Identifying wolves by the fruit of truth.
One thing I find amazing is how hard it is for the modern church to acknowledge the deception of false teaching. People say something like, how could this person be wrong when they do good, or say something right. I once listened to a preacher say, “The Bible is impossible to understand or interpret, therefore, we have no right to question someone’s doctrine.” He then said, “It’s important to study the Bible.”
Why? If I can’t understand it, and it isn’t possible to accurately interpret what is written, what good is it for me to study? The Bible says, “These things are written that you may know,” and, “this is written so you will not be ignorant.” Not to mention the promise of 2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
In 1 John 2:27, we are also promised that as believers, we have the anointing of the Holy Spirit and are not dependent upon any man to reveal truth to us. To make sure we understand the importance of this instruction, John says anyone who says otherwise is trying to deceive you. You can understand the word, and you must study to know truth. It is the diligent study of the word that reveals truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 commands us:
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
It is the diligent study of the word, and our diligence to live by the word that makes us approved before God. To rightly divide the word of truth means to examine each passage in its proper context. We are not to take a phrase or a few words out of the context of scripture to form an independent doctrine. We are to examine each passage in the light of its immediate context, the intent of the teaching in its book of the Bible, and in its proper context when compared to the scriptures as a whole. You cannot properly understand each passage of scripture if you are not diligently studying the whole word of God so you are accurately dividing the text at hand.
When a teacher says you can’t understand, or the Bible can be interpreted many ways, they are creating confusion. It isn’t the scriptures that cause confusion; it is the scriptures plus someone’s ideas outside of the Bible. Strange and diverse doctrines are always the scriptures mixed with someone’s claims of a special anointing or enlightenment.
When a teacher says you can’t know the truth by studying, it is an attempt to discourage you from studying the word and trusting in the Lord to open your eyes to the truth. They often tell you to study after discouraging you from doing so. They know most people won’t study for themselves, and if forewarned of how impossible it is to understand, it is even less likely that anyone would study as the Bible commands. An ignorant congregation can be led by crafty words of deceit.
When the teacher says the Bible can be interpreted many ways, or claims the Bible is to be viewed based on our individual ‘faith tradition’, what they are doing is justifying their own deviation from scripture. The Bible makes it clear that no word of prophesy – or truth – is of any private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20). Anyone who studies the whole word will come to the same conclusion. I’m amazed how many things I have studied and discovered without anyone to guide me, but when I read the works of solid teachers of the past, we came to the exact same conclusion – but it isn’t the same conclusion many in the church believe today.
Things I grew up believing and was taught to be true, turned out to be wrong. Some of these doctrines have major flaws that are contradicted by scripture, while others are not blatantly wrong, but miss the mark. They get close, but miss the heart of the word. This is why the Bible says scripture is our source of doctrine. It reproves, corrects, and instructs us in the right way. Some times we are reproved by scripture – or rebuked – because our belief is wrong. Sometimes it corrects when we are just missing the mark. It always instructs us in the right way and gives us solid doctrine. Unfortunately, most pastors and teachers rely on books about the Bible and do little in-depth study without being guided by those they view as experts.
The Bible commands us to consume the pure milk of the word. The pure milk is found in the word alone. Even a good teacher who is solid in the Bible cannot give you the pure milk of the word. Nothing can replace studying the whole scriptures and clearly seeing each passage in proper context. Nothing is sweeter than refreshing our soul in the pure word and seeing God illuminate the word before our very eyes. You can get a glimpse of what God has revealed to a faithful teacher, but it is a limited view. When God opens your own eyes and heart, the word truly comes alive.
A false teacher will point you to himself. The Bible says that many will arise within the church and draw disciples after themselves. Some start off sincere, and get caught up in pride and begin lusting for power. The Bible gives two specific examples. When the church appointed the first deacons in Acts 6, they sought out men who showed the evidence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Of those first seven men, Nicolas was one of those recommended. Yet he became the founder of a movement of the Nicolaitans. This movement believed the spiritual elites should rule over the laity. They became ‘God’s anointed’ and others looked to them as the source of truth. In Revelation 2, twice God said, “I hate the doctrine of the Nicolaitans.”
In 3 John, we see that Diotrephes rose up and took over the local church. The apostles founded the church, and it is likely that they may have appointed this man as a bishop or an elder. On the outside, he talked the talk, and walked the walk. He looked authentic and showed the outward signs of God using him. But when he found an opportunity to rise to power, he took over the church and refused to allow the apostles to come into the church. He refused their letters, and even expelled any church members who associated with the brethren outside of their church.
Diotrephes was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He looked so much like a sheep / disciple, that even the apostles took him for a godly man who was worthy of leadership. Likewise, Nicolas was recommended from the church of Antioch. He showed all outward signs of being filled with the Holy Spirit, but was also a wolf in sheep’s clothing. In both of these cases, the truth was not revealed until they rose to a position where they could usurp power or draw disciples after themselves.
Five times in the first four books of the New Testament we are warned to be on guard against wolves in the church. Yet, for some reason, when someone begins to show themselves as a wolf, the church refuses to acknowledge this truth. Like the Nicolaitans and the church John founded, the church sided with the wolf and against the truth. 3 John is a book dedicated to pleading with Gaius, a man who love the truth, to not follow this deceiver.
Consider the parable of the tares in Matthew 13:24-27
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;
25 "but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.
26 "But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.
27 "So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'
…
36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."
37 He answered and said to them: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
38 "The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.
39 "The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.
40 "Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.
41 "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
42 "and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
According to Jesus, the seed is the word and the field is the world. Many will respond to the gospel, but not all will be disciples of Christ. Like the wolves in sheep’s clothing, the tares look exactly like the wheat and can only be distinguished by their fruit.
In Israel, there is a weed called a Darnell. It is also called a cockle. It is a weed that looks exactly like wheat. The plant looks like wheat, it blooms like wheat, and in its early stages, the fruit looks like wheat. It is not until the fruit begins to mature that the two can be distinguished. A wheat stalk will grow heavy with fruit and bow down, but the Darnell will remain tall. The fruit of wheat is very light in color, but the Darnell fruit is black. The fruit of wheat is healthy, but the Darnell’s fruit creates a feeling of drunkenness and can cause poisoning and death.
Jesus is once again indicating that the fruit reveals the heart. Everything between these two plants are identical – except for the fruit. Only by the fruit can you know which is the good seed and which is born of corrupt seed. This is also explained in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.
14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
The apostles warned the church that deceitful workers can transform themselves into apostles of Christ. They are only mimicking the works of Satan, who can appear as an angel of light. So how can you tell the difference between the two? The word. The deceitful workers indeed talk the talk, and at times they walk the walk. But the fruit of these will contradict the truth of scripture. They will teach doctrines that lead people away from the word, and teach in often subtle ways, but will point others to miss the mark. They won’t call for surrender, dying to self, or obedience to God in the way the scriptures instruct. It will be a man-centered gospel and will appeal to the flesh. Yet it will sound close enough to the gospel so that only those who know the word can recognize the deviation from truth.
We must examine the fruit revealed in the doctrine and lives of those claiming to be of God. Forty-four times in the New Testament we are warned to avoid deception and deceivers. The deceiver intimidates the church into silence by calling anyone who questions doctrine a ‘heresy hunter’, ‘fruit inspector’, or calls them the cause of division. The Bible says that those who do not hold to sound doctrine are the cause of division, not those who compare teaching to scripture. Anything that contradicts scripture needs to be divided from the truth, for it is not of God.
When Jesus repeated something, it was to emphasize its importance, and very critical teaching was repeated three times. What does it tell you when the Bible repeats something forty-four times? What excuse to we have for being deceived when we are warned so many times, and yet we agree with the deceiver and willfully ignore the Bible’s warnings?
People disarm critics of false doctrine by saying that Jesus said not to judge. Not so. We have been commanded to judge, but to do so with a righteous judgment. That righteous judgment is to compare doctrine to the scriptures. I can’t rightly judge the intent of the heart, or the secrets of men’s thoughts. Nor am I permitted to judge based on my personal preferences. I am commanded to test all things and hold fast to what is true (1 Thessalonians 5:21). In truth, I am not the one judging – God has already judged. I take what man is saying, and compare it to what God has already said. If they agree, it passes the test. If the Bible isn’t direct, we must use common sense. Where the Bible is silent, our judgment should be silent. But when the Bible rebukes or contradicts, we must agree with the Bible, or we are rejecting the word of the Lord.
Righteous judgment is looking to what God said as truth. Anything examined in the light of the word is manifest as truth or a rebellion against God. We then choose to side with the rebellion, or side with the word of the Lord. Jesus said that the word will be our judge in the last day; therefore, anything or anyone contrary to the word will be found guilty. It is not you who judges, it is God. He has already spoken, and we either agree or rebel. It really is that simple.
Why Discern Fruit?
It is a growing problem that the church is losing the ability to discern between good and bad fruit. We know from the teaching of Jesus that good deeds are not the evidence of good fruit. Through the teaching given directly from Christ, calling him Lord is not the evidence of true faith, and working in His name is not evidence of good fruit. The Bible also makes it clear that looking like a Spirit filled believer is not the evidence of a fruitful life. Diotrephes and Nicolas, along with many other examples, appeared to be the real deal, but then turned from the truth. When they had the opportunity to institute their own will in the church, self-glorification was more appealing than keeping the word.
The reason we are commanded to identify fruit is two-fold. First, we must examine our own lives by the fruit we see. Let each one examine himself. This instruction is given several times in the New Testament. Self-deception is hard to detect. Even a Christian can step outside of the faith. This doesn’t mean they lose salvation, but that they are being led astray by their own desires, or erroneous teaching. We are to constantly examine ourselves by the word and determine if we are walking in faith – and faith only comes by the word. If our beliefs or actions contradict the teaching of scripture, we can only discover this by studying the word diligently, and examining ourselves, actions, and beliefs by the word. We abide in the promise that scripture provides doctrine, reproves what is false, corrects our ways, and instructs us in righteousness. This is only possible through knowing and seeking truth in our personal study of the word. Books are fine, but books cannot replace diligent study directly from the word. Books must be a supplement, not the meal.
Second, we examine fruit to determine the direction of a teacher, church, or ministry. In 2 John 1, we are warned not to allow false teachers a place, nor to even greet them. Look at 2 John 1:9-11
9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.
10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him;
11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.
There are several things we must understand in this passage. Home churches were common place during this time, and welcoming someone into your home was a stamp of approval, to introduce them in fellowship, and to allow them a platform in which to teach false doctrines. These applications hold true today. To welcome someone into your fellowship is to approve of them. Allowing someone to have a platform to teach false doctrine is a serious matter. The Bible says that anyone allowing this shares in the evil deeds of leading people astray. If we allow false teaching without confronting it, we are just as guilty as the one teaching it. Look again at Matthew 7:15-20
15 " Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
16 "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
17 "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 "Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Beware means to take heed, be watchful, and be on guard. It’s for these reasons we are commanded to examine fruit. Now let’s examine what the Bible teaches about fruit in greater detail.
How Good Fruit is Produced
Let’s look at Luke 8:14-15
14 "Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
15 "But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
Though this is a warning of why many do not bear fruit, it also gives us instruction in bearing fruit. Some will begin to bear fruit, but cares of the world crowd their lives and they bring no fruit to maturity. In the south, this was a bad year for growing tomatoes. The plants grew and seemed to flourish. They bloomed and even started producing fruit. However, the tomatoes never matured. They grew to a point and stopped. The half-grown fruit sat on the vines, sometimes for weeks, and then began to turn bad. The fruit never matured.
This is the picture being given in Luke. Sometimes people in the church begin to grow and even start showing signs of bearing fruit, but it never matures. They work, and drift away. Part of the problem is that the church no longer teaches patience and perseverance. Everyone struggles. Everyone has setbacks in their faith. Yet, because the church as a whole now teaches a shallow gospel, few understand the need for patience. We expect God to act now, with fire and earthshaking power. Yet, when the Bible talks about hearing the voice of God, it says He is not in the mighty winds, not in the consuming fire, and not in the powerful earthquakes. Indeed God can do these things, and often He does show Himself in mighty ways. But when it comes to hearing God speak to us as individuals, it is through the still, small voice. It is through the quietness of studying the word, seeking Him in prayer, and thinking upon the scriptures as we seek to understand them.
Many stand up and say, “I want to know God deeper,” but few will take the time to study the word and wait with patience for God to produce His fruit in our lives. In our current church culture, if God doesn’t act within the timeline of our expectations, we get discouraged and quickly fall out of the way. Thorns come up quickly. Weeds come up quickly. But fruit is produced through patience.
We all have the challenge of wrestling against the flesh. Our own desires spring up and attempt to choke the word of God in our lives. Like the tares we looked at earlier, sometimes the fast growing weeds look good. People are drawn by what looks good, otherwise, deception would never be attractive. Consider James 3:16-18
16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
There is a false wisdom – and it is presented as a word from God. The Bible calls it the wisdom of this world. It promises fruit, but produces confusion and evil. This is not only a problem in our day, but was something addressed by several apostles in scripture. James is giving us a key to understanding the false wisdom. It is self-seeking. When you hear a gospel message, is it self-seeking? Does it appeal to our natural desires, or does it instruct us to surrender to the will of the Lord? Truth always calls us to die to our lives in the flesh and submit to God who gives us life from the dead.
Worldly wisdom says, “You can have it all, and have it now.” Biblical wisdom says, “He who finds his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for Christ’s sake will find it.” Faith is dying to our will, and believing the promises of God. He is our exceedingly great reward. Jesus said it clearly in Luke 9:23-24
23 Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
24 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
Only a man or woman walking in faith can receive this command and promise. It takes no faith to demand instant gratification. People claim you have to muster faith to get it all now, but in truth, demanding it now is a denial of the faith. It is like the prodigal son in Luke 15. He decided he couldn’t wait for his inheritance, and demanded what should fall to him now. He left full, but the world consumed his inheritance. After he was destitute and found himself grubbing for food with the swine, he returned to his father. Indeed, his father received him gladly, but the inheritance he should have received was now gone. The Bible also compares the person living for the world to Esau. He sold his rightful inheritance for a bowl of stew that was quickly consumed. He sacrificed it all for instant gratification.
Good fruit is not produced by our demands. It is not produced by our faith. Faith is our supernatural ability to believe God and walk in obedience. Faith is necessary in a fruitful life, but faith is not what we produce, but our willingness to trust God and surrender ourselves to His work. What is produced is from the hand of God, and it only comes to those who die to self, and find their life in obedience to Christ. Look at John 12:24-25
24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
25 "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
Dying to your will, and surrendering your life to walk in the Spirit is how you bear fruit. In fact, the word ‘grain’ at the end of verse 24 is the Greek word ‘karpos’, which means fruit, or what is produced on a vine or plant. Jesus told this parable just before being crucified, but he pointed to himself as the example for his disciples. Ultimately, you will either bear fruit for this life, or you will bear fruit for eternal life. This life is corrupted by sin, but the fruit God will produce is incorruptible. Fruit comes through you dying to your life, and allowing God to be the Lord of your life.
Living for the Spirit produces fruit, for when we abide in Him, we have the promise that we will bear much fruit. Unless you die to yourself, you cannot bear fruit unto God. The false gospel is self-seeking as it attempts to bear fruit to fulfill human desires. But the fruit from above is bearing fruit to God, and through trusting in His promises. If he blesses us in this life, fine. If not, greater is our reward in heaven. Even blessings must be viewed as secondary to God’s will. When the things we consider as blessings become our focus, they choke the word and we become unfruitful.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Discipleship
Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eddiesnipes
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