A Tree and Its Fruit

^15 (A)“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ^(B)ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will recognize them ^(C)by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ So, ^(D)every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. ^19 (E)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus you will recognize them ^(F)by their fruits.

A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit

^33 (A)“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, ^(B)for the tree is known by its fruit. ^34 (C)You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, ^(D)when you are evil? ^(E)For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. ^35 (F)The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. ³⁶ I tell you, ^(G)on the day of judgment ^(H)people will give account for ^(I)every careless word they speak, ³⁷ for ^(J)by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

A Tree and Its Fruit

⁴³ “For ^(A)no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, ⁴⁴ for ^(B)each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. ^45 (C)The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces ^(D)evil, ^(E)for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

³ And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we ^(A)keep his commandments. ⁴ Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments ^(B)is a liar, and ^(C)the truth is not in him, ⁵ but whoever ^(D)keeps his word, in him truly ^(E)the love of God is perfected. ^(F)By this we may know that we are in him: ⁶ whoever says he ^(G)abides in him ^(H)ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

⁹ Whoever says he is in the light and ^(A)hates his brother is still in darkness. ¹⁰ Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him^[a] there is no ^(B)cause for stumbling. ¹¹ But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and ^(C)walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Do Not Love the World

^15 (A)Do not love the world or the things in the world. ^(B)If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—^(C)the desires of the flesh and ^(D)the desires of the eyes and pride of life^[a]—is not from the Father but is from the world. ¹⁷ And ^(E)the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

⁶ No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; ^(A)no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. ⁷ Little children, ^(B)let no one deceive you. ^(C)Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. ^8 (D)Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was ^(E)to destroy the works of the devil. ^9 (F)No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's^[a] seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. ¹⁰ By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, ^(G)nor is the one who ^(H)does not love his brother.

^15 (A)Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that ^(B)no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

^8 (A)Anyone who does not love does not know God, because ^(B)God is love.