YOU WILL KNOW THEM BY THEIR FRUITS — PART II

It was introduced in the last post our Lord’s warning against false teachers (Matthew 7:15–20) who come in sheep’s clothing to spiritually savage believers. For there are many men and women, who for personal gain (financial or notoriety), intentionally lead believers astray from true truth.

So that we might “know them by their fruits,” two examples of erroneous teachings currently advocated today will now be considered.

Knowing What They Are

Today, there are false teachers among us who profess to be teaching God’s truth. Please note that there is a difference between false teachings and inaccurate teachings. With the latter it is sometimes trivial or insignificant, resulting from insufficient study and research, like water baptism, altar calls, arranging the times and order of assembling, etc.

However, there are some deceptive and not so subtle doctrinal errors that have entered into the Church. The assorted motives of those who have espoused these errors can only be determined by the insidiousness of what is taught. The following two examples demonstrate their disruptiveness within the Church today.

Lordship Salvation

This is an erroneous teaching that a person must accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior in order to attain eternal life. The idea behind this is that saving faith must be a full surrender to the Lordship of Christ as evidenced by the believers’ steadfast endeavor of living a spiritually fruitful life under His complete control. The error of this teaching emerged from those over-zealous to ensure that new believers clearly demonstrate that they had made a sincere profession of faith. This has produced (no pun intended) a taskforce of fruit inspectors to determine if someone is truly saved or merely a pretender.

 However, this was never the message of the gospel given in the Acts; it was always “believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31), nothing was added that must be done to prove your expression of faith. The word “Lord” does not of necessity imply a command to submit and to perform “good works” as a condition for obtaining eternal life. The performing of good works is of course the normal walk of an obedient Christian (Ephesians 2:10). Paul addressed this when he admonished the Ephesians on how they should not walk:

So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way. (Ephesians 4:17–20)

 For Paul emphasized that the Christian becomes obedient by the process of learning, concluding that…

…if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. (Ephesians 4:21–24)

Therefore, if the believer is not always obedient every hour, every day, every moment of their life, this does not indicate that they are not “really” saved, but instead they are disobedient and neglecting to learn Christ and the manner in which they are to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4; cf. 1 John 1:7).

Replacement Theology1

  Briefly, this is the belief that the present day Church of Jesus Christ supersedes Israel and assumes all of the covenantal blessings originally promised to the Jews. This view presupposes that the Church is the fulfillment of the promised kingdom (also known as the “Kingdom Now” or “Dominionism”2) and that the Rapture of the Church and the Tribulation period has already passed or are dismissed; and the next event on God’s agenda is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

First, this is contrary to our Lord’s statement made after His resurrection and just prior to His ascension:

Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:44)

The angel conveyed to Mary the things written about Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, concerned the fulfillment of the covenant made with David:

“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” (Luke 1:32–33)

What the angel did not state was that if the Jewish leaders reject Jesus as their Messiah then Jesus would not reign over Jacob (Israel), and that Israel would be replaced by another entity (the Church). This would contradict Daniel’s prophecy:

“In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.” (Daniel 2:44) [Emphasis added]

 Second, this rejects the teachings of the apostles Paul and John. The Rapture of the Church is clearly taught in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17; and John outlined the Tribulation period in Revelation 4–19, as this was foretold by Daniel as “a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time” (12:1). Jeremiah also prophesied:

“Alas! for that day is great, There is none like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s distress, But he will be saved from it.” (Jeremiah 30:7)

It was further declared by our Lord, Himself (Matthew 24:4–28), even characterizing it as “the tribulation of those days” (Matthew 24:29).

The Bottom Line

Our responsibility is to make disciples by teaching them (Matthew 28:19–20), exactly as Paul directed Timothy:

 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:1–4)

Thus, it is vital that believers are able to identify false teachers—to know them by their fruits. It requires doing the hard work of thoroughly searching the Scriptures to determine if what they teach coincides with the rest of God’s Word.

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[1] Also known as “Supersessionism”

[2] https://www.lighthousetrails.com/false-signs-wonders/2011-booklet-dominionism-kingdom-now-and-what-does-the-bible-say.html [Retrieved September 2, 2026]

 

© 2026 David M. Rossi 

 

YOU WILL KNOW THEM BY THEIR FRUITS — PART I

At the end of our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), He gave a stern warning against false prophets (7:15–20); a principle which is taught also in Acts and the epistles. Our Lord’s caution has practical application for believers today, for there is evidence that false teachers have presently infiltrated the Church.

Beware!

Our Lord begins by commanding His disciples “to be in a continuous state of readiness:”1 never letting down their guard and always on the alert for deceptive teachers. The Old Testament prophets were all dead at this time, so our Lord is referring to the Jewish leaders, the Pharisees, as the false prophets during His earthly ministry. But this also has practical application of those who will come during the Church Age and in the Tribulation period. The Greek literally stresses the present reality that “the very ones who come to you”2 will disguise themselves in harmless sheep clothing. Not a Hallowe’en costume, but a mannerism that will win you over; by enveloping their false teachings in earnest sincerity, so that the unobservant and unlearned church member will not realize their erroneous doctrines. They will often deviously obscure and hide their false teachings behind clearly recognized fragments of biblical truth that will sound acceptable to the ears of the immature, unstable, and gullible3 believers. (2 Timothy 4:3).

Jesus removes their mask and calls them out for what they are: ravenous wolves. Wolves will tear the flesh off of their prey before they devour them; these false teachers tear away the sound doctrine from their prey and in so doing, they leave believers in spiritual ruin. For this reason, the apostle John advised his readers:

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1)

John stressed that our Lord’s warning had come true, that the false prophets had gone out into the world and are still present among Christians. In fact Paul warned the Ephesian elders about these wolves, 30 years before John:

“I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.” (Acts 20:29)

Knowing Who They Are

How will we be able to identify the false teachers among us today? Jesus stated twice that “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16, 20). By fruit our Lord is referring to the content of what is taught. As an example, it is not possible for grapes to come from thorns, nor can figs come from thistles (v.16). Jesus emphasizes His point, stating that “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit” (v.19). Therefore, it follows that false doctrine cannot come from Scripture, the Word of God—the absolute source of truth (John 17:17). Note the following equations:

Good teachings (truth) ≣4 are in alignment with Scripture

Bad teachings (false) ≢5 are not supported by Scripture

We learn from Genesis (3:1–7) that the criteria suitable for us to live and grow spiritually, is not based on fruit that is “a delight to the eyes” or “desirable to make one wise” (v.6). Instead, it is grounded upon “every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4; cf. Deut. 8:3). It is essential that we question what we are taught. Just because our favorite Christian author, tele-evangelist or preacher is associated with a preferred denomination or college/seminary this is not a guarantee that they faithfully and accurately teach truth. This was the dilemma of the Jewish people during our Lord’s time, for Jesus made it clear that the Pharisees “were not good for they were leading others astray”6; they were producing bad fruit, which showed that neither they nor their system was righteous.7

Our Lord concludes with a stern warning that there are eternal consequences for those who espouse false teachings: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 7:19)—exactly what John the baptizer had stated (Matthew 3:10). This is the judgement that false teachers will incur as asserted by the apostle Peter:

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. (2 Peter 2:1)

 What to Consider Next

How then can a believer determine if what they are being taught is truth or false doctrine? And what are some of the erroneous teachings that we should be aware of?

These questions will be examined in the next post.

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[1] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 332.

[2] Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 344.

[3] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1229.

[4] Strictly equivalent to

[5] Not identical to

[6] Louis A. Barbieri Jr., “Matthew,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 34.

[7] J. Dwight Pentecost, The Words and Works of Jesus Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1981), 187.

 

© 2026 David M. Rossi

 

DAVID'S PRAYER OF MISFORTUNE - PSALM 55

Samuel said to Saul: “But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13:14)

The Gateway

That “man after His own heart” who the Lord had sought out for Himself was David to replace Saul as king of Israel. 1100 years later, the apostle Paul restated this in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch:

“After He had removed him [Saul], He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’” (Acts 13:22)

It must be remembered that David was not a super-man, but a mortal man. He had his moments of grandeur, like when he consolidated the kingdom (2 Samuel 5) and with the transporting of the Ark of God to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6). But he also had times of appalling failure as in the Bathsheba affair (2 Samuel 11–12), as well as family misfortunes, with the incestuous relationship of Amnon with his sister, Tamar, which lead to the rebellion of Absalom (1 Samuel 13–18).

It was during this turbulent period that many biblical scholars believe David wrote Psalm 55:

  Give ear to my prayer, O God;

And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.

Give heed to me and answer me;

I am restless in my complaint and am surely distracted,

Because of the voice of the enemy,

Because of the pressure of the wicked;

For they bring down trouble upon me

  And in anger they bear a grudge against me. (Psalm 55:1–3)

What was troubling David was his rebellious son, Absalom and the strong conspiracy against his kingdom (2 Samuel 15:12), which included the betrayal of Ahithophel, his chief counselor and close friend.1 David continues in Psalm 55:

  My heart is in anguish within me,

And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

Fear and trembling come upon me,

And horror has overwhelmed me. (Psalm 55:4–5)

The Absalom rebellion has caused David anguish and terror of death to the point that he is overcome with horror. But note what follows demonstrates that David is no different than any mortal man, having a desire to escape the trials and testing of lifes’ events:

I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest.

Behold, I would wander far away,

I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah.

I would hasten to my place of refuge

  From the stormy wind and tempest. (Psalm 55:6–8)

The Getaway

David’s response to anxiety is shared by many even in our culture today. This same reaction was expressed in a recording in the 1960’s:

  If I could lose

All my troubles

By running away

  No, no, I wouldn′t stay.

But they just keep on

Hangin′ 'round me,

And won't go away.

  No, no, won′t go away.

  And you′ll be hurt so many times,

Get the safest room you can find,

And lock the door.

  Find yourself another country.2

Isn’t this similar to the impulsive reaction of the prodigal son (Luke 15)? Our Lord stated nothing in verse 12 about what triggered why the son asked for his “share” of his father’s estate. Jesus continued the parable:

“And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.” (Luke 15:13)

  The son decided to make his getaway to a “distant country”—another country—to take wing and fly away; tantamount to locking oneself in a safe room, desiring to escape whatever is troubling or terrifying.

The Takeaway

Notice how David handled his predicament. When someone told David that Ahithophel was among those conspiring against him, David prayed “O Lord, I pray, make the counsel of Ahithophel foolishness” (1 Samuel 15:31). The substance of this prayer is recorded in Psalm 55:9:

“Confuse, O Lord, divide their tongues,

For I have seen violence and strife in the city.” (Psalm 55:9)

And only because of the disruption created within the city that affected David’s kingdom, he requested a severe recompense for the traitors:

 “Let death come deceitfully upon them;

Let them go down alive to Sheol,

  For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.” (Psalm 55:15; cf. 2 Peter 2:9)

But instead of taking an escape route from this very difficult time, David reveals his sound intention:

 “As for me, I shall call upon God,

And the Lord will save me.

Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur,

And He will hear my voice.

He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me,

For they are many who strive with me.

God will hear and answer them—

Even the one who sits enthroned from of old— Selah.

With whom there is no change,

  And who do not fear God.” (Psalm 55:16–19)

And for his readers, he provides guidance and hope:

 “Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;

  He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” (Psalm 55:22)

To cast means to throw, as a vigorous action.3 It is a command that we should not attempt to manage our burdens using human viewpoint. For it stands to reason, that since our Lord was able to bear our sins, He is truly able to assist us in our troubles (Hebrews 2:18; cf. 1 Corinthians 10:13). This command is echoed by the apostle Peter:

Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7) 

Here, the Greek word for casting also implies “to hurl, throw, throw off.”4 Therefore, mindful that God is divinely capable of handling our problems, our reaction is not to run away from the difficulties of life, but instead to have confidence that He is able to sustain us.

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[1] J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary, electronic ed., (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997), 2.770.

[2] “Another Country” – Recorded by the Electric Flag, “Along Time Comin’” (Columbia Records, LP–CS9597, 1968).

[3] J. A. Motyer, “The Psalms,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 521.

[4] W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 632.

 

© 2026 David M. Rossi