While John the Baptist was preaching in the wilderness in Judea, a group of Saducees and Pharisees traveled to see this popular teacher for themselves. Addressing them directly, he asked why they had come, wryly attributing to them a wiser motive than curiosity: “Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” he inquired. Then, he explained to them what was required of a person who wanted to be baptized: “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” (Matthew 3:7-8).
The word “fruits” or “fruit” refers to the result of our efforts. “Meet” means “appropriate.” So John was challenging them to do something to demonstrate that they were repentant. I like how some translations of the Bible paraphrase this concept to make its meaning clearer:
- “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God” (New Living Translation).
- “Do those things that will show that you have turned from your sins” (Good News Translation).
- “Do something to show you have really given up your sins.” (Contemporary English Version).
I like the focus on action. Repentance isn’t just eliminating impurities from our lives. It means turning our thoughts and our actions toward God. As President Russell M. Nelson taught in the most recent general conference, true repentance leads to positive action:
