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MATTHEW 3 – SPIRITUAL FRUIT

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which does not bring forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” Matthew 3:7

Israel was a blessed nation and shared an extraordinary relationship with the Jewish people and in doing so, the nation of Israel became a blessed country. God’s love would be demonstrated by providing Israel the Torah, the law of God.

This Law would disclose God’s expectations, a manner to live, as well as provide many prophecies that would eventually unfold before the nation of Israel. In return for obedience to God’s law, the Lord would ascribe righteousness and blessings to them.

Although God was patient and gracious, the Hebrew people would eventually depart from the law of God and would begin to depend on their righteousness. Paul would painfully say that although the Hebrew people had a zeal for God, they did not have it according to God’s way. “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness” went about “to establish their righteousness” while “not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” Sadly, The result was “spoiled fruit”.

CHALLENGE

Sadly, self-righteousness and independence from God, continue to be the trend in many religious circles. The disciple Matthew warns us that unbridled self-righteousness eventually leads to spiritual calamity. Only true dependence on God and repentance in Jesus Christ leads to the fruits of eternal salvation.

[Eugene Estes]

John the Baptist conveys a potent message about repentance and the signs of a changed life in Matthew 3. John did not commend the Pharisees and Sadducees for their religious standing when they attended his baptism. Rather, he urged them to bear “fruit worthy of repentance.” His statements demonstrated that God is not pleased by human accomplishments, religious titles, family history, or external appearances alone. God wants a life that reflects that transformation and a heart that has truly turned toward Him.
God had bestowed immense blessings onto the Jewish people. They were given the knowledge of the real God, the Law, the promises, and the prophets. These benefits were meant to lead people to faithfulness and obedience. But instead of relying on a genuine relationship with God, many individuals started to rely on their religious identity. They felt that they were immediately in God’s favor since they were descended from Abraham. John taught that God looks beyond ancestry and outside religion, challenging this way of thinking. He looks at a person’s spiritual fruit and the state of their heart.
The outward manifestation of a person’s faith and repentance is referred to as spiritual fruit. Humility, obedience, love, kindness, honesty, forgiveness, and dedication to God are some of its attributes. Good fruit is generated by reliance on God and surrender to His will rather than by human effort alone. On the outside, a person may seem devout, yet on the inside, they may lack true spiritual fruit. John had cautioned against this hazard.
The lesson is still applicable today. While ignoring genuine repentance and reliance on God, many individuals place their faith in good deeds, religious customs, church attendance, or personal decency. Matthew 3 serves as a reminder to Christians that self-righteousness does not earn salvation. Genuine confidence in God, on the other hand, results in a changed life with positive outcomes. Every believer should consider whether their behavior shows a genuine devotion to God. Living a fruitful life shows that one believes in God, is eager to obey Him, and develops spiritually every day.

[Rodnika Brown]

I really enjoyed reading your post. I like how you explained that having a zeal for God is not enough if we are relying on our own righteousness instead of God’s. In my opinion, this is an important reminder that our relationship with Christ should be built on faith, repentance, and obedience, not just religious actions. Your discussion shows how true spiritual fruit comes from depending on God and allowing Him to work in our lives every day.

[Seth Brumfield]

I think this is an interesting devotional with everything going on the world. I think Israel was a favored nation in Biblical times, but in current times it has overstepped it’s boundaries. I don’t know how as Christian nation we continue to support Israel in it’s Middle East forays. As Christians I think we are called to show love and compassion. We are also called to prune trees that do not bear fruit, and Israel is not acting like Jesus. We should show love, and help others when we can. Innocent people are getting killed flowing down military objectives.

[Logan Krape]

I think this devotional was a good reminder of just how important it is to always put God first. Sometimes, we as humans can have a lot of good things go our way, and it makes us feel like we’re on top of the world. I can say I’ve been guilty of this. When good things happen, we can put ourselves above God, and when we do that, we are saying we hold a higher power than the creator of our Earth. Even when these things happen, and we have that feeling, we should always be reminded that we are not in control and these good things aren’t happening because we’re making them happen. God’s given us so much grace and love, and when we succeed, he should be the only person we look to. We never have more control than he has and he will show his power if we are too oblivious to it.

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