Redeeming God Archives - Page 11 of 49

The truth presented in John 5:19 is that Jesus perfectly reveals God to us. Jesus says that He only does what He sees the Father doing. In all of the earthly ministry of Jesus, Jesus did nothing that God was not already doing, and which God would not do. Jesus imitates God and only acts in the manner that God would act.

This study is an excerpt from my Gospel Dictionary online course. This course considers 52 key words of the Gospel and thousands of biblical texts. The course contains over 100 hours Bible teaching. You can take the course by joining my online discipleship group.

What does John 5:19 Show Us About the Character of God?

John 5:19. Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

Though one central theme to the New Testament is that Jesus reveals God to us, the Gospel of John stands out as one of the premier books in the New Testament to reveal this theme. The Gospel of John, more than any other New Testament book, seeks to show that Jesus was God incarnate, and therefore, can be trusted when He invites people to believe in Him for eternal life (John 3:16; John 5:24; John 6:47). Throughout the Gospel of John, we see Jesus say over and over again that if people want to know what God is like, all they have to do is look at Him. Jesus reveals God to this world.

It is important to note, however, that when Jesus says this, He is not talking about the physical appearance of God. Since God is “spirit” (John 4:24) He does not have a physical body the way Jesus does. Although Jesus is fully God, this does not mean that God Himself is a Middle-Eastern Jewish man in His mid-thirties, who (likely) has a beard, dark brown hair, and calloused hands from working long days as a carpenter. So while it is true that “God looks just like Jesus,” it is more theologically accurate to say that “God acts just like Jesus.”

This is the truth that Jesus presents in John 5:19. Jesus says that He only does what He sees the Father doing. In all of the earthly ministry of Jesus, Jesus did nothing that God was not already doing, and which God would not do. Jesus imitates God and only acts in the manner that God would act.

It follows similarly, that God does not do anything that Jesus would not do. If Jesus only does what He sees the Father doing, then Jesus always does what the Father is doing. Therefore, whatever the Father does, Jesus also does. And if Jesus does not do something, that is because the Father does not do it either.

So when Jesus refuses to burn down a city because they rejected Him and His message (Luke 9:54-55), this means God would not do such a thing either. When Jesus refuses to condemn sinners, but forgives them instead (Matt 9:5-6; Luke 7:48; 23:34), this reveals that God behaves similarly toward sinners. He also does not condemn, but freely forgives.

When reading Scripture and trying to understand what God might think about a particular subject or how God might behave toward a particular person, it is always helpful to think of Jesus. Consider how Jesus might act in that situation or how Jesus might respond to that person. Once this is understood, you now also know what God thinks or how God would act. Jesus reveals God to us, showing us how God behaves and acts. If you cannot imagine Jesus doing or saying something, then God would not do it or say it either.

What does John 10:30 Show Us About the Character of God?

John 10:30. I and My Father are one.

Not only are actions of Jesus a perfect guide for how God acts, but in John 10:30, Jesus also indicates that He and the Father of one mind and purpose. When Jesus says, “I and my Father are one,” He is not necessarily implying anything about Trinitarian theology (though that is part of it). Instead, Jesus is saying that His goals, values, purpose, mission, and vision are perfectly aligned with those of the Father. They are not at odds with each other in how they think and feel about humanity, sin, or redemption.

This is a significant truth because there have been some in Christianity who argue that the “God of the Old Testament” was a God of law, vengeance, and warfare, who wanted blood sacrifice to appease His wrath and bloody violence against His enemies. But Jesus never reveals any such tendencies in the Gospels, and so some have argued that Jesus reveals a “new” side of God, or a “different” aspect of God than what is revealed in the New Testament.

But if God the Father approached the world through violence and bloodshed, while Jesus approached the world through love and forgiveness, would not these two approaches be at odds with each other? They would. God the Father and Jesus Christ do not play a “Good Cop, Bad Cop” routine with humanity. They are of one mind and purpose, and behave in one way toward humanity, specifically, the way revealed in Jesus. There is no schism in the Godhead; no schizophrenia in the Trinity. God is One, with one mind, goal, and purpose.

What does John 14:9 Show Us About the Character of God?

John 14:9. Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

The disciples, just like many followers of Jesus, wanted to know God on a more intimate level. Yet the disciples, just like many followers of Jesus, did not realize that Jesus was fully revealing to them what God was like. So in these final hours with Jesus before He want to His death, the disciples asked Jesus to teach them clearly what God was like, and even show God to them. They wanted to see the glory of God, just as Moses did in Exodus 33:18.

Jesus responds by saying, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” In other words, Jesus says, “What do you think I’ve been showing you these last three years? I’ve been showing you what God is like. If you have listened to Me, you have been listening to the Father. If you have seen what I do, then you have seen what the Father does. If you want to know what God is like, just look at Me!” It is unclear if the disciples understood these words of Jesus, but it is clear that most Christians today have not yet grasped these shocking words.

The disciples were confused by the words and actions of Jesus, because much of what He said and did failed to match up with what they thought God said and did in the Hebrew Scriptures. Whereas God in the Bible seemed to strike down His enemies and demand that His people separate themselves from sinners, Jesus forgave His enemies and frequently dined with sinners. Whereas God in the Bible seemed to require strict adherence to laws, regulations, and sacrificial systems, Jesus tended to avoid and eschew such things.

So it is understandable that the disciples finally asked Jesus, “When are you going to start doing the things that God does? I mean, you say you are going to show us what God is like, but so far, what you’ve been doing looks almost nothing like the God we though we knew from the Bible.” The words of Jesus are a gentle rebuke and correction to this way of thinking, both to His disciples then and to His followers now. Jesus basically tell them that what they have seen and heard in Him is the true revelation of God, and if it clashes with what they thought God was like, they need to change what they think about God.

During His ministry, Jesus perfectly revealed the Father to them, so if they want to see the Father, they should not begin by looking to the Hebrew Scriptures, but instead begin with looking at Jesus. If they look at Jesus, they will see the Father.

Note carefully what this means. If God truly has a dark and violent side, and this side never appears during the earthly ministry of Jesus, then Jesus would be lying to say that He reveals the Father to us, for Jesus never revealed the “dark side” of God. In this way, we are face with a choice when it comes to what Jesus claims regarding His revelation of God. Either the words of Jesus can be trusted so that God is non-violent just like Jesus, or God does have a violent streak which is not seen in Jesus and therefore, Jesus is lying. The choice is simple. Jesus does not lie; and nor does God.

Jesus is telling the truth about the extent of His revelation of God. He fully reveals God to us. If we want to know what God the Father is like, all we have to do is look at Jesus. Therefore, since Jesus does not reveal a dark and violent streak in God’s nature, this means that God does not have this violent streak.

Once we come to this realization, we are then able to reconsider and re-study the “violent” portrayals of God in the Hebrew Scriptures with new eyes. We do not need to write them off as hopelessly in error, but can instead read them through the lens of the crucified Christ to see what the Hebrew Scripture actually teach about God, about sin, about humanity, and about God’s rescue plan of redemption.

Understanding the Gospel requires us to properly understand the key words and terms of the Gospel. Take my course, "The Gospel Dictionary" to learn about the 52 key words of the Gospel, and hundreds of Bible passages that use these words.

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The theme of glory in the Lord’s Prayer of John 17

By Jeremy Myers

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In John 17, Jesus prays for Himself, for His disciples, and for all who would believe in Him. One constant theme throughout His prayer is glory. What is this glory, why is Jesus praying for glory, and how do we receive this glory?

What is the Glorification in John 17:1-5, 10, 22-24

Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

“And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.

“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

John 17 contains the true “Lord’s Prayer.” It is divided into three parts. In the first, Jesus prays for Himself (John 17:1-5). In the second, He prays for His disciples (John 17:6-19), and in the third, He prays for all who would believe in Him (John 17:20-26).

The theme of glory is found in all three sections. In each section, the references to glory do not follow the normal New Testament usage of radiance and majesty, but instead follow the normal usage outside of Scripture, referring to having a high opinion among others.

Jesus’ Prayer for Himself (John 17:1-5)

In the first section of His prayer, Jesus asks that He Himself would be glorified so that He can bring glory to the Father (John 17:2). Jesus says that He has already glorified God by completing the work which God sent Him to do, and now asks that He be returned to the glory He had with God before the world came into existence (John 17:4-5).

There are four significant truths in this part of the prayer.

prayer of Jesus — Is this what it looks like to pray?

First, although all glory comes from and belongs to God, Jesus prays that God would be glorified even further through the actions of Jesus. Jesus wants to bring further glory to God, and this is to be accomplished through God giving glory to Jesus. God’s glory, therefore, appears to be something that only increases as He gives it to others. The glory of God increases as He gives it away. This may be partly why God chose to not only share His glory with Jesus, but also with those who would believe in Jesus. The reputation of God increases as those who bear His name grow their reputation among others.

Second, this seems to be an example of where the original meaning of doxa shines through. Jesus has already been glorified on the earth, and prays that He will be glorified further, so that He can bring even more glory to God. What does all of this glory look like? The glory Jesus refers to is not primarily seen in radiance, splendor, and light, but in having a good reputation and positive opinion among the people of the earth. This is the primary meaning of doxa outside of the Bible, and this meaning also seems to apply here. Jesus wants people to think highly of God, and Jesus prays that this would be accomplished by having people think highly of Himself. The implication is that when Jesus lives as God wants Him to live, people will think highly of Jesus, and in this way, will also come to think more highly of God.

Third, Jesus says that He has already glorified God by finishing the work which God gave Him to do (John 17:4). This is a surprising statement from Jesus, since He has not yet gone to the cross. Furthermore, while Jesus is on the cross, He cries out, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). How can Jesus say here in John 17:4 that He has finished everything God sent Him to do when Jesus had not yet finished His work upon the cross?

The answer is found in the references to glory that Jesus mentions back in John 13:31-32. Jesus had just declared that one of His disciples would betray Him, and after identifying Judas as the betrayer, Judas went out into the night (John 13:30). This began the inexorable chain of events that would take Jesus to the cross. Immediately following Judas’ departure, Jesus says that He will be glorified, and God will be glorified in Him, and this glorification would happen very soon (John 13:31-32).

So when Jesus says that He has completed everything God has given Him to do, Jesus is saying that the steps are all in place for the events that will take Him to the cross. Indeed, immediately after completing His prayer, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane where Judas found Him, kissed Him, and betrayed Him (John 18:1-11). This betrayal then led directly to the crucifixion of Jesus.

So is all of Jesus’ work finished? Yes and no. Jesus still need to go through the crucifixion, but Jesus Himself has done everything that He needs to do. The crucifixion itself is something that happens to Jesus, rather than a work He Himself performs, and the necessary steps are already in place for the crucifixion to occur.

Yet even then, the crucifixion cannot even be properly referred to as “a work of God,” for it was not of God. The crucifixion of Jesus was the result of human religion partnering with political power to use the scapegoating mechanism of the Accuser, Satan, to put Jesus to death. This ancient practice was revealed through the death of Jesus, but cannot properly be described as the will of God or the work of God. So in this sense also, Jesus can say that He has completed all the work that God sent Him to do.

Fourthly and finally, Jesus says that glory He seeks is the same glory He had before the world came into being (John 17:5). Jesus is not receiving new glory which He did not have before, but is simply returning to the glory which He shared with God for all eternity. The new aspect of glory, which was unknown in Scripture prior to Jesus, was the idea of imputed glory, in which God shares His glory with humanity through Jesus. This is the idea that Jesus prays about next.

Jesus Prays for His Disciples (John 17:6-19)

In the second part of the prayer, where Jesus prays for His twelve disciples, He also mentions glory. Just as God was glorified in Jesus, Jesus says that He was glorified in His disciples (John 17:10). They brought glory to Him in the same way that Jesus brought glory to God. They followed Him, obeyed Him, and did what He commanded.

Therefore, here as well, the concept of glory does not seem to include the idea of radiance or bright splendor, but rather the traditional concept of doxa found outside of the New Testament, which is the good reputation and high opinion that others have toward Jesus. Not all had a good opinion of Jesus (such as many of the religious leaders), but many people who interacted with Jesus and His disciples began to think highly of them because of how they acted.

Jesus Prays for All Believers (John 17:20-26)

The final part of the prayer, in which Jesus prays for all believers (which includes us), also contains numerous references to glory. Jesus asks that all who believe in Him will share in the glory that He shares with God (John 17:22-23). And what does this glory look like? It looks like unity and love (John 17:23-24). As we live in unity and love with Jesus and with each other, the world will come to know God (John 17:25-26), which will bring further glory to God.

These conditions for glory parallel the introductory commands from Jesus in John 13:33-35. Just as Jesus will bring glory to God through obedience to Him, and God will give glory to Jesus, so also, the disciples can receive glory from God and give glory to Him by loving one another. It is this love that allows them to be recognized as a follower of Jesus (John 13:35), thereby gaining a good reputation among others.

In light of John 17, therefore, it seems that glory in the New Testament does not always refer to glorified bodies in the afterlife in which we shine like the sun or have radiant clothes as Jesus did in the transfiguration.

Sometimes, the glory of God, the glory of Jesus, and the glory of Christians follows the common definition in all other Greek literature of the time, which is the idea of having a good reputation among others. In such cases, as seen here, there are conditions for this glory, such as loving and living in unity with each other.

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Will you go to hell if you don’t have good fruit? (John 15:1-8)

By Jeremy Myers

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In John 15:1-8, Jesus talks about the importance of the branches abiding in the vine in order to produce fruit. If branches do not produce good fruit, they will be burned. Is Jesus saying that if Christians do not have good works they will be sent to hell? No! Not at all. Listen to the study to see what Jesus IS teaching and why this is important for properly understanding the gospel.

What is the “Good Fruit” of John 15:1-8?

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

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. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples (John 15:1-8).

The imagery of the vine and the branches in John 15:1-8 has caused many to believe and teach that any Christian who does not have good works will either end up in eternal hell, or will prove that they were never truly a Christian in the first place. This application of the text is based on a misunderstanding of four terms: abide, disciple, fire, and fruit.

The Meaning of the Word “Abide”

The term abide is a term of fellowship and intimacy. When you abide with someone, you live with them, remain with them, and spend time with them.

Such connectedness is not automatic in the life of the believer. Just as it is possible to be related to someone while not being in fellowship with them, so also, it is possible to be in the family of God without remaining or abiding in fellowship with God, with Jesus, and with other believers.

In the context here, Jesus is telling some of His believers why it is important to remain in close fellowship with Him. The only way to be a good and successful disciple of Jesus is to remain in close connection to Jesus.

The Meaning of the Word “Disciple”

The term disciple is not equivalent to believer, but instead refers to all those who have chosen to follow Jesus, obey His commands, and do what He says. Because of this, it is possible to be a disciple of Jesus without having eternal life, and it is also possible to have eternal life without being a disciple.

Eternal life is freely given to anyone who simply and only believes in Jesus for it. But the path of discipleship has numerous conditions and requirements, which anyone can attempt to achieve. In the context of John 15, Jesus is telling eleven believers—who have also been His disciples for three years—how they can continue to be His disciples after He leaves.

And He not only wants them to continue on as His disciples, but to be fruitful and successful as disciples. Abiding, or remaining, in close fellowship with Jesus is the key to successful discipleship.

But not all disciples are successful. Some fail. Some turn away. Some follow for a time and then stop. Such failure says nothing one way or the other about whether or not a person has eternal life.

Again, eternal life is given by God to anyone who simply and only believes in Jesus for it. Discipleship is not a requirement for gaining or keeping eternal life.

This does not mean, however, that there are not negative consequences for failing to follow Jesus. There are. Fire is one of them.

The meaning of the word “Fire”

In the context here, Jesus says that those disciples who fail to abide in Him and produce fruit will be thrown into the fire and burned. This does not refer to eternal punishment in the flames of hell, but to some sort of temporal discipline in the life. Their life will be full of emptiness and vain pursuits, with all their dreams and aspirations amounting to nothing but a heap of ash to be blown away by the wind.

The only way to be truly successful in life is to follow Jesus and remain in close fellowship with Him.

The meaning of the word “Fruit”

When the terms abide, disciple, and fire are understood as briefly outlined above, the term fruit makes a lot more sense in context. With this term, Jesus is referring to the good works that His disciples will produce through close fellowship with Him.

In reality, Jesus will produce His good works in and through them. By themselves, disciples can do nothing. Just as branch can do nothing by itself, but must be connected to the vine, so also, a disciple must remain in close connection to Jesus in order to produce fruit.

Note, of course, that they good fruit may not be evident to others. After all, while some good works may be tainted with the invisible sins of pride and arrogance, numerous good works may not be seen by others at all. In fact, much of the fruit that Jesus produces in the lives of His disciples is evident only to Him, as slowly, over time, He changes their inner character. Furthermore, many of the good works that Jesus performs in believers are those that are done quietly behind the scenes, so that even someone’s left hand doesn’t know what their right is doing (Matthew 6:3).

Therefore, while the fruit of John 15:1-8 does refer to good works and positive character qualities, there is still no instruction here for Christians to become fruit inspectors in the lives of other people. We cannot use good works (or their absence) to determine anything about someone else’s (or even our own!) eternal destiny.

Jesus is saying that if you and I want to be a good disciple, a successful disciple, a fruitful disciple, then we should abide and remain with Him, listen to His teachings and instructions, doing what He says and imitating what He does. In this way, we will be disciples that bear much fruit and experience the rule and reign of God in our lives.

This course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group, you can to take the entire course for free.

Will all True Christians produce good fruit? (Matthew 13:22-24)

By Jeremy Myers

What is the Meaning of Matthew 13:22-23 (Luke 8:14)

Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty (Matthew 13:22-23).

Many use the Parable of the Four Soils in Matthew 13:3-23 and Luke 8:4-15 as evidence that all true Christians will bear fruit. This understanding is largely due to the use of the word “saved” in Luke 8:12. Many believe and teach that in order to truly be “saved,” people must not only believe, but also have many good works (or fruit) to provide evidence of their salvation.

But this explanation is based upon a misunderstanding of three key terms in the text. To properly understand the Parable of the Four Soils, it is critically important to properly define the terms kingdom of heaven, salvation, and fruit.

The Kingdom of Heaven

The term “kingdom of heaven” does not refer to heaven itself, or to going to heaven when we die, but instead refers to the rule and reign of God here on earth now. Those who enter into the kingdom, inherit the kingdom, or experience the kingdom are those who live in light of God’s way of doing things on this earth so that they can know the blessing, joy, and fulfillment of God’s reign in their life now.

Salvation

Similarly, the term salvation (or saved) does not refer to justification or receiving eternal life. Instead, it means “deliverance” and the context determines while kind of deliverance is in view.

In this case, those who hear the teachings of Jesus and live in light of them can be delivered from a worthless and pointless existence on earth and instead experience the opposite, which is life in the kingdom of God. The cares and troubles of this world steal away the joys of the reign of God, and we can choose which one we experience by how we respond to the teachings of Jesus.

Fruit

These two terms helps us understand the word fruit.

In this context, while the word can refer to correct teaching about God and Scripture which is heard, understood, and taught to others, the term can also refer to good works and a life of fulfillment and joy that comes from following God’s instructions on how to live. The Word of God contains instructions for how we can live the best life possible, and if we hear, understand, and obey these instructions, our lives will produce a great harvest of blessings for ourselves and others (Matt 13:23).

Jesus is teaching that if you want to have a productive life, the ways of this world will lead you into emptiness and deadness, but His ways will lead to a fulfilling and profitable life full of satisfaction and significance.

It is important to note once again that the presence or absence of fruit in the life some other person is not indicative one way or the other about that person’s eternal destiny. Any individual, whether a believer or an unbeliever, can be any of the four soils in this parable.

Just as it is entirely possible for a true and genuine child of God to allow the devil to snatch away the truths of Scripture from his heart before they can take root or to allow the cares and worries of this world to choke out the promises of Scripture, so also, any unbeliever can see the wisdom in the teachings of Scripture and decide to patterns their lives after these teachings.

Does the Parable of the Four Soils Tell Us who is a Christian?

So the Parable of the Four Soils has nothing to do with whether or not someone has eternal life. It instead describes the four ways that all people—believers or unbelievers alike—might respond to the teaching of Scripture.

While the term fruit can refer to good works, even when it does, these good works cannot be used to determine whether or not a person has eternal life.

They might be helpful in determining whether or not a person is following the teachings of Scripture, but since anybody can follow accept and apply Scripture to their life and experience the positive consequences as a result, we must not think that such obedience to Scripture (or a lack of obedience) provides evidence about who is truly justified and who is not.

Even when the fruit of good works can be seen in someone else’s life, such fruit does not help us see into their heart for whether or not they have believed in Jesus for eternal life.

This course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group, you can to take the entire course for free.

Good Fruit, Bad Fruit, and the Unforgivable Sin (Matthew 12:33-37)

By Jeremy Myers

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In Matthew 12:33-37, in the context of warning the religious leaders about the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, Jesus talks about good fruit and bad fruit. Is Jesus telling people to look at the lives of other teachers to see if they have good works? No! Not at all. Listen to the study to see what Jesus IS teaching and why this is important for properly understanding the gospel.

What is the “fruit” in Matthew 12:33-37 (Luke 6:43-45)?

Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned (Matthew 12:33-37)

Matthew 12:33-37 (and the parallel passage in Luke 6:43-45) is a key passage for understanding the symbolic use of fruit in Scripture.

The context makes it explicitly clear that the fruit which comes from a person is not the works their life produces, but rather the words that proceed from their mouth. After Jesus says that “a tree is known by its fruit,” He states that the words of a person reveal what is in the heart. In this context, it is extremely clear that the good fruit of a person’s life are the good words that proceed out of their mouth. If these words agree with the rest of Scripture, they are good words, and therefore, good fruit.

Matthew 12:33-37 Primarily has Bible Teachers in View

It is important to point out that all of the teaching in Scripture about the good fruit of good words primarily have Bible and theology teachers in view.

Most of the passages that invite us to look to the words a person says as an indication of whether they should be listened to or not, only have in view the words they say about Scripture and theology, and even then, primarily to professional teachers.

The biblical teaching about good fruit does not apply to the views a person might have about politics, science, current events, or history. If a person has some nutty views about such things, while we might be wise to ignore their ideas, the biblical teachings about good and bad fruit do not apply to such cases. The biblical teachings about good and bad fruit only apply to people who are teaching Scripture and theology.

We can go a bit further as well.

The biblical teachings about good and bad fruit don’t even apply to the average person who is generally uniformed or uneducated about what the Bible teaches. Instead, the warnings from Scripture about good and bad fruit primarily apply to those whose job it is to teach others about Scripture and theology.

In the days of Jesus, it was the religious leaders, the Sadducees, Pharisees, and scribes. Today it would be the pastors, theologians, and seminary professors. These are the ones whose teachings we must carefully analyze to see whether or not their words align with the overall teaching of Scripture.

In regards to their teachings, we are to be noble Bereans, and search the Scriptures to see whether or not what they say is true (Acts 17:11).

Good Fruit is Not about Good Works

One thing we are not invited to do is look at a person’s works.

The Bible reveals that if you want to know whether or not a person is a false teacher, all you need to do is listen to what they say and compare it with the teaching of Scripture.

After all, when it comes to false teachers, actions can be deceptive, but their teachings will rarely lie. It is as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:13-14 that false apostles can appear as apostles of Christ and even Satan is transformed into an angel of light. That is exactly what we see here in Matthew 12:33-37.

But what about the Unforgivable Sin?

It is significant that in the immediately preceding context, the Jewish religious leaders had accused Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebub (Matt 12:24). In response, Jesus warns them about speaking blasphemy against the Spirit (Matt 12:31-32).

(#AmazonAdLink) This does not mean that they had spoken blasphemy against the Spirit; only that they were about to. As I explain in my book (#AmazonAdLink) Why You Have Not Committed the Unforgivable Sin, there is no passage in Scripture which clearly tells us what blasphemy against the Spirit is. Though the sin is related to speaking words against the Holy Spirit (cf. Luke 12:10), no passage clearly states what these words are that should not be spoken. It is probably not specific words anyway, but more of general attitude of the heart that is revealed through one’s words.

Nevertheless, although the Bible doesn’t say precisely identify the nature of this particular sin, many pastors and teachers claim to know what this sin is and they use their teachings to create fear in the minds of others by warning them against committing it. Such pastors and teachers should be ignored and avoided, for they are speaking where Scripture has not. Such teachers are close to doing the same thing as the Pharisees in this passage, and it is toward them that Jesus directs the warning about blasphemy!

Matthew 12:33-37 and Good Fruit

This entire context reveals the truth of Jesus’ teaching about fruit.

By verbally challenging the words and teachings of Jesus, the Pharisees revealed the fruit of their heart, showing all that they were bad trees who produce bad fruit, and therefore should not be heeded, listened to, or obeyed. Though by all outward appearances, the Pharisees were the most observant and scrupulous keepers of the Mosaic Law, their accusatory words revealed the true condition of their hearts.

Note, however, that once again, nothing is said in this context about being able to discern the eternal destiny of others. Even when someone speaks falsely, while their words may mark them as a false teacher, this does not mean they are eternally condemned. It is possible that they have eternal life, but are simply confused or deceived themselves.

Though bad fruit from the lips reveals that a bad tree has taken root in the heart, bad fruit reveals nothing one way or the other about whether or not a person has eternal life.

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