“Ye shall know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16)
Christians know the Bible says that “many deceivers are entered into the world,” (II John 1:7). They know that the Bible warns that “if any man shall say unto you, lo here is the Christ, or there: believe it not. For there shall arise false Christ’s, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders.” (Matthew 24:23). So how does a Christian test what they hear? What is the touchstone that they can use when ‘trying the spirits’ to see if ‘they are of God?’ How can a Christian be confidant that they have found the truth even when those false prophets are showing ‘great signs and wonders?’
Thankfully, the Holy Bible does give one test that all Christians can turn to. The Bible says that, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.” (Matthew 7:16). This is it. This is the way to tell the difference. You look at the fruit. Of course, this does not mean that the Messiah will have fruits growing from His hair. The Bible also explains what is meant by this fruit when it says, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, and faith.” (Galatians 5:22).
A Christian can now test what he/she finds in the world by this standard. A Christian can now look at the Baha’i Faith and ask, “does this Faith offer the world ‘love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, and faith?’” An honest seeker will see that the Baha’is seek world peace, and the Bible says that “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9). Christians can thus turn to the teachings of Baha’u’llah and see that His message of unity, love, and justice will bring a better world for all. Clearly, Christians can feel safe in assuming that this ‘good fruit’ must be from a good tree, according to the Bible. Therefore, they can begin to investigate knowing that this Faith must be from God.