Part 2 – The Real Fruit
It has been said that we should not judge people, but we should judge actions, situations, blessings and results to determine if someone or something is good or evil. But we have just looked at each of these and found that none of them will always determine right or wrong.
We have also grazed a topic worth addressing dead on. You see, God’s law can not be written down and be correct in every situation. For example, we see that God says, “thou shalt not kill” and then turns around and tells Nephi to kill Laban. Such instances of God supporting actions against previously given general rules are common throughout scripture. This can make our task of recognizing false prophets all the more difficult as they may be telling us things which are contrary to previous dictates and well know rules. Regarding this, Joseph Smith said,
“God said, "Thou shalt not kill;" at another time He said, "Thou shalt utterly destroy." This is the principle on which the government of heaven is conducted--by revelation adapted to the circumstances in which the children of the kingdom are placed. Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof till long after the events transpire. If we seek first the kingdom of God, all good things will be added. So with Solomon: first he asked wisdom, and God gave it him, and with it every desire of his heart, even things which might be considered abominable to all who understand the order of heaven only in part, but which in reality were right because God gave and sanctioned by special revelation.” – Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Five 1842-43, p.256
As Joseph pointed out, someone who understands the order of heaven only in part might look on a prophet who appears to be doing the abominable and judge them according to their own limited understanding calling them a false prophet or a deceiver.
Yet the prophet going against common grain may be blessed and completely in line with the true order of heaven. This makes recognizing true prophets all the more difficult.
We live in a changing world. We pride ourselves on the fact that we accept current revelation which is needed because old revelation may not apply in new situations. This is not the problem. The problem is discerning the fruits by which we will know the good from the bad. When times change and along with it, God’s direction changes it can be difficult to recognize true prophets from false prophets.
We hear in our minds some say, “We will just follow the living prophet”. For the purpose of this article, we are following the dictate to “Beware of False Prophets” who are “ravening wolves coming in sheep’s clothing”. They are hiding among the flock. You may even be or have been a wolf without realizing it…
Now, having illustrated the confusion that we now face, we refer back to Mormon who just told us that both good and evil people can do the same actions and the good will be blessed and the evil will be cursed, (Moro. 7:5-11). Then he makes this interesting statement:
“For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night” – Moro. 7:15
Although this scripture says the way to judge is plain, it seems that this plain and simple truth has eluded us throughout history and even today.
But, if we can restore this plain and simple truth, we are promised that we can know with a perfect knowledge that which is good from that which is evil. What are the real fruits by which we can know good from evil?
Let’s look at a few of the fruits the scriptures point out, to get some ideas…
Fruit as Used in the Scriptures
Consider the following definitions of “Fruit” as referenced in other scriptures:
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." - Gal. 5:22-23
"10 And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.
11 And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.
12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy;" - Ne. 8:10-12
"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." - Heb. 12:11
In all these scriptures, the fruits are NOT actions, situations, beliefs or results in the way we tend to think. The fruits are always feelings or states of being.
If we apply this same interpretation of fruits to Matthew 7:15-20, then the scripture would read like this:
"15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their FEELINGs and States of Being. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good FEELINGs and States of Being; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil FEELINGs or states of being.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil FEELINGs and States of Being, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good FEELINGs and States of Being.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good FEELINGs and States of Being is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their FEELINGs and States of Being ye shall know them." - Matt. 7:15-20
The fruit is within the person speaking and relates to what they are experiencing, feeling and expressing. If we looked at their fruits and the fruits of their message, we look at the feelings being expressed while the message is being delivered. Is the person delivering the message expressing love and peace or hate and rage?
It is important to point out that we are not yet addressing how the listener feels about the speaker or the speaker’s message, only the feelings and spirit maintained by the speaker while delivering their message and responding to their critics.
If a message is given by the spirit, it is given by the fruits of the spirit. This means that the true message is always given in a loving, peaceful, longsuffering, gentle, patient, and joyful spirit. If it is in some other way, it is not of God.
"17 Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?
18 And if it be by some other way it is not of God.” – D&C 50:17-18
Again, what are the fruits of the spirit?
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." - Gal. 5:22-23
Because these feelings are good and invite and entice those who feel them to do good, they come from God. Mormon explains why this is so,
"10 Wherefore, a man being evil, (angry or hateful), cannot do that which is good; neither will he give a good gift.
11 For behold, a bitter fountain cannot bring forth good water; neither can a good fountain bring forth bitter water; wherefore, a man being a servant of the devil cannot follow Christ; and if he follow Christ he cannot be a servant of the devil.
12 Wherefore, all things which are good, (Loving and Peaceful), cometh of God; and that which is evil, (angry or hateful), cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil, (angry or hateful), continually.
13 But behold, that which is of God, (Loving and Peaceful), inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God." - Moro. 7:10-13 (Italics added)
We can almost hear in our minds some say that feelings do not invite and entice us to do good and love God or do evil and serve the devil. In fact, we have heard some say that the devil has a counterfeit for all of the good feelings/fruits of the spirit.
The devil cannot mimic the fruit of God because he has no part of it. He may at best promote counterfeits to the goodness of God. However, if the devil could make you feel love or peace for example, then would it not invite you to do good and be loving and peaceful to your fellow man?
All the laws and teachings of the prophets are summed up in two points. Love God and love your neighbor, (Matt. 22:36-40). It is impossible to love and not fulfill all the laws of God because they are based on Love.
“8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
...
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” - Rom. 13: 8-10
If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:” - James 2: 8
So if the devil could help us to love, then he would be doing good, and would be building the kingdom of God. Along with love; so too peace, longsuffering, patience and other good feelings, (which help us to treat others with love, respect and equality). As Mormon told us, ALL Good things/feelings come from God and are of no use to the devil. God’s goodness unites people with love in harmony and peace. Christ explained this when he taught, “if ye are not one, ye are not mine.”
The “Oneness” spoken of here by Christ cannot come about except by love which brings equality and unites even the most diverse cultures, religions and peoples. Love, true love, is not so shallow that it requires people to agree or believe the same doctrines to be united. Love is uniting all by itself regardless of other differences.
This was further illustrated when the apostles were disturbed by a man who was not part of Christ’s group but was found casting out devils. The account is recorded as follows:
“38 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.
39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
40 For he that is not against us is on our part.- Mark 9:38-40, Luke 9:49-50.
If Satan were to do good, inspire love or cast out devils, then he would be on God’s side, not against God. Just as these good fruits come from God, all negative feelings come from the devil and produce evil, separation, pride, selfishness, disunity, and war.
The Fruits
by Which We Know Them
Below is a simple comparison of both good and bad fruits in no particular order:
| Good Fruit of the Sheep | Bad Fruit of the Wolves |
|
Love Gratitude Joy Excitement Hope Faith Satisfaction Patience Peace Acceptance Self Worth
|
Annoyance
Worry Criticism/Blame Anger Revenge Hate Resentment Guilt Unrest Depression Fear |
We all know when we have negative feelings and when we have positive feelings. Some may be stronger than others, but all feelings are either positive or negative, pleasant or disturbing. We cannot be under the influence of positive uplifting feelings and negative critical feelings at the same time. The positive will always dispel the negative, (1 John. 4:18, Moro. 8: 16).
All good feelings come from God and are uplifting, encouraging and enabling. A person cannot experience these feelings without doing good and thinking of other’s benefit because these feelings are the fruits of goodness. And, as the sweet fruits of fruit bearing trees have seeds, so do the fruits of goodness contain the seeds of goodness. Just as an apple contains seeds that can be planted to produce another apple tree, so too the fruits of goodness contain the seeds which produce more trees after their kind. And, as an apple seed will never produce a cactus, neither can Love, peace or any other good fruit be planted in our hearts and produce hate, anger or any other evil fruit.
Recognizing Your Own Fruits
Before you can correctly see the fruits in others, you must learn to recognize the fruits in yourself. Because these attributes are internal, they may be difficult to see in others.
Also, remember that we are all still progressing toward the end goal and spend our time influenced by both sides of the spectrum on and off. So, to say a person is either all good or all bad would be incorrect as we all fluctuate between the two sides. We also experience degrees of each side. Sometimes we are full of intense love, and sometimes we are full of intense hate. Other times we might be pleasantly satisfied and at peace or mildly discouraged or generally sad.
In relation to this topic, we must consider our philosophies and beliefs which determine how we view or perceive the world and the actions of those around us.
You can ask yourself, “Is my belief schema full of doctrines and philosophies which separate, criticize and judge others”, (for example: racist or sexist notions), or are the majority of my beliefs uniting, loving, accepting of others and forgiving?
For example, if a person believes women to be inferior that person will naturally treat women inferior. Even when he thinks he is doing a good deed to a woman he will say in his heart, she is inferior and needed help like a child needs help. Or if a person is racist they make decisions based on the color of a person’s skin and not based on the actual accomplishments, strengths and weaknesses of that person in equal measure as they would do so for one of their ethnic brothers.
Our beliefs will inevitably fill our hearts and taint our actions with the fruit which those beliefs produce, be it love or hate, acceptance or disdain and other telling feelings.
We can then use this principle to determine if our current accepted beliefs are good and of God or not. And the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, (Moro. 7:15).
“Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.” - D&C 8:2
Remember that “the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance,” (Gal. 5:22-23). These are all positive emotions which are felt in our heart. When the Spirit is present, we will always feel it positively in our heart even if it is only simple peace.
Because the spirit cannot dwell in unholy temples, if we have the spirit we will have the fruits of the spirit and when we have its fruits, we are worthy and our actions are justified. If the spirit is grieved and withdraws from you, it is because you have grieved the spirit, not because those around you have grieved the spirit.
This is an essential point to understanding this topic! You can have the spirit with you, dwelling inside you, even when the world outside of you is not conducive to the spirit. You can be at peace and feel love even while others are persecuting you, or as Jesus showed, while they are nailing you to a cross.
Joseph Smith also maintained the spirit under the most awful circumstances as observed by his remark,
“I am going like a lamb to the slaughter; but I am calm as a summer's morning;” – D&C 135:4
If YOU do not have the spirit with you then YOU are the problem. Those who have the spirit with them can have it under any circumstances. If the spirit leaves YOU, it is because YOU left it.
The spirit will not leave you just because someone is teaching false doctrine.
In Alma 30, we read of one Korihor who had been preaching false doctrine to many people who had believed him. He was going about leading many people away from the church. He was not only teaching false doctrine as you might hear from a Christian view point, but he was speaking as an Anti-Christ. Korihor was very persuasive and we are told,
“And thus he did preach unto them, leading away the hearts of many, causing them to lift up their heads in their wickedness, yea, leading away many women, and also men, to commit whoredoms—telling them that when a man was dead, that was the end thereof.ng away the people after the silly traditions of their fathers, for the sake of glutting on the labors of the people.” – Alma 30:18
Korihor was doing ever so much more damage to the church and souls of men than ever our fellow sheep were doing. He was not even masquerading as a sheep. When he was brought to Alma, Alma listened to what he was teaching. He asked Korihor questions. He was soft, loving and peaceful through the entire interaction. He was never filled with rage or anger. Korihor on the other hand had a very different fruit. He was angry, biting and critical.
After listening to Korihor, Alma declares to Korihor, “thou art possessed with a lying spirit, and ye have put off the Spirit of God that it may have no place in you; but the devil has power over you, and he doth carry you about, working devices that he may destroy the children of God.” (Alma 30:42) In context, it seems clear that Alma was not yelling, angry or hateful in this declaration, he simply declared what he saw to be fact. He did not condemn Korihor or attack him or even have him killed as many today would do if they could.
Alma maintained the spirit with him the entire time. He was filled with the fruits of the spirit which can be easily seen. He listened and spoke with love, peace, gentleness and longsuffering. So much was the case that after Korihor demanded a sign multiple times Alma, with love said,
“46 Behold, I am grieved because of the hardness of your heart, yea, that ye will still resist the spirit of the truth, that thy soul may be destroyed.
47 But behold, it is better that thy soul should be lost than that thou shouldst be the means of bringing many souls down to destruction, by thy lying and by thy flattering words; therefore if thou shalt deny again, behold God shall smite thee, that thou shalt become dumb, that thou shalt never open thy mouth any more, that thou shalt not deceive this people any more.” – Alma 30:46-47
You can feel the love Alma has for Korihor who is doing so much eternal damage. In the end, Korihor lived having received the sign that he demanded.
We must be like Alma who maintained the spirit while listening to false doctrine. Who maintained love, longsuffering, gentleness, and peace while confronting an Anti-Christ.
If YOU are not able to maintain the spirit with all of its fruits of love, peace, joy, longsuffering, gentleness, kindness, forgiveness, etc., while someone else is teaching you, then YOU are a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing. YOU must learn to listen by the spirit just as Alma listened to the Anti-Christ Korihor.
One way to recognize a true sheep is that they remain sheep while the raving wolves tear them apart. A wolf in hiding will reveal itself when it feels threatened and it will bite back.
Not only are YOU, as a sheep, to teach by the spirit and maintain the fruits of the spirit in your teaching, but YOU must learn to maintain the fruits of the spirit as you listen to the prophets, both the true and false prophets.
“Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?
And if it be by some other way it is not of God.
"19 And again, he that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?
20 If it be some other way it is not of God.” – D&C 50:19-20
Remember that if you are experiencing any of the fruits of the devil, you are not open to experience the fruits of the good spirit which is God’s Spirit.
The Holy Ghost which “dwells in our hearts” is always accompanied by positive feelings. It will teach you all things. That is the plain and simple way to judge!
EVERY TIME!!!