Fruit Never Lies
Jesus gave us a simple but powerful way to discern people:
“You will know them by their fruits.” — Matthew 7:16
Fruit reveals the nature of the tree. No matter how impressive the leaves appear, eventually the fruit tells the truth.
Jesus made this unmistakably clear:
“A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” — Matthew 7:18
This truth matters deeply when we talk about relationships, marriage, and spiritual leadership.
Immature Fruit
Unripe fruit can look appealing, but if eaten too soon, it is bitter, hard and may even cause health issues. It needs to be left alone to mature.
Some people are the same way. They may have potential, but potential is not maturity.
If someone lacks humility, wisdom, self-awareness, emotional and spiritual maturity or has a harden heart, leave the immature fruit on the tree and allow God to do the growing.
It is not a woman’s assignment to force someone else to ripen.
Paul reminds us that singleness is a gift (1 Corinthians 7:7). Marriage should never be entered into because you hope to change someone, feel pity for their past wounds, or believe something is wrong with you simply because you are single.
Would you like it if someone was only with you because they wanted to change you or they felt sorry for you? People must want to change in order to grow.
Sometimes the wisest thing you can do is leave the fruit alone.
Rotten Fruit: When the Tree Is Unhealthy
Sometimes fruit doesn’t just need more time—sometimes it has already gone bad.
Rotten fruit in a person can look like:
Pride
Arrogance
Entitlement
Control
Manipulation
Rage or intimidation
Self-exaltation
Lack of accountability
Gender prejudice or discrimination (includes “gender roles”, degrading women)
Spiritual manipulation and any form of abuse (physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, sexual)
These are not harmless personality flaws. Galatians 5:19–21 identifies hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, and dissensions among the works of the flesh. These behaviors destroy peace in homes and the church and can cause deep emotional and spiritual harm to women and children.
Abuse is not only physical. Constant criticism, belittling, intimidation, control, manipulation, and spiritual abuse can deeply wound the soul and shape the environment children grow up in.
Rotten fruit poisons what grows around it.
A Tree Reveals Its Nature
Someone may call themselves a Christian. They may quote Scripture, attend church, or even hold a leadership position. But religious appearances do not determine the health of the tree.
Fruit does.
Even the devil quoted Scripture, and Scripture warns that Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. Quoting interpretations and inferences that exalt men over women, are therefore not proof that someone represents the character of Christ or truth, as truth sets free.
If a person consistently produces pride, arrogance, discrimination, gender prejudice and segregation also known as gender roles, belittlement, exclusion, control, intimidation, anger, or contempt for women, the tree is telling us something.
Jesus already gave us the test:
“A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.”
Eventually, fruit exposes what appearances try to hide.
When Religion Hides Rotten Fruit
One of the most dangerous forms of rotten fruit is spiritual manipulation and abuse—when Scripture is used not to heal and bring freedom, but to control, limit, silence, segregate, or exclude others.
Jesus confronted this behavior in the religious leaders of His day. They knew Scripture and appeared righteous on the outside, yet their fruit revealed pride, oppression, and hypocrisy.
You cannot hide pride, arrogance, misogyny, or prejudice behind religious phrases like “God’s design,” “male-only authority,” “wives only submit” and “gender roles”. Especially when those doctrines cannot be established from the teachings of Jesus or the first-century Greek text itself. Afterall, we are called Christians - followers of Jesus, His image bearers, His Body, yet so many don’t follow His example and don’t have His character.
Calling control “God’s design” does not make it God's design.
Calling male dominance “biblical authority” does not make it biblical.
Calling the subordination of women “God's order” does not make it God's order.
Calling discrimination and gender segregation “gender roles” does not reveal Jesus’ nature.
The fruit still reveals the tree.
When teachings consistently produce domination, fear, silencing, exclusion, gender prejudice, or the diminishing of people made in God's image, we should examine the tree producing that fruit.
In many places, people are spraying the trees with toxic teachings—ideas rooted in pride, control, and gender prejudice rather than the Spirit of Christ. They can't be abiding in Christ when all they do is discredit and degrade half of His body. When the roots are poisoned, the tree becomes unhealthy, and eventually its fruit becomes rotten.
It should not surprise us when teachings built on domination instead of humility, division instead of oneness in the Body, and partiality instead of impartiality produce unhealthy marriages, wounded families, and damaged faith.
Bad doctrine eventually produces bad fruit.
What Does Good Fruit Look Like?
Galatians 5:22–23 gives us a completely different picture:
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
These qualities create safety in relationships.
A healthy man produces:
Love instead of domination (love and control cannot co-exist, they are from different spiritual dominions)
Gentleness instead of intimidation
Empowerment instead of limiting
Honor instead of demeaning
Humility instead of pride
Self-control instead of rage, lasciviousness, or lust
Kindness instead of constant criticism or belittlement
Shared responsibilities and yielding to one another’s strengths and spiritual gifts instead of gender role discrimination
A Christlike man does not need to control women or cherry-pick interpretations of Scripture to elevate himself above them so he can feel “in charge.”
He understands that Jesus is the only Head of His Body, and both male and female believers comprise that Body - the Church. Christ calls and empowers His followers to make disciples, set captives free, tear down strongholds of evil, and advance His Kingdom.
Healthy trees bring life.
Abiding in Christ Produces Christlike Character
Jesus explained where good fruit comes from:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him bears much fruit.” — John 15:5
If someone truly abides in Christ, their character should increasingly reflect Him.
Scripture also says:
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” — Ephesians 5:21
Mutual submission is connected to reverence for Christ.
Those who continually refuse humility, mutual respect, and mutual submission—especially toward their wives—should examine whether their behavior reflects reverence for Christ or for reverence for self.
When His daughters are degraded, discredited, excluded, silenced, or limited simply because they are female, members of Christ's own Body are being diminished which means Christ is being diminished.
Jesus has all authority, and believers together are His Body. His authority works through His whole Body—not merely half of it. It is not merely half His body that is called to lead.
Nowhere does Jesus command husbands to rule their wives or establish male authority over women as the governing structure of His Kingdom.
For more on this, see my blogs at Mighty4Jesus.com:
“10 Reasons Why Kephalē—Head Cannot Mean Leader”
and
“Wives Only Submit? The Real Meaning of Hupotassō in First-Century Greek.”
Wisdom for Relationships
The lesson of the fruit gives us practical wisdom:
Leave immature fruit on the tree to ripen.
Leave rotten fruit alone.
Choose relationships where the fruit CONSISTENTLY reflects the Spirit of God.
It is far better to remain single and emotionally and spiritually healthy than to live in a home filled with fear, anxiety, discrimination, control, or abuse. And abuse does not have to be physical. Emotional and spiritual abuse does leave deep and lasting wounds on women and children.
I discuss this more fully in my book, Let My Women Go! Expanded version coming soon!
God's original design was for male and female to govern together (Genesis 1:26–29). Healthy relationships produce peace, safety, oneness, mutual honor and mutuality in Christ—there is no hierarchy, contempt, gender segregation (aka gender roles), or harm when people are in Christ.
Co-leadership or male and female governing together is not difficult when pride, arrogance, and self-centeredness are crucified. Humility and confidence has no problem letting others or their wife lead where she is more spiritually gifted, strong, knowledgeable, and anointed.
Marriage is not about who gets to be in charge. Jesus is to have first place in all things (Colossians 1:18).
It should be about loving one another, sharing responsibilities, and doing what is best for the marriage and family together. After all, Scripture says: “Two are better than one.” — Ecclesiastes 4:9
A Final Word
Jesus didn't tell us to judge a tree by its title, position, religious language, or claims of authority.
He said:
Look at the fruit.
Words can deceive. Appearances can impress. Selective interpretations may have an agenda of power and control, and therefore be misused.
But fruit tells the truth.
Look for those who demonstrate love, humility, gentleness, and self-control—those who set the captives free, lift up the marginalized, and bring freedom to the oppressed, just as Jesus did.
And beware of those whose fruit is control, intimidation, pride, gender prejudice, gender segregation - gender roles, discrimination, discrediting women’s leadership in the Bible, oppression, and contempt—and then attempt to sanctify that rotten fruit by calling it “biblical” or “God’s design.” Religious labels do not turn bad fruit into good fruit. “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light…who deprive the innocent of their rights” (Is. 5:20-23).
You are not responsible for fixing a bad tree.
Choose good fruit.
Because Jesus already told us:
“Every tree is known by its own fruit.” — Luke 6:44
Please share so others may know the truth that sets free
Be free to be mighty for Jesus.
In freedom and might,
Jeannette
Facebook: Let My Women Go!
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