The Holy Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him (Second century)
Romans 4:4-12; Matthew 7:15-21
Apostles’ Fast.
Read Matthew 7:15-21
Jesus’ warning is just as relevant to us today as it was to the disciples who heard it from His lips. We are told to “beware of false prophets” since not everybody is who they seem to be. There are plenty of people in the world who are convinced that they spread the message of Jesus, but in fact, they manipulate His words to suit their own will or reflect their own misinformed ideas about Who God is. For this reason, it is important for us to be united to the Church which has faithfully passed down Jesus’ teachings through the apostles. However, unfortunately, there are even some in the Church who distort Christ’s message whether knowingly or out of ignorance. We need to be prudent and look at the “fruits” produced by such people. Do their teachings and actions glorify God or glorify themselves? Do their teachings and actions lead to clarity and unity or confusion and disunity among believers? Do they challenge people to grow in holiness and produce good fruit or do they encourage sin and drive people away from Christ? Of course, we must also be introspective and ask ourselves these same questions. Have we ourselves ever acted as a “false prophet,” spreading our own opinions instead of Christ’s actual teachings?
The closing verse of today’s passage is very sobering. Christ tells us that not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven. It is not enough that we acknowledge the fact that Jesus is Lord. Even the demons understand that. False prophets might alter the teachings of orthodox Christianity to align with their own will, but we must constantly seek and do the will of our heavenly Father.