M-G: 11.17.10 // The Proof of True Repentance, Matthew 3:8,

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One claiming to be an apple tree will bear apples, yes? That's the core truth of what happens when Jesus enters the heart. "Worthy" (Gk, axios, of equal weight) carries the idea of a balance scale. On the one side of the pan is repentance and on the other pan are our fruits. Our fruits are to be of equal weight (or "worthy") of our repentance, ounce for ounce, pound for pound. If the pan of repentance is resting on the bottom, it indicates there has been no genuine repentance because there is nothing in the pan of fruits! 

A faithless or fruitless faith is evidence that the heart was never spiritually regenerated; Jesus never entered the heart. A fruit-bearing faith will have the look, feel, taste, smell, and weight of repentance (cf. Gal 5:22-23; Mt 7:20).

 James, Jesus' half-brother, boldly stated,

"[you, added] show me your faith without your works [fruits, added], and I will show you my faith by my works [fruits, added] (Jas 2:18). James makes a terse statement about a fruitless faith, "... faith without works is dead" (Jas 2:20)! Another way of saying it is,

"You say you are an apple tree, but we see no apples! I will show you I'm an apple tree by my apples! An apple tree without apples is good as dead." The proof of true repentance is in the fruit. If we claim to be an apple tree, let's show the world our apples! <><