Jesus gave us the absolute rule to determine whether a doctrine is true or not. He said that we would know the false teacher by his fruits, that a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit (Matthew 7:15-20). Jesus here urges us to look at the effects of someone's teaching in the lives of those who accept his teaching. And we have no problem knowing what is good and bad fruit from God's perspective. We have but to read Galatians 5:19-23 to get the idea.

When questioned about what I believe and teach, I simply point to the results. A few years ago I interviewed a number of college students whose lives had been dramatically and radically changed by coming to understand the doctrines of grace. Since then the number has grown exponentially, so that I would not begin to have the time to interview them all. I hope that we can do some interviews of this type on our "Living Water" radio broadcast, for these testimonies speak volumes.

Paul said in Romans 14:17 that the kingdom of God is not about arguing over personal convictions but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Good fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are precisely the results of understanding deep in one's heart the personal love God has for us. I have yet to see someone reach true comprehension of the doctrines of God's gracious love without seeing overflowing gratitude, humbling reverence, awe, wonder, zeal, and excitement. The comprehension of sovereign grace puts one on a spiritual high from which he shall never descend.

Further, rather than grace teaching one that he may sin freely and with impunity, understanding God's love provides the motivation for a godly life; for who can spurn such love? And when we realize that there is nothing good in us, and nothing in which we can boast, pride goes, and humility is inevitable.

Granted, there are those who profess knowledge of the doctrines of grace who do not manifest good fruit. We cannot judge another's heart and the reality of their faith. I can only speak from my personal experience in sharing what I believe with others, and their testimony overwhelms me again and again, and leaves me with no doubt at all that what I teach is true, for it produces in the people with whom I share it the same glorious effect that we can see in early Christians. We must be teaching the same gospel!