Matthew 12:33-35
(33) Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
(34) O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
(35) A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
What are the Fruit of a Good Tree?
In the Tanakh (OT) and in the Christian scriptures (NT), we find "FRUIT" being equated with Righteousness or Good Works. Righteousness and thus sin are defined by the Torah (1 John 3:4). In other words: if a = b and b = c, then a = c; hence, if Sin is Lawlessness, and Lawlessness is disobedience to the Torah, then Sin is Torahlessness. It really is that simple.
Psalm 72:3 The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.
Isaiah 32:17 The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.
Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.
Amos 6:12 Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow there with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness.
Matthew 3:8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
2 Corinthians 9:10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
Ephesians 5:9 for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth.
Colossians 1:10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
The above passages should lead one to see Torah and Torah works as something good and special, not something evil or something to be despised or something only "Judaizers" would persuade you to practice. Even Christians can non-legalistically embrace a Torah lifestyle without having to recross or revisit the issue of "salvation" continually. For example, every time you stop your car at a red light, obeying the Law to do so, do you reevaluate your "salvation"? No, but stopping at a red light may deliver you and others from an untimely death. So likewise, once you've received Messiah as your Redeemer, move on in The WAY of Messiah (His Way was/is Torah and He was/is the Living Torah). Yet, you probably already know that everyone makes mistakes and misunderstandings abound, but that is how we all learn and grow... or rather, that is how we learn to grow FRUIT.
Shalom Aleikhem,
Hanok
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