A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit.
Matthew 7:18 (CSB)
Jesus says “can’t.” A thornbush can’t grow grapes, because it isn’t a grapevine.
Jesus is talking about people. The Bible says every one of us starts out with a sinful heart. A sinful heart can’t please God. Trying harder doesn’t fix a sinful heart. We need a new heart.
Only God can give a new heart. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). To be born again means God makes us new on the inside. We can’t do that for ourselves.
Matthew 7:18 also says, “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit.” Does that mean a real Christian never sins? No. Christians still sin, and the Bible says so (1 John 1:8). Jesus is talking about how a person lives year after year. A person God has made new can’t go on living in sin and not care. Sin bothers that person, and that person turns back to God. So when we sin, we should admit it to God and turn back to Him.
When we sin, we may wonder if God ever made us new. We shouldn’t judge by one bad day. We should look at the direction of our lives. Do we hate our sin? Are we trusting Jesus? Do we want to follow Him? Hating sin, trusting Jesus, and wanting to follow Him are good fruit.
The Bible says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Jesus died for our sins and rose again. Everyone who trusts Him has been made new.