Fruits Meet for Repentance

What Does "Fruits Meet for Repentance" Actually Mean?

The phrase fruits meet for repentance does not prove that you have to repent of your sins to be saved.

The Bible reads in Matthew 3:7–8: "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance." People use that phrase to say, see, John the Baptist was looking for a changed life before he would baptise someone. But that does not really make sense given the context, because John the Baptist baptised people who newly believed over and over again without waiting around to see a changed life first.

The reason he responds this way specifically to the Pharisees and Sadducees is because these are false prophets. It would be like if a Buddhist monk showed up to church wanting to get baptised. You would immediately have a huge question mark in your head — wait a minute, what are you doing here? Do you actually believe on Christ? What do you believe about salvation? You would not just automatically baptise them the way you would with someone who has just heard and believed the gospel. You would want to know whether they have actually changed their mind about what saves them, because their entire background is a competing false religion.

That is what is happening in Matthew 3. John is not telling believers they need to demonstrate a changed life before they can be baptised. He is questioning the Pharisees and Sadducees because their showing up is suspicious — they are the religious leaders who have been actively opposing the truth. Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance is a challenge to show that they have actually changed their minds, not a requirement for all believers to prove a transformed lifestyle before salvation or baptism is extended to them.

This phrase does not prove that you have to repent of your sins to be saved.

Pastor Matthew Stucky