Read Matthew 13:24-31

²⁴Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.²⁵But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.²⁶When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

²⁷“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

²⁸” ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

²⁹” ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. ³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”

Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and went into the house.
His disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
He answered and said unto them (read Matthew 13: 37-43):

   “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,

   The field is the world;

   And the good seed, these are the children of the kingdom;

   And the tares are the children of the evil one.

   The enemy who sowed them is the devil.

   The harvest is the end of the world,

   And the reapers are angels.

As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire;
so will it be at the end of this age.  The Son of Man will send out his angels,
and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling,
and those who do iniquity, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.
There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”  

We must not be deceived to presume that all the members of the church are children of God (the church is like an hospital, we have sick people and healthy people together). We must also understand that it is not so easy to identify or distinguish between children of God and children of the devil when they are still in infancy. It becomes easier to distinguish them when they grow to maturity and bring forth fruits. Matthew 7: 20 says “Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” Here Christ is teaching that people should not think that if one is a member of a church, such a person must be a child of God. Christ is not the only one sowing seed, the Devil, or the Spirits of Darkness, are always present with man, watching and laboring to destroy the good seed of the kingdom. While Christ sows the living word of God, the devil sows lies. If you respond properly to the Word of God, you become a son of God. But if you respond to the devil instead, you become a son of the devil. These are the two classes of people in the church, these kinds are distinct. No half weed, or half wheat, hybrids, the bible says in 1John 5:12 “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” You are either one or the other.

Apostle Paul, disturbed at the behavior of Corinthians, even questioned them:

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you– unless, of course, you fail the test?” 2Cor 13:5

And how do you test or examine yourself ? By examining the outworking of your faith. “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.”1John 3:9,10

Although, the distinctions may be subtle now, they will be clear in the judgment. A weed may be growing next to a stalk of wheat and think it has a common destiny with the wheat. But its end is destruction in hell fire. The weed is also harmful to the wheat, its roots trying to starve the wheat from its source. False brethren can even become leaders or ordained ministers and bring much harm to the maturity of the believers. In his final farewell, Paul speaks to the elders of the church at Ephesus. In Acts 20: 29-30 he said: “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.”

So let us not be too deceived about assuming who is saved. But then again let us not be too skeptical about others, and pass judgment as to who is not saved.

Prayer: God help me to always examine the outworking of my faith, to ensure I am always in You and that the Holy Spirit dwells in me all the time. Help me to love the brethren. Give me strength to obey Your Words and accept Your counsels, so that I will be justified at the end of my days.