Luke 6:44

44 for every tree is known by its own fruit, for figs are not gathered from thorns, nor grapes vintaged from a bramble.

Luke 6:44 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 6:44

For every tree is known by its own fruit
Good and bad preachers are known by their doctrines, the one being agreeable, the other disagreeable to the word of God; and good and bad men are known by their lives and conversations: the grace of God revealed to good men, and wrought in them, teaches them to live soberly, righteously, and godly; a holy life is the fruit of grace, and an evidence of it; and the wickedness that is in the heart of unregenerate men, and even the hypocrisy of formal professors, will show themselves in the common and ordinary course of their conversations:

for of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather
they grapes;
nor can they be expected from them: and no more can an unregenerate man perform good works, or bring forth: fruits of righteousness acceptable unto God; for these require a knowledge of his will, obedience to it, a principle of grace, love to God, faith in Christ, and a view to the glory of God; all which are wanting in such a person.

Luke 6:44 In-Context

42 or how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, allow [me], I will cast out the mote that is in thine eye, thyself not seeing the beam that is in thine eye? Hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine eye, and then thou shalt see clear to cast out the mote which is in the eye of thy brother.

43 For there is no good tree which produces corrupt fruit, nor a corrupt tree which produces good fruit;

44 for every tree is known by its own fruit, for figs are not gathered from thorns, nor grapes vintaged from a bramble.

45 The good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, brings forth good; and the wicked [man] out of the wicked, brings forth what is wicked: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say?

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit. 'they shall give:' in ver. 44, 'they gather not' and 'they vintage not.' An example of Luke's use of the third person active of a verb impersonally with a passive sense. Also chs. 12.20; 14.35; 16.4,9; 23.31.