Matthew 3:8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
Matthew 3:9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
Matthew 3:10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

John the Baptist was on fire. He was lighting up the desert with a message all of Israel was curious about. Some came out to see this rebel out of curiosity, some out of a severe hunger for authenticity, some to confess their sins to get right with God, some even thinking John was the coming Savior.

And there were some in Israel who came out to condemn him, to question his right to preach and baptize, to dissuade those who were listening to him. In this particular passage, John was confronting “many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism”

It is interesting that there is no record of these men speaking against John at this time. Open rejection would come from the leaders of Israel, but the text only speaks of their presence in the crowds. And of John’s judgement on these men.

The relationship these men had with God is the question for the topic of conditional security. We know after multiple teachings of both John and Jesus that these men needed repentance and to trust the Savior instead of their bloodlines and religion.

But at this time, both John and the Pharissees/Sadducees had the assumption of these leaders possessing salvation, an assumption that these men were in covenant with God. The crowds listening in must have taken a collective inhale when John hurled this claim at the religious “cream of the crop” in Israel.

Some may consider John’s message as a message to the nation, and not a message to the individual. I heartily agree, for the nation was on the edge of judgement, with the Savior at the door, ready to provide salvation. Rejection would not be an acceptable outcome for anyone!

Yet, John speaks in the personal.

You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

The term “you” is the second person singular in this verse. (It is not “y’all” or “all y’all” as we say in Texas to include more than a single person in the group!) John was addressing the individual. And he was speaking of a judgement that was imminent.

A judgement that was imminent due to bad fruit. Or possibly John intended to be understood as claiming they had no fruit. Either way, these men who understood they were right with God were not right with God.

Does this address the security of the New Testament believer? Not directly. There are many conditions that are different between them and us.

But there is one condition that is ever true for the people of God. We are to bear good fruit. A life that mimic s the Saviors, a life of giving, of self sacrifice, or holiness and love towards those who are our enemies.

As I am driving the highways of Texas, I often listen to the “Message” paraphrase Bible. I have settled in the early chapters of Matthew for that last few weeks. A theme becomes evident from the words of Jesus that echoes John’s message of good fruit required from the life of the believer. Jesus is letting us know that He expects good fruit.

5:13  Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.

5:20 Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won’t know the first thing about entering the kingdom.

5:29 Let’s not pretend this is easier than it really is. If you want to live a morally pure life, here’s what you have to do: You have to blind your right eye the moment you catch it in a lustful leer. You have to choose to live one-eyed or else be dumped on a moral trash pile.

Faith in the Messiah includes repentance from a life of no fruit. John spoke to the religious folks of the day, waking them up to the basis of their trust. Trusting in bloodlines and religiosity offends the True God and His Messiah. He is looking for hearts that are malleable, able to take in truth without an argument, willing to be taught, and willing to obey.

For the Pharisees and Sudducees of John’s day, the axe was at the root of the tree. Nowhere did John describe the tree as dead. The tree was alive. The reason for the axe?

It was not producing good fruit. And judgement was about to fall.

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