Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Matthew 7:19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 7:19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. |
Subject: Truth, Character, and Fruit of Teaching |
Bible Note: “He [Christ] warns that fruitlessness in good, fruitlessness in righteousness will lead to judgment and condemnation. So Jesus speaks of the kind of the fruit and He speaks of the condition of the fruit as ways that we can see a true and a false prophet. Notice in particular that Christ’s test of fruits has at least two or three aspects. “First of all, there is the fruit of doctrine. We may distinguish the false prophet from the true teacher of God’s word by the doctrine that he teaches. Is his teaching in accordance with the Bible? Is it in accordance with the sound doctrine which has been received and believed in the church down through the ages? Or, does he claim to be revealing some new truth which no one has ever heard of before? We may be sure that when someone is claiming to tell us that they have found a truth that no one else has understood, that they are a false prophet. We note the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 12 verse 33, this same thing: ‘Either make the tree good, and it fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.’ He goes on to say to the Pharisees in verse 37, ‘For by your words, you shall be justified. And by your words, you shall be condemned.’ He is saying to these false teachers, by your doctrine, by the words that you preach, you will stand or fall. If you speak falsehood, you will be judged. If you speak truth, you will be justified. The Lord Jesus is reminding that the teaching which is not in accordance with the Bible, is false teaching and it abounds today. There are all manner of people who, in the name of Christ, speak that which is positively contradictory to His words. They are, according to the Lord Jesus, false prophets and they will be condemned. It doesn’t matter how sincere they are, it doesn’t matter how apparently successful they are. They will be condemned, if they do not speak in accordance with the word. “The second aspect of this test of fruit is the test of character. The Lord Jesus makes it clear that the true prophet has his life in accordance with the true teaching of His lips. If he speaks the word of truth, you must also look at his life. Does he live a life of godliness? Does his life display the fruit of the Spirit? Or, does it display the works of the flesh? Does his life show that he is under the lordship of Christ? Or does he claim to be a follower of Christ, whereas his life shows signs of ungodliness. In this passage, Jesus’ words about the fruit of the tree is directly refers to the condition of our lives before the Lord. The false teacher does not display the fruit of the Spirit. He does not walk in the counsel of the Lord. “There is a third aspect of this test. And that is the fruit of the teaching of the prophet in the life of his hearers, of his followers. What happens in the lives of the followers of this prophet? Does his teaching promote godliness, or does it insight them to ungodliness? Does his teaching exalt the Lord Jesus Christ, in their lives and hearts, or does it make the Lord Jesus Christ less significant than He is in the scriptures? Does their teaching upset their faith? Or, does the teaching of the prophet build up their faith? Does the teaching of the prophet cause ungodly divisions in the body of Christ, or does it promote a healthy biblical and spiritual unity? “All of these are tests which the apostle Paul speaks of in the pastoral epistles in II Timothy, chapter 2, verses 18 and 16, and also I Timothy chapter 6, verse 4. Paul over and again speaks about the impact of the teaching of false prophets on their hearers. And so, by their doctrine, by their character and by the fruit of their teaching in their followers, we may test the teaching of those who claim to be preachers of the Word. Jesus, after teaching us and calling us to be prepared to test the spirits, repeats again the test in verse 20.” –-J. Ligon Duncan |
Down View Branch | ID# 233639 | ||
Questions and/or Subjects for Matt 7:19 | Author | ||
|
DocTrinsograce | ||
|
EmethAlethia | ||
|
EdB | ||
|
EdB | ||
|
EmethAlethia | ||
|
you |