Just what is a Tare, can they repent, can they change? What happens to Tares? How do you respond when you learn that someone you know is a Tare in the church or in the family unit?

A tare (zizanion) was a darnel weed prevalent in the Palestine biome that is largely indistinguishable from wheat until it matures and bears fruit. Opposite of the taste of wheat, in the end the tares are choking, bitter, and inedible. Jesus’ use of the word and the picture it evoked in an agrarian-based culture provided a powerful metaphor—as it does today!

Remember that even the most faithful believers can be used by Satan, if they are not careful. When Jesus told His disciples that He must suffer many things, Peter protested and denied that would happen. Mat 16:21–24 Jesus said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan!" Jesus knew that Peter wasn't Satan, but He made it clear that Peter was being influenced by Satan.

In addition to misguided believers, some people are Satan’s outright partners who are determined to cause chaos and turmoil in the believer's life. Jesus refers to them as tares. Scripture reveals that sometimes aggressive people are not true believers —even though they say they are. In reality, they are agents of Satan who have a goal of robbing you of your joy and sidetracking you in your calling. Eph 6:12 "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, [but]…against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." So you must beware!

Numerous NT passages identify "some believers" in the church —even in leadership positions as being other than who they profess to be. Coming to an objective realization of this fact and an understanding of how to properly respond to them is a mark of your spiritual maturity. Jude 1:12 calls these folks "…hidden reefs in your love feasts [within the church but not of the church]." As a believer, do you wonder why your knees get skinned up when you swim through the seas of life with certain "so called believers?"

Every believer needs to be alert to the prevalence of false believers among the truly redeemed of God. In Jesus’ parable of the tares Mat 13:24-30 (CEV) "Jesus then told them this story: The kingdom of heaven is like what happened when a farmer scattered good seed in a field. But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and scattered weed seeds in the field and then left. When the plants came up and began to ripen, the farmer's servants could see the weeds. The servants came and asked, 'Sir, didn't you scatter good seed in your field? Where did these weeds come from?' 'An enemy did this,' he replied. His servants then asked, 'Do you want us to go out and pull up the weeds?' 'No!' he answered. 'You might also pull up the wheat. Leave the weeds alone until harvest time. Then I'll tell my workers to gather the weeds and tie them up and burn them. But I'll have them store the wheat in my barn.' " Our Savior teaches that tares will be sown in with the wheat, a tactic of the enemy which contains largely indivisible consequences until the day of judgment.

Tares are disguised in the beginning (such as Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-10), they begin to overtake the wheat plants, as they mature. They blossom into false leaders from first being incognito, such as in Rev 2:1-2 (CEV) "This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Ephesus: I am the one who holds the seven stars in my right hand, and I walk among the seven gold lamp stands. Listen to what I say. I know everything you have done, including your hard work and how you have endured. I know you won't put up with anyone who is evil. When some people pretended to be apostles, you tested them and found out that they were liars."

Take notice of these stages of tare maturation in each of nine characteristics of tares that follow. You should not only have an awareness and intellectual understanding of this phenomenon, but a heartfelt conviction about this ploy of the Devil; and how one should deal with the inevitability of tares. Mat 7:15-20 (CEV) "Watch out for false prophets! They dress up like sheep, but inside they are wolves who have come to attack you. You can tell what they are by what they do. No one picks grapes or figs from thorn bushes. A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. Every tree that produces bad fruit will be chopped down and burned. You can tell who the false prophets are by their deeds."

1. Tares Break Laws

The principle of Matthew 7:15 is: "…You will know them by their fruits." We only need to taste the flavor of a tare to realize it is not wheat. If someone claims to be a believer yet consistently takes license with man's and God’s laws and breaks them without any remorse, every biblical reason exists to doubt the sincerity his or her profession of faith. Such unlawful actions are not commensurate with the indwelling Holy Spirit in the life of a true believer.

2. Tares Pretend

The principle of Acts 5 Tares mimic the wheat as closely as possible before blooming in order to outwardly appear similar and gain a following.

3. Tares Have an Air of Moral Superiority

2 Cor 11 shows it is their attempts to disguise themselves, they have no understanding of the concept of grace. Tares often project moral superiority and lack basic kindness.

4. Tares are Legalistic

Gal 1 is akin to the three previous evidences above, tares have a legalistic (versus grace) paradigm of how one has salvation When quizzed, they relying on their own good works. They possess an a (licentiousness) orthodox (legalism).

5. Tares Possess an Improper Emphasis

Eph 6 is: Tares fight the wrong battles and possess no real interest in changing the hearts of people through the love of Christ. They do not understand the gospel; nor are they interested in discipleship!

6. Tares are Sensual

2 Pet 1 shows: That tares are often sexually out of control in their private, if not public life. This identifier always comes out with time.

7. Tares Claim to Be Sinless

1 John reveals: Tares are not humble about their personal sin; they deny it. They are never wrong. The Gnostics described in 1 John possessed a holier-than-thou attitude; accordingly, latent "sinlessness" acts as an identifying moniker of a tare. Are they ever humble in their demeanor? Do they ever admit they make mistakes?

8. Tares are Controlling and Accusatory

The point of 3 John is: Tares tend to seek control of others and are unrelenting in their false accusations of true believers. In their slander, they bring about divisiveness. You need to stay away from power-hungry, overly controlling people.

9. Tares Wear Self-Imposed Labels

The point of Rev 2:2 is you need to have the courage to call out fake spiritual leaders. Be neither impressed nor intimidated by their self-titling or fancy garb. In your mind, those trappings should only serve to indicate their pride and their sense of self-importance. In reality, they are nothing but tares!

Lastly, are you a tare? Are these previous descriptive characteristics indicative of you? 2 Cor 13:5 "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; prove your own selves. Don't you of your own selves know that Jesus Christ is in you? Otherwise, you are reprobates." Examine your heart on this matter. There are some in office who say that they are spiritually mature while they attend only tare-led groups and avoid genuine in-depth Bible Studies where the Word of God is regularly taught with accuracy. Search your heart and ask the Holy Spirit if your actions might be those if a tare.

God doesn't call genuine believers to the throne of grace and then have them refrain from fellowship and ask them to be independent of one another. Doing so is in direct conflict with Hebrew 10:25 "Not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." Don't be like those who strut like a peacock, proclaiming to be mature believers. While at the same time they are avoiding assembling together with other believers that God has called. Sabbath assembly is essential and keeping the sabbath is a Commandment.

In fact not associating with others in the body of Christ —harms Christ's witness to the world. John 17:23: "I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me." It is Christ's witness through us that is essential and foundational to unsaved people seeing our examples and coming to Christ! By forsaking your assembly with other believers, you are hindering the powerful witness for Christ that we could be having here!

When you fail to associate in unity with other genuine believers, via fellowship, prayer, and serious Bible Study on a regular basis you are breaking God's commandment to assemble. Either you are spiritually mature and in fellowship with other genuine believers, or you are spiritually immature because you forsake such assembly. A genuine true believer can't have it both ways! Those whom the Bible designates as having "spiritual maturity" are those who are obedient to Hebrews 10:25 and John 17:23!

Galatians 5:19–21 lists characteristics that are in opposition to the fruits of the Spirit. Accordingly, familiarity with this passage greatly aids one in discerning the existence of tares "….immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissension's, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these…" Tares manifest these works of evil and dark deeds while at the same time verbally stating words to the effect that they "….are the ones who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus –Revelation 14:12." when they are not saints of God, nor ever shall be, because they are of Satan's seed –John 8:44. Tares may claim that they are "Christians." For further understanding, read our study "Saints or Christians - Who are the True Believers?"

For an in depth understanding of tares read our study "In Depth Study of Tares."

Read the study "Weeds in God's Garden" for another view of tares and evil battles.