How is Christian growth illustrated from nature?

Answer 1

In the biblical Hebrew and Greek, the words translated "fruit" have a symbolic sense. All crops are considered "fruit of the earth." Children are called the "fruit of the womb." A man's words are "the fruit of his mouth."

Throughout the Scripture, God often refers to people as fruit trees or grapevines where He is the owner of the orchards or vineyards. God is the Master and knows our character by the 'spiritual fruits' we present just like a tree or vine presents its physical fruits - good or bad:

Matthew 12:33New King James Version (NKJV) A Tree Known by Its Fruit33 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

God is patient and unwilling that anyone should perish. He tells us that directly (see John 3:16) or in parables like this. (Note: if the tree doesn't give fruit it is destroyed in fire. Likewise if we don't repent and are baptized, we face the 2nd death in the Lake of Fire):

Luke 13:6-9New King James Version (NKJV) The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree6 He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'8 But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 And if it bears fruit,well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"

Just like a seed that is planted in the 'womb' of the Earth to begin to grow, we humans too must be implanted or begotten by God's Holy Spirit to begin to grow. As all plants and trees need food and water, so does the newly baptized Christian who must walk after Jesus and study His word - The Bible. If that individual holds fast until the end of this age whether already dead or alive at the time of the 2nd Coming, he/she will be 'born again' in spirit as sons and daughters in the Kingdom of God.