n into the fire" is clearly a reference to hell. Sadducees did not believe in hell and may have scoffed at John's warning, but the Pharisees had good reason to be shaking in their sandals. Moreover, John emphasized the urgency of his message by indicating that "the axe is laid to the root of the trees." In other words, an unbeliever has no idea when he will be cut down. Many people seem to think they will live forever, or that they can wait to repent when they get older. Yet John's message is that we do not know the future, and that our lives could end at any moment. An unbeliever has no idea when his life will be "cut down", and it will be too late for bearing fruit.

A Few Questions Answered

The main point of this passage is that a Christian who does not show evidence of change is no Christian at all. If an unbeliever who is living with someone in an unholy relationship chooses to follow Christ, yet remains in this unholy relationship, that person's salvation ought to be questioned.

In a town near to where I live, a man was in the process of building a strip club when he was saved. As a result of meeting Christ, he transformed his strip club into a center for Christian learning. Had he continued to build and then operate a strip club while claiming to be a follower of Christ, his salvation would have certainly been questionable. Yet this man backed up his claims of faith with action that gave evidence of an authentic change in his heart.

As you evaluate your life, consider yourself a fruit inspector. It is by objectively seeking evidence of your faith that you can receive assurance of your salvation. Perhaps answering a few common questions might help:

QUESTION 1: If I am to examine my life for spiritual fruit, what is it I should be looking for?

Our passage answers this question by urging us to bear fruit "in keeping with repentance." In other words, when you are inspecting your life for true signs of salvation, look for evidence that there has been an authentic change in your attitudes and actions since you've met Christ. As you are growing as a Christian, can you identify tell-tale signs that you truly are being transformed into the image of Christ? Is hatred being replaced with love? Self-centeredness with God-centeredness? Unforgiveness with forgiveness? Impatience with patience? Abrasiveness with gentleness? Cowardice with boldness? Pride with humility? These are the kinds of fruits you should look for.

Allow me to offer you one warning as you begin to examine your life for spiritual fruit. Have you ever bitten into a ripe, juicy apple only to find that it was rotten inside? You may have heard this joke before:

"What's worse than finding a worm in your apple?" "Finding half a worm."

As you examine the fruit of salvation in your life, do not look primarily at the external actions, but at the internal motivations. Just like an apple can look good on the outside and be rotten on the inside, so a person can have many "good works" and yet still be evil inside.

Take Tony for example. Tony contributed to his church's missions offering this past December. He is quick to point to his contribution to missions as evidence that he has experienced an authentic change. "I would never have given money to a missions offering before I was saved," he says.

Instead of looking at the external action, however, Tony needs to examine why he gave to the offering. What motivated him to give? Did he feel that it was his duty as a member of his church to give? Was he reluctant to give? Did he give all that God was calling him to give? By asking these questions, Tony will discover whether he is truly bearing the fruits of love and generosity, or selfishness and pride.

Remember, no one could point to more religiosity and "good works" than the Pharisees. Their failure was that they failed to examine their lives to see that their fruit looked good on the outside, but was filled with worms within. In examining your life, look for authentic transformati

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