There is a sobering honesty in the words of Jesus, and a faithful echo of that same honesty in the letters of Paul. Neither speaks of salvation as a static moment frozen in time, nor as a licence to remain unchanged. Salvation, as Scripture presents it, is living, active and fruit-bearing.

Jesus speaks plainly. He warns that trees without fruit are cut down, that forgiveness withheld invites judgment, and that only those who do the will of the Father enter the Kingdom. Paul, far from softening these words, reinforces them. He calls believers to walk worthy, to put to death the deeds of the flesh, and to continue in faith lest they be cut off. The harmony between their voices is unmistakable.

Working out your salvation is not about earning what Christ has freely given. The Greek word katergazomai carries the sense of bringing something to its full effect, allowing what God has planted to fully work itself into every part of you, to mature and be made visible. Salvation is received by grace, yet it is revealed through transformation. Grace is not proven by profession, but by fruit. A life truly united with Christ cannot remain unchanged, just as a healthy tree cannot help but bear fruit.

This is where the comfort of the “once saved, always saved” idea begins to crumble under Scripture’s own weight. Not because salvation is fragile, or God is unfaithful, but because the covenant is living and always calls for response. Jesus never taught a grace that tolerates rebellion. Paul never preached a faith that excuses persistent disobedience. Both proclaim a grace that trains us to deny ungodliness and to live upright lives before God.

There are moments when Scripture does not merely comfort, it confronts. This is one of them.

The words of Jesus and the letters of Paul refuse to be softened into a comfortable faith that leaves us unchanged. They speak with one voice, not of fear-based striving, but of covenant faithfulness that bears visible fruit. Salvation is not a moment frozen in time; it is a living work that reshapes the heart, the habits and the direction of a life.

There is a holy severity in this warning, and it is spoken in love. Jesus does not address leaves, appearances, or religious language. He speaks to roots. An axe laid to the root is not about cosmetic change; it is about decisive transformation. What feeds the tree determines the fruit it bears.

Paul echoes this same truth, not as a contradiction of grace, but as its rightful outworking. When he urges believers to work out their salvation, he is not adding effort to redemption, he is calling for alignment with it. The Greek katergazomai means to bring something to its full and proper result. Salvation received by grace must be expressed through obedience and change.

The axe at the root is not cruelty. It is mercy. God does not merely prune behaviour, He addresses what feeds it. The lust of the flesh, the pride of life, the stubborn refusal to forgive, these are roots, not symptoms. Transformation requires repentance that goes deep enough to change what grows.

The axe at the root confronts the lie that behaviour does not matter. It declares that repentance must reach deeper than habit, deeper than coping strategies, deeper than religious language. God is after what sustains the sin, not merely what displays it.

Grace does not negotiate with the flesh. It crucifies it. The fruit of the Spirit is not optional proof of faith; it is the inevitable evidence of a life abiding in Christ. Growth takes time, yet living trees grow. Where there is no fruit, Scripture offers warning, not reassurance.

Paul never overrides Jesus. He upholds Him. Obedience does not earn salvation, but salvation that remains alive will always transform. The axe is mercy, because God refuses to leave us rooted in what destroys us.

Fruit is not instantaneous. Growth takes time. Yet a living tree will grow. The fruit of the Spirit is not optional evidence; it is the natural outcome of abiding in Christ. Where there is no fruit, Scripture offers no comfort in empty assurance. Instead, it offers a loving warning: return, repent, and remain.

Jesus warned that fruitlessness ends in judgment. Paul warned that persistent disobedience excludes inheritance. These are not different gospels. They are the same covenant voice, spoken through different servants.

Jesus and Paul preach the same covenant. One gospel. One call. Grace that saves also sanctifies. Faith that lives also obeys. Salvation that is real will always be visible over time.

We will be known by our fruit. (Matthew 7:16)