A Narrow Road and a Good Tree
Jesus has just discussed the judgment that individual believers are obligated to do and now He is illustrating that idea with another warning. He is telling them that the majority are on a wide path headed for destruction. There will be those who don't believe in Jesus as Lord, there will be those who accepted an unbiblical Jesus in a large cult, there will be fake Christians who never fully trusted Him and live accordingly. ALL of them are on a broad road.
There's a natural inclination we have to follow the crowd. You can see it in our daily behavior. Here Jesus is making it clear that if you are basing your salvation on the number of like minded people surrounding you, you are likely lost.
He tells us that only a few will be saved. That the road the saved travel on is a small one, and hard to find. Then he tells us why.
Beware false prophets he says. It is amazing to me that there were church leaders fighting against the apostles themselves. Yes, the apostles Peter, Paul, and John all dealt with false teachers, some of them even named and called out publicly.
Some false teachers were teaching gnosticism, others were teaching a works based gospel. Paul warns of the day approaching fast when the false teachers would dominate the scene. First Timothy chapter 4:1-4 tells of a time where the doctrines of demons where among the teachings would forbid some to marry and to forbid the eating of meats.
I don't need to inform you of which false teachers emerged with those specific doctrines, because you all know. Yes, I was at one point a catholic. But I spent years studying scripture alone when I discovered that the papacy had actually had the Bible on the list of books banned by the Roman Catholic church until 1952.
Banning His people from the reading of scripture is a very anti-God thing to do. A clear indication that the Roman Catholic church has never been part of the narrow road that leads to life. And never will be.
He then uses the illustration of the good tree. Jesus is saying that a good tree doesn't produce bad fruit. Likewise, a bad tree doesn't produce good fruit. Our lives as we travel the narrow road should produce good fruit. The gospel message should be getting to all people, and the church should be growing.
Jesus's point is that if the tree (believer/church) is producing bad fruit (false doctrine, etc) then that tree is bad. Not a different kind of tree (believer/church) “who interprets something differently” but a bad one, leading to destruction.
Matthew 7:13-20
[13] “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. [14] For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it. [15] “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. [16] You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? [17] So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. [18] A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] So then, you will know them by their fruits.
Jesus has just discussed the judgment that individual believers are obligated to do and now He is illustrating that idea with another warning. He is telling them that the majority are on a wide path headed for destruction. There will be those who don't believe in Jesus as Lord, there will be those who accepted an unbiblical Jesus in a large cult, there will be fake Christians who never fully trusted Him and live accordingly. ALL of them are on a broad road.
There's a natural inclination we have to follow the crowd. You can see it in our daily behavior. Here Jesus is making it clear that if you are basing your salvation on the number of like minded people surrounding you, you are likely lost.
He tells us that only a few will be saved. That the road the saved travel on is a small one, and hard to find. Then he tells us why.
Beware false prophets he says. It is amazing to me that there were church leaders fighting against the apostles themselves. Yes, the apostles Peter, Paul, and John all dealt with false teachers, some of them even named and called out publicly.
Some false teachers were teaching gnosticism, others were teaching a works based gospel. Paul warns of the day approaching fast when the false teachers would dominate the scene. First Timothy chapter 4:1-4 tells of a time where the doctrines of demons where among the teachings would forbid some to marry and to forbid the eating of meats.
I don't need to inform you of which false teachers emerged with those specific doctrines, because you all know. Yes, I was at one point a catholic. But I spent years studying scripture alone when I discovered that the papacy had actually had the Bible on the list of books banned by the Roman Catholic church until 1952.
Banning His people from the reading of scripture is a very anti-God thing to do. A clear indication that the Roman Catholic church has never been part of the narrow road that leads to life. And never will be.
He then uses the illustration of the good tree. Jesus is saying that a good tree doesn't produce bad fruit. Likewise, a bad tree doesn't produce good fruit. Our lives as we travel the narrow road should produce good fruit. The gospel message should be getting to all people, and the church should be growing.
Jesus's point is that if the tree (believer/church) is producing bad fruit (false doctrine, etc) then that tree is bad. Not a different kind of tree (believer/church) “who interprets something differently” but a bad one, leading to destruction.
Matthew 7:13-20
[13] “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. [14] For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it. [15] “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. [16] You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? [17] So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. [18] A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] So then, you will know them by their fruits.
A Narrow Road and a Good Tree
Jesus has just discussed the judgment that individual believers are obligated to do and now He is illustrating that idea with another warning. He is telling them that the majority are on a wide path headed for destruction. There will be those who don't believe in Jesus as Lord, there will be those who accepted an unbiblical Jesus in a large cult, there will be fake Christians who never fully trusted Him and live accordingly. ALL of them are on a broad road.
There's a natural inclination we have to follow the crowd. You can see it in our daily behavior. Here Jesus is making it clear that if you are basing your salvation on the number of like minded people surrounding you, you are likely lost.
He tells us that only a few will be saved. That the road the saved travel on is a small one, and hard to find. Then he tells us why.
Beware false prophets he says. It is amazing to me that there were church leaders fighting against the apostles themselves. Yes, the apostles Peter, Paul, and John all dealt with false teachers, some of them even named and called out publicly.
Some false teachers were teaching gnosticism, others were teaching a works based gospel. Paul warns of the day approaching fast when the false teachers would dominate the scene. First Timothy chapter 4:1-4 tells of a time where the doctrines of demons where among the teachings would forbid some to marry and to forbid the eating of meats.
I don't need to inform you of which false teachers emerged with those specific doctrines, because you all know. Yes, I was at one point a catholic. But I spent years studying scripture alone when I discovered that the papacy had actually had the Bible on the list of books banned by the Roman Catholic church until 1952.
Banning His people from the reading of scripture is a very anti-God thing to do. A clear indication that the Roman Catholic church has never been part of the narrow road that leads to life. And never will be.
He then uses the illustration of the good tree. Jesus is saying that a good tree doesn't produce bad fruit. Likewise, a bad tree doesn't produce good fruit. Our lives as we travel the narrow road should produce good fruit. The gospel message should be getting to all people, and the church should be growing.
Jesus's point is that if the tree (believer/church) is producing bad fruit (false doctrine, etc) then that tree is bad. Not a different kind of tree (believer/church) “who interprets something differently” but a bad one, leading to destruction.
Matthew 7:13-20
[13] “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. [14] For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it. [15] “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. [16] You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? [17] So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. [18] A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] So then, you will know them by their fruits.
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