Section 4
prompted you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce then fruits worthy of your repentance, and do not begin to say among yourselves, We have Abraham for our father, for I tell you that God is able out of these stones to raise up chil dren to Abraham. And already also the axe is laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire." "Brood of vipers" in verse 7 equals "children of the Devil" in 1 John 3:10.
In verse 8 John the Baptist told the people that God was able to raise up children to Abraham out of the stones. Due to the impenitence of the Jews, both this word and the word in verse 9 have been fulfilled. God has cut them off and raised up the believing Gentiles to be children unto Abraham in faith (Rom. 11:15, 19-20, 22; Gal. 3:7, 28-29). This also indicates that the kingdom of God is constituted not of children of Abraham by birth, but of children of Abraham by faith.
In verse 9 John says that every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and cast into the fire. This fire is the fire in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15), where the unbelievers will suffer eternal perdition.
In 3:10-14 we have a record of John's word to the crowds, to the tax collectors, and to some