In modern language, God is saying, “Let your tree show the evidence of your inner change.” Fruit refers both to outward behavior and inner attitudes. We cannot change ourselves without the Holy Spirit’s work of regeneration. Once He has begun to renew us from within, we can cooperate by obeying His commandments. The Greek word for regeneration, palingenesia, means “to be born again.” The evidence of any birth is subsequent life. If we have experienced regeneration, we have new life from God and this is apparent in the way we live. By testing the fruit of our character, people can tell what our root truly is: sin or God.  

 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour” (Tit. 3:5, 6). 

 “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. … Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them “(Matt. 7:18, 20). 

 It means the opposite of religious self-righteousness: knowledge of the need for change. 

The Pharisees and Sadducees came to John’s baptism because everyone was doing it. It was the fad of the day. But they did not understand the spiritual significance of John’s baptism; it was another outward form like everything else they did. John was calling their attention to the fact that this was something real; if it didn’t touch the inner life, they had completely missed it. This lesson still speaks today. It is so much easier to go through a ceremony than to admit that a deeper need exists. 

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham “(Matt. 3:7-9). 

 The Jewish leaders were hindered from experiencing genuine repentance because they based their confidence on secondhand religion. 

It is the opposite of idolatry and materialism.

The Jews were not the only ones who had trouble with repentance. The Gentiles had made their own gods to worship. Sometimes they worshipped idols in the religious sense of ceremonies, offerings, etc. Sometimes they merely exalted the values of this world to take the place of God: money, status, education, military power, etc. But whichever way they did it, they filled their lives with something other than God, and thus deceived themselves. 

“Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance” (Acts 26:19, 20). 

 It is the opposite of works to merit God’s favor.

We can do nothing to earn God’s favor; He is already offering this to us freely by grace. As long as we are still working for our salvation in any sense, true repentance eludes us. We must allow God to make us aware of our bankruptcy and inability to please Him-we call this awareness “poverty of spirit.” Dead men can only produce dead works. Our works may impress other men, but until we are drawing from God as our source, all we do is only “dead works.” 

“For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death “(Rom. 7:5)