You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
Matthew 7:16 (CSB)
In the verse before this one, Jesus warned us about false prophets. False prophets say they speak for God, but God never sent them. And they look like real believers.
So how can we tell who is a false prophet? Jesus says we’ll recognize false prophets by their fruit.
A grapevine grows grapes. A thornbush grows thorns. Nobody picks grapes off a thornbush. It works the same way with people. What is inside a person comes out in time.
Fruit is what a teacher says. Fruit is also how that teacher lives. We should test both.
We should compare what a teacher says with the Bible. Does this teacher talk about sin, the wrong we do against God? Does this teacher tell people to turn from sin and trust Jesus? If a teacher leaves those out, that is bad fruit.
We should also watch how a teacher lives. Is this teacher humble, honest, and kind? Or does this teacher seem to want money and attention?
Fruit takes time to grow. So we shouldn’t decide about a teacher too fast. We should read the Bible and keep watching. When we aren’t sure, we should ask a pastor we trust.
Jesus isn’t telling us to be suspicious of every pastor. He is warning us about teachers who lead people away from Him.
Everything Jesus taught was true. Everything Jesus did was good. He died on the cross for our sins and rose again. Everyone who trusts Him is forgiven. Jesus is the teacher we can trust completely.