Romans 2:6-11: Judgement according to works

“You will recognise them by their fruits.” These are the words of Jesus as he warned his disciples about how to recognise a false teacher, in other words, those who claimed to be Christians, and to be teaching the right message, but in fact were not. He also said, “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. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire,” (17-19). Our fruit reveals the root of our spiritual condition! If we are true believers and have experienced the regenerating work of God in our hearts, then the inevitable fruit will show; however, if we say that we are Christians and our lives are full of habitual sins, with no signs of repentance but only excuses and cover-ups, then we are liars and are not Christians at all. Sound harsh? Let me quote another portion of Scripture for us, 1 John 2:3-6, “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” The bible is very clear when it speaks about the fruit/works test. If you do not have any proof of the work of the Spirit in your life, you are not a Christian. Faith without works is a false and dead faith. It is this line of thinking that Paul is pursuing as we move into our next section.