jesus in John 5:22, for a good reason. Only He, NOT us, is Omniscient and Omnipresent and consequentially qualified to judge man.

 

[GOD Shines Forth!]

In (James 2:10) we are told that in being obedient in all righteousness but sinning in just one point (i.e.; showing favoritism, lying, deceit, adultery, gossip, greed, pride) one is guilty of ALL sin which would include all the formerly listed and murder, rape, and on and on. One metaphor over the years which I have heard many times loosely applied is, "The ground is level at the cross."

Isaiah 64:6 Informs us that even our most righteous acts are like "filthy rags" to God and the context of that was filthy menstrual rags (given by Dr. Chuck Swindoll many years ago on "Insight for Living", I believe) long before disposables, washing machines, plumbing (for the general populous, anyway) and such. Our righteousness is as such to God. I would say that it probably has something to do with motives and intentions of the heart: known to God.

Jeremiah 17:9 Informs us that the human heart is deceitful and desperately
wicked; hopeless.

In the Scriptures we are told repeatedly to have no trust in man but rather to put our trust in God, with all of our heart. (Isaiah 2:22, Jeremiah 17:5, Proverbs 3:5-6)

And immersed in all of this Scripture and tons more about NOT judging another some pride themselves in taking it upon themselves to be "fruit inspectors" of their brothers and sisters in Christ; thinking themselves of being "better" Christians?

These "fruit inspectors" when identifying themselves have described themselves as good deeds or works inspectors; that if one is a Christian there will be observable evidences. That type of an inspection is worthless in God's eyes. God knows our hearts and that good deeds like benevolence, singing, teaching, and even preaching in His house or initiating this thread do not necessarily mean that one is one of His own. Galatians 2:6 informs us that God does NOT judge us by our external appearances and that He judges us by our inward/unseen/undetectable motives and intentions 1Corinthians 4:3b-5. So, if one was to judge a Christian I would think that they should look for the fruit of the spirit. What does the intangible fruit of the Spirit (love, peace, joy, gentleness, kindness, patience, self-control, goodness, faithfulness- Galatians 5:22) look like anyway? Each one has many faces, colors, and seasons and NONE are necessarily self-evident. How does one REALLY inspect or observe evidence of being born again?

I know a good brother in Christ who grew up as a child under horribly hateful circumstances. Well-meaning and well-known Christian counselors/Psychs like Kevin Lehman (sp?)will tell you that even though one may be a Christian adult, if they grew up under such they will have a great tendency to abuse and Dr. Lehman said on the air that he would warn his daughter to abandon such if she found herself attracted. My friend, through Christ, is a good father and Husband and always has been but if observed by a fruit inspector he could be judged a bad one because of the "inspector's" ignorant and fallible standardized comparison "table" and not an individualized one taking specifics and the unseen in mind. Like, he may look like a husband really not working on his marriage when in fact he is a warrior in prayer and in battle against satan's attacks and temptations to employ/repeat/assimilate his father's behavior which was all he had observed and learned from all of his childhood. God gave judgement over to God the Son, Jesus in John 5:22, for a good reason. Only He, NOT us, is Omniscient and Omnipresent and consequentially qualified to judge man.

It's bed time, but I will say thank you and AMEN for your well written piece! What matters is pleasing Him, and that is resting in the finished work of Christ. All "fruit inspectors" will now be put on notice: Please turn in your badges and exit the building (but come back after you've quit that terrible line of work and rest with us as those saved by grace!).

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

It's bed time, but I will say thank you and AMEN for your well written piece! What matters is pleasing Him, and that is resting in the finished work of Christ. All "fruit inspectors" will now be put on notice: Please turn in your badges and exit the building (but come back after you've quit that terrible line of work and rest with us as those saved by grace!).

The truth is that no one who has the true grace of God in their hearts will fall back into sin.

 

[Monksailor]

The truth is that no one who has the true grace of God in their hearts will fall back into sin.

You are quite right to say that these "fruit inspectors" are sinning, but if you are trying to say that if one is a Christian they won't ever sin again that is quite a tangent to this discussion and deserves to be appropriately discussed in its own thread. Please do and I will respond there.

 

[Monksailor]

I failed to communicate the full message of John 5:22 which I did give for your reference in the OP but just in case anyone did not refer to it, God's Word informs us in this verse and more that God the Father handed over ALL (NOT part, leaving there room for anyone else right of claim) judgement over to God the Son, Jesus.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

You are quite right to say that these "fruit inspectors" are sinning, but if you are trying to say that if one is a Christian they won't ever sin again that is quite a tangent to this discussion and deserves to be appropriately discussed in its own thread. Please do and I will respond there.

Not everyone who professes Christianity has true grace in their hearts. Anyone can decide to go to church, live a moral life, talk the talk, and call themselves a Christian. To all intents and purposes they appear to be a Christian, but God is the one who knows the heart.

There are all sorts of reasons why a person decides to adopt Christianity without having true grace. But it is only those with true heart grace will remain in life-long faith with Christ.

 

[Monksailor]

Yes, This is an age-old fact that there are those who profess to be Christian who aren't. Jesus said so Himself. BUT, it is Jesus' JOB, not ours, to know who. He will protect our flocks from those wolves who would infiltrate in order to destroy/devour the flock, if we have faith in His protection and don't second guess Him. BUT if we try to play God the Son and judge ourselves.........?

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Yes, This is an age-old fact that there are those who profess to be Christian who aren't. Jesus said so Himself. BUT, it is Jesus' JOB, not ours, to know who. He will protect our flocks from those wolves who would infiltrate in order to destroy/devour the flock, if we have faith in His protection and don't second guess Him. BUT if we try to play God the Son and judge ourselves.........?

The person who has true grace in his heart before God, knows it. There is a great difference between that person and a hypocrite. A hypocrite is all appearance and self-justification, and does what he can to hide his faults, even when he is doing everything right in the sight of God, but not with a true heart. A person with true grace and sincerity before God can have grievous faults (for example King David), but he does not hide them from God and falls on His grace and mercy. The hypocrite is like a person who wears a wig to hide his baldness, and has a glass eye so as not to appear blind in that eye, so that he appears to be an attractive person to others; but when he is in his own bedroom and takes his wig off and his glass eye out, he then appears to be the person he really is.

 

[Monksailor]

Yes, now on to the topic of "fruit inspectors." I do not know where you are going with that repetitive prose but it is getting old, not to mention off topic, unless somehow you are trying to justify judging others as a high and mighty, sinless "fruit inspector" yourself. If so, how did you become the omniscient and omnipresent Son of God; the ONLY one God the Father put in place to judge us?