Fruit Inspectors

Fruit Inspectors

Dr. Jay Worth Allen

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
You shall know them by their fruits”
(Matthew 7:15).

“Beware of false prophets” - no idle warning is this. A warning, which must be taken very seriously by all who have any concern for the glory of God or their own eternal interest. But my regard here is not so much for the “false prophets” (which I have addressed in past articles) but rather, the self-appointed inspectors of fellow believers’ fruit.

“You shall know them by their fruits.” This declaration of inspection concerns “false prophets”, not fellow saints. Read the verse for yourself: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15,16) - be on guard against false teachers - heretical preachers - not the guy sitting next to you in the church pew. Be on guard against so-called men of God who have a false commissions, having never been called by God to the service they engage in; they preach error, which is subversive of “the doctrine which is according to godliness” (1 Timothy 6:3); the fruit they bear is imitation fruit of the Spirit. The chief identifying mark of these false prophets is always, “Peace, peace,” when there is none (Jeremiah 23:17). They heal the wounds of sinners slightly (Jeremiah 8:11), and daub, with “untempered mortar, seeing vanity, and divining lies into them, saying, ‘Thus said the Lord God’, when the Lord has not spoken” (Ezekiel 13:14; 22:28). They prophesy “smooth things” (Isaiah 23:3,17), inventing easy ways to heaven, pandering to man’s corrupt nature. There is nothing in their message which searches the conscience, which makes the natural man uneasy, nothing which humbles and cause the hearers to morn before God; but rather they preach that which puffs up the hearers, that which makes them pleased with themselves and rest content in a false assurance. They birth imitation fruit and imitation converts.

The general characteristic of “false prophets” is that they re-define vital godliness to be less strict and easer than it actually is, making true godliness more agreeable to fallen human nature, and thus they encourage the unregenerated to be satisfied with something which comes short of true grace.

We must “judge” the fruits of “False prophets” - but not our brothers in Christ! That’s the Lord’s job, not ours.

Fruit Inspectors
Published: 23 May 2010 on Freed In Christ! blogsite.

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