Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
If you have really turned from your sins to God, produce fruit that will prove it!
Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance.
Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance:
Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.
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Luke 3:8
Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to [our] father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. -
Acts 26:20
But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and [then] to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. -
2 Peter 1:4
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. -
2 Peter 1:8
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. -
Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, -
Galatians 5:23
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. -
Ephesians 5:9
(For the fruit of the Spirit [is] in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Context of Matthew 3:8
This powerful command comes from John the Baptist, who was preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, calling people to repentance and baptizing them in the Jordan River. His message was direct and uncompromising, especially for the religious leaders of his day.
Just before this verse, John confronts a group of Pharisees and Sadducees who came to his baptism, calling them a "generation of vipers" (Matthew 3:7). They likely believed their lineage as Abraham's descendants guaranteed their favor with God, but John swiftly disabused them of this notion. He demanded not just a ritual, but a fundamental change of heart demonstrated through actions.
Key Themes and Messages
Linguistic Insights
The KJV phrase "fruits meet for repentance" is particularly insightful:
Practical Application
Matthew 3:8 continues to be a crucial challenge for believers today: