“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 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. 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.”
3:7
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Two groups of religious leaders appeared on the scene. They were a cross between religious and political groups. The Pharisees devoted themselves to the law but they did not match their lives with the law. They were self-righteous. The Sadducees were religious skeptics who rejected the resurrection of the body, angels, and the immortality of the soul. Although these two groups opposed each other, they united against John’s message.
The Pharisees and Sadducees believed that they were routinely eligible to enter the Messiah kingdom because they were the physical sons of Abraham.
John the Baptist spoke to these leaders with exceedingly strong language. His statement about fleeing the wrath to come implied they were headed for God’s wrath. Matthew called them a “brood of vipers” or snakes in the grass. That is not a nice title for leaders! These leaders did not come open to the message but ready to judge its adequacy. They carried religious poison like the offspring of snakes.
3:8
Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
Radical change involves more than religious profession and physical heritage from Abraham. “Repentance” is a change of mind that results in a change of life. Physical heritage is of little importance to God. This must have wounded the Pharisees in particular because they deemed themselves righteous; however, they were self-righteous.
3:9
And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’
Profession of faith is no big deal without attaching a change of life to the profession. These leaders presumed that their physical descent from Abraham was all that was necessary to make them sons of Abraham.
for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
God can save stones as easily as save these religious leaders. Stones appear to be dead, so the religious leaders were dead.
3:10
Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees.
John proclaimed that God was in the process of judging Israel. The “trees” (those people in Israel) were not bearing fruit. Root and fruit go together. It is necessary to have the right kind of tree (root) to bear fruit; otherwise, God would judge Israel.
Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
God would reject Israel if they did not accept the message of the Messiah.
PRINCIPLE:
Religion in itself offers nothing to God.
APPLICATION:
Religion that views itself as intrinsic to itself has no value in God’s eyes. Many people today think that because they are religious they are acceptable to God. No, it is not religion; it is the message that counts. It is the Messiah that saves, not some religious system.
What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone… Ro 9:30-32
Religion seeks to establish its own righteousness rather than rest in the righteousness of Christ.
For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Ro 10:3-4
Thank you for this post I was reminded once again that "religion in itself is nothing to God' God does not want us to be religious but He wants us to live by faith. we are not saved because of good works like the Pharisees and Sadducees but by grace through faith in Christ alone.
Hi Grant Does Matthew 3:8
(Bear fruit in keeping with repentance) mean a true believer will continue to grow in Chrislikeness?
This is a copied and pasted article from gotquestions.org:
(The phrase “godly sorrow” appears only once in Scripture, in 2 Corinthians 7:10–11: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.” Godly sorrow, also translated “godly grief,” is an acute sense of sadness we experience as a result of the sins we have committed.
Paul’s reference to godly sorrow in 2 Corinthians 7 was brought about by the reaction of the Corinthian believers to a previous letter in which Paul rebuked them for the dissentions that were present in the church. Although he was sorry to have to hurt them, he rejoiced that his letter brought them to godly sorrow “as God intended.” Godly sorrow is that which brings the repentance that leads to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:8–9).
Godly sorrow is a kind of wretchedness that can bring the repentant sinner to tears of grief. A good example of this is Peter at the time of Jesus’ arrest and trials. When accused as being one of Jesus’ followers, Peter disowned Jesus by cursing and swearing to his accusers that he did not know the Man. Upon hearing the rooster crow three times, he remembered the words of Jesus, who had prophesied Peter’s very actions, and he went out and wept bitterly (Matthew 26:74–75).
James wrote, “Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom” (James 4:8–9). James is referencing this kind of deep sorrow with his command to “grieve, mourn, and wail.” Such words are reminiscent of the Old Testament prophets’ call for the people to repent, to grieve over their sins, and to sit in sackcloth and ashes.
Another illustration of godly sorrow was shown by David, “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22). David revealed his own godly sorrow for his sins in many of his psalms. In one, he pleads for God’s mercy and cries out: “I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears” (Psalm 6:6). The apostle Paul described his own battles with sin: “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Then he gives the answer: “Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24–25).
Godly sorrow results from a heart-felt conviction that we have offended God by our sin. Such a burning conviction produces in our hearts a godly sorrow. As we look upon Him who was pierced for our sins, we are deeply grieved in spirit. And we resolve within our hearts that we will, with the help of God, “cease to do evil, and learn to do good” (Isaiah 1:16).)
So Grant according to (2 cor 7:10-11) is Godly sorrow leading to Repentance unto salvation- just a conviction of sinning against a holy God that leads to a change of mind that results in the person to put their trust in the cross for the forgiveness of their sins? And what is the worldly sorrow that leads to death? What is easy- believism?
Thank you
Scott, there are couple errors in this article.
First, the occasion of this section of 2 Corinthians 7 is not division among believers but the believer who was sleeping with step-mother (1 Co 5:1f). This is the person that Paul said that the Corinthians should deliver this person over to Satan for physical death that his soul may be saved (1 Co 5:5). At 2 Corinthians 7:12 the text is talking about a “him (singular) who had done the wrong.” The person in 1 Corinthians 5 repented by 2 Corinthians 7.
Second, “salvation” in 2 Corinthians 7 has nothing to do with the salvation of the soul. The direct statement and the general context deals with the church, the salvation of the church from moral corruption. The word “salvation” in the NT simply means deliverance, rescue. The context must determine the meaning. The context in 2 Corinthians is not dealing with salvation but with a church that did not deal with sexual immorality in its midst. Also, there is no Greek word for “leads.” The word “to” means “with a view to.” The idea is that the purpose of the rebuke in 1 Corinthians was with the idea of leading the Corinthians to change their mind about permitting the person who committed this sexual sin to remain unchecked. It was the church that needed repentance (change of mind, μετάνοια) as well as the individual.
Grant great thanks for your help!! Very much appreciated! I kind of thought that the interpretation wasn’t correct. Goodday