Fruit of Repentance

He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." And the crowds asked him, "What then shall we do?" And he answered them, "Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise." Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Collect no more than you are authorized to do." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages." (Luk 3:7-14)

As John was baptizing he begins to stress the importance of bearing fruit that is worthy or fitting of repentance. The concept of bearing fruit is used quite often in Scripture, and it’s an important concept.

Fruit is a way of telling if what has been planted is genuine. Let’s say that we buy some apple tree seeds, plant them, and then see an orange tree grow out of the ground. We would certainly come to the conclusion that the seeds were not genuine apple seeds, but rather orange seeds. Much in the same way we can tell the genuineness of our repentance by seeing the fruit that it produces.

John points out some specific circumstances and the fruit thereof that would be proof of a true repentance. Tax collectors are not to collect more money than they are authorized to collect. Soldiers are not to extort money, but rather be satisfied with their honest wages. The point here is that if one is truly repentant of sinning, they will turn from their sins.

John’s focus is on the fruit of repentance, but there are other scriptures that speak of the fruit of salvation as well…

You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. (Mat 7:16-18)

"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. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. (Mat 12:33-35)

I find this last passage very interesting as it refers to the listeners as a “brood of vipers” just as John the Baptist does in our passage.

It’s not the fruit of repentance that brings us repentance…it’s the fruit of repentance that gives us evidence that our repentance is genuine. We can’t rely on the genuineness that we “feel” because our hearts are quite deceitful…

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? (Jer 17:9)

Have you repented recently? Has your repentance born fruit to show itself to be genuine?

If you have then be of good cheer for our merciful God forgives the truly repentant…

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1Jn 1:9)