A Tree & Its Fruit

"You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 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. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them." -Matthew 7:16-20

"A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?' But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'" -Luke 13:6-9

"But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which said, 'And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to Him as righteousness,' and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone...For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." -James 2:20-26

"But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God, who will 'Render to each person according to his deeds.'" -Romans 2:5-6

"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving." Colossians 2:6-7

Jesus on the mount did not say that "You will know them by their tree." Jesus is more concerned with the fruit. In the parable of the fig tree, the man was seeking fruit, but found none. In Matthew 7, Jesus asks the question simply, "Do men gather grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?" You cannot come and gather fruit from thornbushes or thistles. Likewise, you cannot produce deeds without faith. Faith must first be the foundation, and as a result, deeds will show up.

Jesus says in John 15:5, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." Jesus says that only in Him will we bear much fruit, and we know that this fruit is good. If we do not remain in Him, we are cut off. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. He is our Source of life. He is our foundation, our Cornerstone. As Colossians says, "...being rooted and built up in Him...", we are established in faith. If we remain in Him, we are to expect good deeds. He says, "...and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit" (Jn. 15:2).

This is what Jesus says concerning the Dead Church: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent..." (Rev. 3:1-3).

As we abide in Him and He in us, we will bear fruit. As are roots are pulled deeper in Him, our faith will be established, works will emerge, and as a result, our faith will be perfected.