GOOD trEE vs BAD trEE: Part #2: What makes a trEE GOOD?

Does the good fruit of a tree make the tree good?
hmm... Does the apple fruit make its tree an apple tree?

Of course not!

The fruit does not determine the nature of the tree. The fruit only exposes the nature of the tree for what it is.

A tree is an apple tree because it IS an apple tree, by its very nature!!
But because it IS an apple tree, therefore, it bears apple fruit according to its nature! Apple fruit borne on the tree confirms the fact that it is an apple tree.

A tree is a GOOD tree because it IS a GOOD tree, by its very nature!!
But because it IS a GOOD tree, therefore, it bears good fruit according to its nature! Good fruit borne on the tree confirms the fact that the tree is a GOOD.

Can a lemon tree become an apple tree?
Can a BAD tree become a GOOD tree?

YES! By changing its very nature!

Unless a BAD trEE is transformed  from its old, BAD nature, and to take on a drastically different but new, GOOD nature, otherwise, a BAD trEE is always a BAD trEE that cannot bear good fruit because it is not a GOOD trEE by nature. Bad fruit borne on the tree confirm that it is a bad tree.

Can a BAD trEE change its very nature on its own to take on the nature of a GOOD trEE? NO! Because it can't!

Identifying myself as the BAD trEE and realizing that I cannot bear good fruit  by my own effort (such as self-disciplining or will power) is the most significant epiphany in life! 

Any Change of nature requires divine intervention!

The nature of a BAD trEE can only be transformed by the Maker of trees.

If a lemon tree has been genetically transformed into an apple tree, Without a doubt that it is the most extraordinary news that will end up in headline news on CNN!

GOOD trEE in Jesus' parable is spirit by nature and is born of the Spirit.
BAD trEE in Jesus' parable is flesh by nature and is born of the flesh. 
[John 3:6]

So when a BAD trEE is transformed (a.k.a. born again) into a GOOD trEE, it is a REAL BIG DEAL and headline news in God's kingdom, no doubt!

GOOD trEE vs BAD trEE: Part #1 spiritual algebra

Just to make my point as a binnie: the Book of Life is FULL of binaries.
Jesus talked in terms of binaries.

The good tree and bad tree is Jesus' profound parable of binary. It is obvious that Jesus did not leave things grey by using words like "kinda good" or "kinda bad". "Kinda" is a vocabulary for greyies. But He DID clearly say, without a doubt, GOOD or BAD and not use words like "kinda". I think Jesus disallow us to sit on the fence when it comes to Defining The Relationship (DTR) with Him. If we yield our lives to Christ in order to become His disciples (a.k.a. of Christ, or Christian), He has to be the Lord of our entire life. There is no room for wishy washy "kinda of Lord" but not really Lord. Jesus' DTR says people of such "kinda" mindset regarding His Lordship are NOT HIS, by definition.

check out the original text from Matthew 7:15-23
check out the original text from Luke 6:43-49

GOOD TREE bears good fruit. GOOD TREE does not bear bad fruit.

By the very nature of a GOOD TREE, good is stored up in its heart.

BAD TREE bears bad fruit. BAD TREE does not bear good fruit.
By the very nature of a BAD TREE, bad is stored up in its heart.

From what is stored up and overflowing from the heart, we speak and act.
Each and every tree is recognized by its fruit.

Tree not bearing good fruit are cut down and thrown into fire.
                                                                From Jesus Christ's parable

Jesus gave this parable to His followers (aka disciples, or Christians) as a spiritual-meter:

#1: to test the authenticity of His follower's own relationship with Him (as in Luke 6)

#2: to discern counterfeit Jesus followers from among His real followers (as in Matthew 7) 

Spiritual Algebra Exercise #1:
Let GOOD = Apple
Let BAD = Lemon

GOOD <Apple> TREE bears good <Apple>fruit.
GOOD <Apple> TREE does not bear bad <Lemon> fruit.

          

BAD <Lemon> TREE bears bad <Lemon>fruit.
BAD <Lemon> TREE does not bear good  <Apple> fruit.
Each and every tree is recognized by its fruit.

Spiritual Algebra Exercise #2:
Let TREE = Life
Let FRUIT = Outcome of life

GOOD TREE <Life> bears good fruit <Outcome>.
GOOD TREE <Life> does not bear bad fruit <Outcome>.

By the very nature of a GOOD TREE <Life>,
good is stored up in its heart.

BAD TREE <Life> bears bad fruit <Outcome>.
BAD TREE <Life> does not bear good fruit <Outcome>.
By the very nature of a BAD TREE <Life>,
bad is stored up in its heart.

From what is stored up and overflowing from the heart, we speak and act.
Each and every tree <Life> is recognized by its fruit <Outcome>.

Tree <Life> not bearing good fruit fire.<Outcome> are cut down and thrown into

Spiritual Algebra Exercise #3:
Let TREE = Life
Let FRUIT = Outcome of life
Let "GOOD" = Christian (Defn: Life owned by Christ, or 'of Christ')
      "good" = adj: "Christ like"; noun: "Christ like things"
Let "BAD" = Fleshy (Defn: Life by the Flesh)
      "bad" = adj: "Of the flesh"; noun: "things of the flesh"

GOOD TREE <Christian> <Life> bears good fruit <Christ like><Outcome>.
GOOD TREE <Christian><Life> does not bear bad fruit
        <of the flesh><Outcome>.

By the very nature of a GOOD TREE <Christian><Life>,
good <Christ like things> is <are> stored up in its heart.

BAD TREE <Fleshy><Life> bears bad fruit <of the flesh><Outcome>.
BAD TREE <Fleshy><Life> does not bear good fruit
        <Christ like><Outcome>.
By the very nature of a BAD TREE <Fleshy><Life>,
bad <things of the flesh> is <are> stored up in its heart.

From what is stored up and overflowing from the heart, we speak and act.
Each and every tree <Life> is recognized by its fruit <Outcome>.

Tree <Life> not bearing good fruit <Christ like><Outcome> are cut down and thrown into fire.

haRLo woRLd

My pen name is Binnie Bin. My choice of this name should give a hint of the realm of my system and my approach to life. I operate my life from a realm of binaries. I called all of the like minds from this realm "binnies". In this realm, there are only zero-s or one-s; right or wrong. Matters in this realm are only black or white.  

                     
This makes my life very simple. When I do right, there is a sense of freedom from worries, because, given time, the natural laws will do their job to ensure a good outcome. So I don't have to worry. When I do wrong, there is a sense of expectency of bad outcome, so when the natural laws catch up in time to do their job, I know that I get what I expectedly deserve. If there is grace in the situation, I treat it as a pleasant surprise which I do not count on. Therefore, in the same token, there is no need to worry. This worry-free simplicity makes life stress free and easy. In this realm of binaries, there is no need for me to lose any night of sleep over anything.

However, in this real world that I have no choice but to live in, I find very few binnies. Most people in the real world operate from a realm of grey. I called them "greyies". I don't know if I will ever adapt well in this real world. To me, grey matters are created because greyies really desire the wrong deep deep down in their hearts but yet they still want to look some what right in the eyes of others. Also, they need some means to ease their own conscience that can be at times haunting. So they spend a lot of effort to make matters grey by disintegrating the realm of binaries and mix black with white such that wrongs do not look so wrong but look kind of right. Such effort can be mentally exhausting, especially for the rookie greyies. Such process is also very time consuming as it requires a lot of skills and time to rationalize away the black and justify with the white without looking obvious.

Grey matters really complicate life and create stress. It is stressful because as always, there is the fear that the black in the grey will be exposed to make the greyies look bad in front of others. Grey matters cannot stop the working of natural laws and greyies always have to stress over when the consequence of the black elements in the grey will catchup with them one day. Their conscience may also remind them of this reality from time to time and therefore adding to the stress.

However, the benefit of grey matters is too great and tempting for the greyies to ignore. Only in the realm of Grey that greyies can allow themselves to get to the closest they can get to the side of wrong, or actually being right in the midst of the black, without actually and obviously being labelled wrong but still look presentably right. Grey matters are also convenient defusers of issues, conflicts and confrontations, which can be very threatening to greyies, and want to find easy ways out at all cost. 

I created this blog to capture the progress in life as a binnie in this real world. As one can guess, it's expected to be eventful.