Mathew 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit----Does this mean a good person cannot bring into this world and evil person....& a bad person bring into this world a good person?? does this mean good ppl cant change? a good person cant bring forth evil and an evil person cant bring forth good what exactly does this mean to humans?
2006-11-12 23:30:53 · 12 answers · asked by JeN 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Well, I'm not a Christian and I don't believe the Bible is the 'Word of God' as Christians claim but.....
I do think this verse has something very poignant to say.
A good tree can be used as an analogy for a good person. A good person is full of goodness, and there is no rottenness found in their being. Whatever that person does or says, will be with the purity of heart and the best intentions in mind. That way whatever comes from them either in deed or things they vocalize, will be to bring about 'good'.
The bad tree is just the opposite.
I don't think it has anything to do with pro-creation. The 'fruit' is analogy for whatever it is you produce in life. A tree bears fruit, a person produces either good or bad deeds.
I personally like that analogy.
2006-11-12 23:43:41 · answer #1 · answered by quay_grl 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Friend I give you a thumbs up on his question, I may get a thumbs down, but that is OK, Lets read that verse again, & I will explain it as we go. 18:A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Friend, don't let scriptures bother you so much, there is always an answer, This is not talking about a Saved person can not bring forth a unsaved person, nor does it mean that a unsaved person can bring forth a saved person, WE ALL are born into this life with sin, What this verse is saying That a TRUE Christian will not do evil things or deeds, or go against God's True Word & revelation. Remember the verse that says you shall know them by the fruits they bare, & also the same with a unbeliever, they can not bring forth the works of God's spirit, In other words, If you see someone that claims to be a Christian doing things intentionlaly wrong & evil, They are not a Christian, because their spirit has not been changed. A true Christian will always bring forth good Fruits, (DEEDS) & neither can a unbeliever Or Make-believer brings forth Good, Friend this has nothing to do with a offspring, remember we all are born into sin & all have to be born again.
2006-11-13 00:02:44 · answer #2 · answered by birdsflies 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Any time you wish to know the meaning of a verse be sure to read a significant number of versus b4 and after, and if in those versus you find a therefor find out what it is there for.
In this passage the subject is identifying good teachers from those with hidden agendas. If a preachers seems in some way to be doing things (fruits) that smell like evil then beware. He is probably hiding even more.
You can not gather figs from thorns. If your interest is in the truth you will ask questions of a bad preacher that will cause Him to stick a little thorn into you and emotionally you will feel that and then it is time to find a new preacher. Sometimes however when you feel that prick it is conviction and you must learn to tell the differance. A good teacher will patiently show you how to do that, but a good con man can also so read your Bible and know that will help you separate the wheat from the chaff. Remember everyone even teachers need correction sometimes and the guidlines are set out in Mat 18 and the letters to TIM
2006-11-12 23:45:30 · answer #3 · answered by icheeknows 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It simply means that when we really accept Christ into our hearts, ( which is the only way ) we are changed. If we have evil in our hearts, of course we cannot bring forth good fruit. If we change our hearts to good, think good, become good, we then produce good fruit, and the "fruits of the spirit"..
It means people CAN change!
2006-11-12 23:41:50 · answer #4 · answered by JoJoCieCie 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
No, what I get from this is that someone who practices evil and loves evil will and cannot bring good into the world, no matter if it seems that way to us that they might help people they probably doing it for recognition or for some other selfish reasons. God does not destine anyone to hell or heaven - we are all destined to hell because of sin but through the death of Jesus Christ we have a way to change our destiny but it is purely our choice to do so.
2006-11-12 23:34:50 · answer #5 · answered by Damian 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The Fruit of God's Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
You will see these to some degree if someone IS a Christian. They cant help but be this way. A Person who is corrupt will not have these. This is the short version. :)
God wants spiritual fruit not religious nuts.
May GOD richly bless you
2006-11-12 23:48:48 · answer #6 · answered by Bye Bye 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is another attempt by religion to label people. Religion attempts to show people how "evil" they are so that they can be convinced that they need religion to make them better.
This one, however, frequently backfires on them, especially if someone knows an atheist or Muslim or someone else who is a really nice person. That's why it is, imo, important to come out of the closet as an atheist, so the people around you knows that they have good "fruit", also.
Religion tries to amplify the friction between those in the group and those out of the group. Groups frequently try to demonize those outside the group by cherry-picking things the out-group does and convincing the in-group that those people are evil. In fact, nobody is really evil or good. We're always somewhere in-between. We're human. But religion wouldn't survive if it just emphasized the similarities between all of us.
2006-11-12 23:33:00 · answer #7 · answered by nondescript 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
It's not about having good or bad children. It means that if you are to do what is really good, that is, good in God's eyes, you have to be good inside, that is, to have a character formed by God. If you are like this your fruit (what you do and have to show for it) will necessarily be good. And if you don't have this God-given character, you will automatically produce bad fruits, whatever they look like to other humans.
2006-11-12 23:37:49 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
It's warning you of false prophets. To be aware of what looks good, but really isn't. A fruit on a tree might look good by it's appearance, but once you taste of it you find it to be bitter and non-nourishing.
2006-11-13 00:10:12 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It simply means.....a bad person strives to do bad things
and a good person strives to do good..
however a person CAN change........if a bad person "sees the error of his ways and becomes good, he will strive to to good things.
2006-11-12 23:47:20 · answer #10 · answered by kenny p 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋