From the first tree to the True Vine.
Have you ever wondered why the bible talks so much about sowing and growing?
using imagery of plants, seeds, vines, pruning, etc…
Jesus says He is “The true vine”
Paul describes “fruit of the Spirit.”
Faith is called a mustard seed.
Our hearts are like soil.
And we are told, “you will know them by their fruits.”
This isn’t just poetic language. It’s one of the clearest, most powerful ways God helps us understand who we are and who we’re becoming.
God often uses sowing and growing imagery for our faith because even faith itself is described as a seed — small, unseen at first, but powerful when planted in the right soil. Plants grow gradually, and just like faith, growth is not instant—it’s organic, daily, and requires care. Plants are also dependent on the source; a plant needs water, light, and pruning to survive, just like we need Christ to thrive spiritually. Plants’ roots are also invisible to others, just like faith is often hidden inside us, like roots underground—but it still nourishes everything we do. Fruit shows what kind of tree it is. Just like actions show what kind of person we are (Matthew 7:16), fruit is the evidence of the life inside.
“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed…” (Matthew 17:20)
“The seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart…” (Luke 8:15)
Genesis: The First Tree and the First Fruit.
In the very beginning, God placed Adam and Eve in a garden overflowing with life; they had everything they needed: Beauty, Purpose, and Intimacy with God. At the center of the garden stood two trees: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God gave them every freedom except one
“Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, or you will surely die.”
(Genesis 2:17).
But the serpent whispered lies. “You won’t die,” he said. “You’ll be like God.”
Eve looked at the fruit. It was beautiful. Desirable. Promising.
She took a bite, and Adam followed.
And in that moment, sin entered the world.
This impact wasn’t about just eating the wrong thing; this was humanity’s way of saying, We want to define good and evil ourselves.
This was the first visible evidence of sin. Something that looked good on the outside, yet it led to separation, shame, and death. Since then, all humanity has grown from the same cursed soil, rooted in rebellion, drawing life from self, pride, and desire. Eating it showed what was already forming in the heart: mistrust of God, desire for independence, and selfish ambition. Our hearts, by Nature, are rooted in that same brokenness that Adam and Eve had.
This is where the story becomes personal.
Romans 5:12 — “Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all people.”
We are born into this fallen nature. You could say we are like trees growing from bad soil — the curse of sin. That’s why, left to ourselves, we continue to grow bad fruit (anger, pride, lust, selfishness) — because our roots are corrupted.
The Root Problem
Now, continue to imagine yourself as a tree. If your roots are in the same old ground — the world, your flesh, sin — you might try to pluck off your bad fruit (your sin). Maybe it’s anger. Maybe it’s gossip. Maybe it’s lust, pride, or insecurity. You pull it off, throw it away, and promise to do better.
But in time… another bad fruit grows.
Why?
Because you never changed the root.
You are still planted in the same ground.
This is what Scripture means when it says
“a bad tree cannot bear good fruit” (Matthew 7:18).
You can try all you want to stop the sin, but if the desire is still in your heart, it will come back. You need more than testing your own self-control. You need new soil. New roots. A new heart.
This is where Jesus comes in with the most beautiful, redeeming truth.
Where Adam brought death through a tree, Jesus brought life from another tree. The cross.
He is called the Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45) because He reversed what the first one broke. He didn’t just prune our sin — He uprooted it. He didn’t just offer a better way — He became the True Vine, the source of eternal life. In that way, Adam’s tree brought death, while Christ’s tree brings life.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener… No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine”
(John 15:1, 4).
Jesus is telling us that you don’t have to grow fruit on your own, you don’t have to force transformation, you just need to be connected to Me.
When your roots are in Jesus, everything changes. You’re no longer feeding off the world’s lies — you’re nourished by His truth. You don’t live in fear — you live by faith. You don’t produce sin — you produce fruit of the Spirit.
Now, when you place your faith in Christ, you are no longer rooted in Adam. (rooted in the human nature of sin) You are rooted under Christ, the True Vine. Your roots are in righteousness, and your fruit begins to change (Galatians 5:22–23). The heart is no longer hardened (Ezekiel 36:26), and your desire for sin is uprooted.
This is why trying to “pluck off bad fruit” (sin) without being replanted in the heart of Christ doesn’t work. You’ll just grow more of the same bad fruit.
What Are You Rooted In?
You can spend your whole life trying to manage your sin — plucking off the bad fruit — but if your desires remain the same, it will grow back.
Real change doesn’t happen when you try harder. It happens when you are made new.
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you…” (Ezekiel 36:26)
So today, ask yourself: Am I rooted in Christ — the True Vine? Am I producing fruit that reveals His Spirit in me? Or am I still living off the old tree — the one that started in the garden?
-Miss Glow in Grace
Art inspired by Emmzonn.
