Matthew 7:16-23; By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many [c]mighty works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
According to the Word of God, there is a vast difference between being a Christian and being a Disciple of Jesus Christ. You can be a child of God, saved and on your way to heaven and be a nominal Christian. Ultimately, only God the Father knows who is truly saved and who is lost, but the Bible teaches that you shall know them by their fruit.
We do not need to be fruit inspectors. I would not encourage that at all. I would encourage you to ask yourself this question, “What can I say or do to encourage others in their salvation or lead them to salvation?” This is how a true Disciple thinks, and this is what a true Disciple does.
There is a vast difference between a person who is simply a Christian and a person who is a true Disciple. As a Christian you are saved, so you can be saved and on your way to heaven, but not be a Disciple of Jesus Christ, but what you can’t do is you can’t be a Disciple and not be saved.
