“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.” (Matthew 12:33)
I was recently involved in a misunderstanding that turned out to be a real source of embarrassment.
The particulars are not important because the embarrassment that I experienced had nothing to do with the nature of the misunderstanding. I was embarrassed because the circumstances that surrounded the incident make me look as if I was the farthest thing from a Christian.
I know I didn’t say what others were told I said. Those type of statements cut directly across my Christian principles. Yet, I am so ashamed and feel as if I have really let my Lord down.
The shame comes from the fact that a lot of what I professed to believe as a Christian stands in direct contrast to the statements that have been attributed to me. Appearance is often so damning in spite of what the truth may be.
This experience has taught me a very important lesson about how we sometimes rush to judgment in our Christian relationships. You see while my faith is real, I realize that others may question the sincerity of my convictions from one experience with me. I also realize that I often size up other Christians the same way.
What does the Bible say about such matters? Is it okay in our Christian relationships to question salvation in another Christian because of the mistakes or misdeeds that we see them commit? And if it isn’t okay, then how do we put those mistakes into perspective?
I don’t think it’s our place to question whether salvation in another Christian is real. That’s a matter of the heart and the Bible us that only God knows “the hearts of all the sons of men”. (I Kings 8:39)
But Jesus tells us that when we become Christians, there should be outward and visible signs of our Christian faith at work in our lives. “You will know them by their fruits…. every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” (Matthew7:16-17)
There is no doubt that God expects us to look for fruit in the life of a Christian. After all, Jesus didn’t say that He would know them by their fruit. He says, “You will know them”.
Obviously, God wants Christians to exercise discernment in their relationships with other Christians. But the mistake we often make in that process is that we allow one bad apple to spoil the whole barrel. When Jesus said “fruit”, he meant fruit in the plural sense. In other words, the quality of our commitment to Christ will be shown by repeated and continuous examples of our faith at work. We should never make up our minds from one isolated incident in spite of what the circumstances may suggest. Remember, the Bible says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
I spoke with my wife about this column just before I sat down to prepare it. “We all try to police the lives of other Christians,” she told me. “Maybe we should write a few more warning tickets before we drag them off to court.”
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