This is a Bible verse – (Matthew 7:16); but it doesn’t mean people will know you by your children, it means people will know you by seeing you in your everydays.
Your fruit is your prejudices, your nature, and your doings, which come from your spirit, and you can’t escape. Example: Even philosophers agree that a thing is what it is, that A is A; so, the fruit of A, is A.
A duck quacks, a dog barks, a cow moos, and an apple tree produces apples. And according to – (Matthew 7:17), good trees bear good fruit, and bad trees bear bad fruit. See the pattern?
People are the fruit of Their Nature too, and we/people unfortunately have, and own, a sin nature; a nature opposite of God’s, that regrettably we were born with — [genetically inherited], because of the fall of Man. You don’t have to teach a child to be selfish, self-centered, or to lie, because they’re born that way – (Psalm 58:3); you’ve got to teach them not to be, but it’ll still remain in their heart — it’s who he or she is in spite of how cute they are without the intervention of God. It can’t be helped — sinners sin.
The sin nature was in full bloom after the fall when Adam and Eve’s first child exposed his true nature. It was that he was a murderer. Cain, the first born killed his brother Abel – (Genesis4:8). Notice I didn’t say became a murderer, because murder was in Cain’s heart – in his nature. So, this didn’t just happen. Cain sought to kill his brother – (James 1:14), and when the wicked temptations of his nature offered itself, and he imagined/saw himself that he could do such a thing, he did.
Murder was part of his fruit; just like everything that’s earthly inside of us, for instance, sexual immorality, uncleanness, passion/longings of lust, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry – (Colossians 3:5); we can add more such as adultery, and slander, or read – (Galatians 5:19-21), And if you really want to see ourselves, read – (2nd Timothy 3:2-5) that says, men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of Godliness but denying His power, and this nature is past down from generation to generation too all of humanity, and it’s getting worse.
Do this test.
Have you ever lied, even a little white lie – don’t lie? Have you ever stolen anything, anything – pencil, pen, a grape from the produce department in a Super Market without paying? Have you ever lusted sexually for someone other than your mate, or imagined they were someone else at times? Do you hate, or have a strong dislike for anybody, be it a person, or group in general? Have you ever used God’s name in vain? Have you ever craved something of someone else’s rather than go after your own?
If so, in God’s eye, you’ve broken six of His Ten Commandments making you a lying adulteress thief, a murderous blasphemer, whom should be scrutinized, and not be taken seriously. Your fruit? Also, a place in Hell come judgement.
Are you self-centered — I get mine regardless of the cost to others?
Who, and what are your idols/obsessions: is it drugs, addictions, gaming, sex, gossip, alcohol, money, fame, vanity; all of which will bear fruit, your fruit if unchecked, because those things are part of the sin nature.
Do you try to be religious — not to be confused with Christian. God’s not religious, because religion is bondage, it’s works, trying to prove how worthy you are too God in front of men – (Isaiah 29:13), – (Mark 7:6-8), and (Romans 3:23), and it bears false doctrine, or bad fruit.
Scripture tells us what our fruit should look like in God’s eye; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – (Galatians 5 22, 23), and how we’re to think. Our thought should be about whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable – (Philippians 4:8).
Man doesn’t possess the above traits naturally because they don’t belong to him, they’re what’s possible when the third person of the Trinity resides inside of you once saved, because they’re His – the Holy Spirit’s, and the Holy Spirit does not live inside the natural man, or will give these gifts to him.
The heart of the natural man’s nature sees this as folly, silly, foolish, and in the way of reality.
Things are what they are; so when a man shows his colors and they’re shaky; not consistent with what he preaches, confesses, or practices, believe his fruit, not his mouth, saved or not.
Gaidi