“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matthew7:15-20
By their fruits, ye shall know them…Christians are not so special, just redeemed by God out of the hand of the devil. Still sinful, nevertheless, Christians do exhibit certain characteristics that make them stand apart from the crowd. The good fruits the Bible speaks of about Christians are found in Galatians 5:22-26.
The most significant characteristic is their ability to love others. Look for a Christian to be full of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Christians work toward crucifying the lusts of the flesh. They flee from sinful practices, and refuse to put any evil thing before their eyes. Walking in the Spirit, they are enabled to withstand temptation and find the way of escape, so that they will not always succumb to sinning.
Refusing to provoke each other, they seek not their own glory, but prefer others over themselves. They are not envious. Most Christians are not easily spotted. They don’t advertise their beliefs. Instead they live out their faith through their actions. You will know them by their fruits.
Love marks all that they do. Performing selflessly, they are dependable and reliable. They never cheat or steal. Lying is not found in them. They are honest to the point of ridiculousness in the eyes of the world.
They are careful to do good, and not harm. They willingly bear the burdens of others through prayer and ministry. You won’t find Christians brutalizing others. They seek to live peaceably with all. Yet, when called upon, they can be fierce warriors. Be warned, their God fights for them.
They act with righteousness and justice, seeking truth in all things. They rejoice over the success of others, knowing that their God is the victor. They mourn and weep and sorrow over injustice. Oh, and by the way, they attribute all that they are and ever will be to Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.
They reject praise, knowing that their best efforts aren’t even acceptable to a righteous God. They know they aren’t good, but God is, and what He does is always good and perfect. Christians can be a little pushy. They want everyone to know about their God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Don’t judge them too harshly. They merely want to help you to know for sure where you will spend eternity.
If you watch them long enough, you’ll probably catch them in sin. They aren’t perfect, just forgiven. When confronted with sin, their hearts will be broken and they will seek forgiveness and reconciliation.
So look around, you might be able to spot one of them. Don’t be shy about saying hello. They welcome every opportunity to talk to others.
