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Christ as a condition for receiving salvation (justification).” We should change our lifestyle as we grow
in Him and learn to love Him. That is not a condition of salvation, it is a desired result. In 1 Peter 3:15
believers are told to “sanctify Jesus as Lord” and that does mean to choose to act as though He is Lord
when acing persecutions because you know you will give an account to Him. That however is in the context
of a believer choosing to obey God, not an unbeliever choosing to believe in Jesus and gain eternal life.
Again, the only condition for salvation from hell (justification) is faith in Jesus Christ.

Do Works Show Whether Someone Really Is A Believer?
This question will be addressed more fully in the section on eternal security. Here we will remind
ourselves that it depends on how one reads the relevant texts. We have already noted that Matthew
7:15-23 is not telling people how to identify false professors of faith. It is Jesus telling His disciples how
to identify false prophets. So, the reference everyone uses “you will know them by their fruits” had
nothing to do with whether the average person claiming faith but living in disobedience is saved. The
interpretation that it does would fly in the face of the entire passage. The false teachers actually point
out that they do have works “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your
name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’” Read that
carefully, they assume that God will agree that they are prophesying in Christ’s name, casting our
demons in Christ’s name, and performing miracles in Christ’s name. If we looked at their fruit, we would
conclude that they were believers, empowered by God, and ministering effectively for Him. What then
are the fruits? Do they obey God? What is the condition for salvation? Remember John 6:28-29? “Then
they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, ‘This is
the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’” The work of God is to believe in the Son.
So that is the work of God, but what are the fruits? Well, probably a combination of that and their
words. Why do I say that? Because Jesus uses the fruits analogy again in Matthew 12:33-37 when He
rebukes the pharisees.

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known
by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks
out of that which fills the heart. 35 The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the
evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. 36 But I tell you that every careless word that people
speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be
justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

What was this talking about in context? This is the passage where the Pharisees refuse to believe and
attribute the work of the Spirit to Satan. Jesus warns them about the unforgivable sin and then says
these words. The unbeliever’s words will tell whether they believe in Jesus or attribute His power to
Satan. Was this a general statement about words saving us or not? No, it was a debate over the origin of
Jesus authority and miracles. The next thing the religious leaders do is demand a sign that proves Jesus
is who He says He is and has the authority to speak for God. We cannot rip these words from that
context. This interesting thing here is that the “fruits” in the same analogy, in the same Gospel, are the
words of the religious leaders, not their works.

Many other issues come into this, but the issue must be addressed in the section on eternal security
more fully. More important than this issue is the pastoral principle we must each our people. Jesus said
that there were tares among the wheat. Today there is a major emphasis on seeking out and removing
false professors of faith from the body of Christ. That is exactly what Jesus said not to do! He strictly
warned the disciples not to seek them out and try to root them out of the flock. He said let them grow
together and when He returns, He will weed them out. If we are focused on who is real and who is fake,

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