The Lord Jesus said: “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:17-20).

The Lord Jesus was talking about people (especially those who are fake relating to the faith, who had works but had no fruit). There is a difference between “works” and “fruits”. All who have good fruits, produced by God, have good works, but not everyone has good works. And you must know how to differentiate this (both, so that you are not deceived by yourself and that others do not deceive you).

Let’s first talk for ourselves. Many people are comforted by the fact that they have good works. They think: “I am a charitable person. I help the poor.” And they comfort themselves in this fact. In the religious environment, the person may also be comforting themselves because they speak of the Word of God, pray for people, and even see miracles happen due to their works. They think: “I’m a good person because look, all the good I do”. So, this causes the mistake of thinking that external works characterise inner well-being. And that’s not always true. In Matthew 7, the Lord Jesus makes this very clear. So, “good works” can be faked.

You can’t stop a good person from doing good deeds. This is a consequence of Who is inside them, and they don’t boast about it. What God sees is the fruit that comes from within the person. And you can’t use money, for example, to buy someone’s true forgiveness or grant forgiveness to someone. When a person is planted in the Kingdom of God, and the Spirit of God generates their seed, it is natural for this person to produce these fruits of their character. So, it is natural for a person to forgive, not to live in lies, to follow the laws, and not to step on people when they have some authority; they know how to be loyal.

That is why you must look at yourself and see if there is the fruit of God. And at the same time, beware of the people around you who do many works, but do good only to have “credit”.

Reflect on these words by watching the video above.