FRUIT INSPECTORS
It sounded wrong. The man I spoke with seemed spiritual, but he said something which grabbed my gizzard and gave a twist. Don’t get me wrong, just because someone is spiritual doesn’t mean he won’t make an occasional error in thought. The human part of us is pesky that way!
What he said was “I’m not a fruit inspector.” He implied that it is not his job to check other believers to make sure they are displaying Christian fruits. Turns out he’s half right.
Farm Market. If you think of fruit as you would at a farm market, you’d know what I mean. Farm markets are different from grocery stores. At a farm market you might not find 3 apples the same shape or the same ripeness. Maybe one of them has a scar or a bad spot. Generally the fruit market has fresher fruit. So, at the farm market you DO have to inspect the fruit carefully!
Grocery Store. At the grocery store you look through the plastic bag to see if one is bruised. It doesn’t take much skill. That is not the same as being a fruit inspector.
Funny thing is that the Bible says we will know fellow believers “by their fruit.”
An over-critical gaze at other believers throws us into the “beam in your eye” category. However, you SHOULD be aware of the spiritual gifts and spiritual fruitfulness of others in the Kingdom of God.
Proper Inspection. Therefore, I believe proper “inspection” of a fellow believer is two-fold: a) Fruit/no fruit? b) If fruit, is it good/rotten? For this kind of “inspection” I obviously have the qualifications.
Improper Inspection. Improper “inspection” is dictating the size, shape, ripeness, and “beauty” of said fruit. Honestly, I’m not an expert fruit inspector, but I am not stupid, either. Bad fruit is easily discernible. And an apple should not look or taste like an Osage Orange. Improper inspection is checking to see that every other believer has met MY list of standards.
So…why did my fellow-believer’s statement give me heartburn?
Simply, he was WRONG. It is the “easy way out“ to claim that something easily discernible is “above my pay grade” or “not my God-given job.” We ARE our brothers’ keepers. If their fruit is getting smelly we need to step toward them in love and help them. If they are displaying plastic fruit, we need to confront them, like Paul told the Corinthian church to do with the man “who had his father’s wife.” (That seems easily discernible to me.) So many times in the New Testament churches were told to “watch out for evil doers.” (But “We’re not ‘fruit inspectors’ !”) Yes, we ARE fruit inspectors. We can’t judge a person as “unworthy” and commend them to hell … OR can we? That man at Corinth who had his father’s wife … the leaders of that church were told to kick him out of the church and hand him over to Satan …. (“Oh, My!!!”)
The man who got me started on this kick was wrong, but he also was RIGHT. It is NOT our job to lurk behind doors, with ears to the wall, to find the poor decisions and actions of every believer in our church. That is NOT a spiritual gift. (Look for it, you won’t find it listed.)
If by happenstance, not as a legalistic activity, you find a brother in sin … go to him, expose his sin, and seek to return him spiritually. Don’t go to lord over him, but to be a spiritual guide (yes, you should always be ready to do that).
“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them,” (Matthew 7:16-20).
Bob Russell wrote: “…we should inspect the fruit of others’ lives to determine whether they are authentic followers of Christ or mere pretenders.”
How do you tell authentic followers from pretenders?
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23).
“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” (Col 1:10).
“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:8).
Hmmm! It seems there ARE sensible ways to discern fruit from no fruit, and good fruit from bad! First, work at being authentic yourself (authentic is not the same as perfect). Second, help others to grow in their faith (take responsibility to build others up). Third, expose whatever smells rotten to the owner of the fruit.
We have to practice careful discernment about who we marry, who we hire, who we trust with our money, who we allow to babysit our children, and for whom we vote. We do all that and CAN’T SEE when someone’s fruit is bad?
I’m not a fruit inspector, either, but I know when the fruit is THERE, and I know when the fruit is GOOD. Better, as my brother’s keeper, I am always looking for ways to encourage spiritual development. “How’s it going, brother?”
Copyright 2026 Donald Whelpley
[PLEASE NOTE that Don is always open to discussing the thoughts and opinions he shares here and welcomes comments as shared in the comment section. He doesn’t use other social media platforms and won’t see whatever you’d like to share with him if you post it elsewhere.
ALSO, Don is always open to offer his thoughts on various topics. If you have a specific request, you can let him know in a comment; he reads – and replies to – them all. ~ Sherry]
See more GUEST POSTS from Don
Comments