Matthew 7:15-20New King James Version (NKJV)
You Will Know Them by Their Fruits
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Jesus quoted specifically about prophets but this verse is also the universal quote for recognizing real and fake believers which i suppose makes sense as it fits that area perfectly.
But many believe that only God knows the heart and so we cannot say who is saved or not and that is true I can easily see how that makes sense, however there is also a part of me that disagrees with it. The scriptures also specifically say to test all spirits and discernment of spirits is a spiritual gift as well. Maybe i am wrong in thinking this but I am not comfortable just saying only god knows the heart. What does everyone have to say about this?