And by their fruits....

One of my friends is interested in a guy who is new to the faith.  She was seeking advice about how to figure out if he was honestly a Christian and how to ensure his faith was genuine.  I prayed about it and here is what we learned.

“By their fruit you will recognize them.  Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles.  Likewise every good tree bears good fruit and, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. “

~Matthew 7:16-18

                  This verse is written to help believers recognize false prophets but I think it can be applied to identifying true believers when unsure.  What is good fruit?

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

~Galatians 5:22

                  When discerning if a guy (or girl) has genuine faith look for growth.   Are they becoming more loving?  Are they demonstrating more patience?  Are they joyful? 

                  More practically.. How do they treat others?  Are they kind to everyone or just people they believe will benefit them?   Do they serve in the church?   Do they have a positive or negative attitude about things?

                  Someone who truly loves Jesus and has a genuine faith will always bear good fruit.  They will not be perfect and will mess up like all believers do. However a true believer will pick up the pieces of their mistakes and grow from it.   There will be growth.   They will learn scripture.  They will become more Christ-like.     Someone who is not sincere in their faith will not bear good fruit.  They will be stagnant in their growth, they will not learn scripture.   

If you are unsure of their walk… Look for the fruit.

~Sunny :D