This is a hard verse, and it should not be softened. Jesus is quoting John the Baptist word for word. John had said the axe is already laid to the root of the trees, and every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire (Matthew 3:10). John...
So what is this fruit we are meant to inspect? Three answers help. First, fruit is a life. A false teacher can say all the right words while his life preaches something completely different. He may hold the words of life in his mouth without any life being produced in...
Here is the mercy people often miss. Jesus does not merely tell us that danger exists; he tells us how to spot it. And the test he gives is not a seminary degree, a discernment gift, or a background check. It is fruit. Anyone can inspect fruit. The plainest believer...
Two verses before our passage, Jesus said that the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Matthew 7:13-14). Then, without changing the subject, he warns about false prophets. Why put these two together? Because it is the...
Jesus does not begin with a suggestion. He begins with a command: beware. That is not a word you use about something that might happen. You do not warn your children about sharks in the parking lot, because there are no sharks in the parking lot. You warn them at the...
