THE UNDERGROUND SECRET TO OVERGROUND FRUIT

If you’ve been following this series, you already know my satire: Because nothing says “mature discipleship” like duct-taped joy and plastic patience zip-tied to dead bark.

Blog #5 (“Stop Stapling Fruit to a Dead Tree”) was about values—the underground decisions that quietly determine what a church (and a Christian) will actually do when nobody is watching. This blog (#6) is the sequel: not “What do the roots believe?” but “What do the roots absorb?”

Because healthy roots aren’t just committed. They’re receptive. They don’t manufacture nutrients; they take in what the soil provides. And in the Christian Character Tree framework, the Beatitudes function like a root system—eight “root postures” that position us to receive the “supplements” Peter lists in 2 Peter 1:3-7.

And just to be clear, I am writing from a grace-first sanctification, Scripture as final authority, and virtue language that serves discipleship–not moralism perspective. What I don’t want to imply is that you and I are somehow responsible for generating the “fruit of the Spirit”(Galatians 5:23). After all, it is called “the fruit of the Spirit” not “the fruit of our effort.” Neither do I want to come across as promoting some kind of religious moralism. Adhering to a certain code of moral behavior is not the end result of what the LORD is looking for. That would just breed self-righteousness or despair, and we don’t want either of those delivered by Amazon or by anyone else to our front door.  

The soil matters before the supplements

Before we talk about supplements, let’s do a little review.  Remember Peter’s assumption: you’re planted in real soil.

In my tree framework, the soil is the Transcendentals—the True, the Good, and the Beautiful—objective realities grounded in God, not vibes grounded in our mood.  If you try to grow character in the shifting sand of cultural relativism, the tree will topple (probably while posting inspirational quotes).

That matters because the Beatitudes are not “cute attitudes.” They are the way a soul stays planted in reality. For example:

• Poor in spirit is truth about my need.

• Hunger for righteousness is goodness as more than preference.

• Peacemaking is beauty’s cousin—harmony, unity, wholeness.

When the soil is true, good, and beautiful, the roots know what counts as nourishment.

Why the Beatitudes can work as a root system

A root system does three big things: anchors, absorbs, and transports.

• It anchors the tree so storms don’t uproot it.

• It absorbs water and minerals the tree can’t produce.

• It transports nourishment upward so fruit is organic—not stapled.

Now look at Jesus’ Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3–10). They aren’t a list of spiritual achievements. They are the posture of a life open to the kingdom—small enough to receive, honest enough to repent, hungry enough to keep seeking, steady enough to endure.

One helpful way to say it: the Beatitudes don’t read like “do these things to get blessed.” They read like “God’s kingdom has come near even to people the world calls unblessable.”¹ That is root logic.

And that’s exactly how this Character Tree maps it: Beatitudes as root postures, Peter’s list serves as nutrients/supplements for growth, and the Spirit’s fruit as what naturally grows when the plumbing is working.

Peter starts with God’s supply, not your hustle

Peter’s growth plan begins with a sentence that crushes religious self-improvement:

God’s divine power “has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” and has given “precious and very great promises” (2 Pet. 1:3–4, ESV). Before you “supplement” anything, God supplies everything you need. This is so HUGE! Take a moment to ponder this. If what you are considering involves anything to do with life (zoe´, the eternal kind of life) and godliness (eusebeia, the appropriate beliefs and practices about God and for God), you are gifted with it already. 

Then comes that hot phrase: “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet. 1:4). This does not mean humans become God by nature or essence. Rather, it means we are invited to participate in God’s life by grace — sharing in His divine energies while never becoming identical to His divine essence.

Are you getting this? Peter is not saying we become gods. He’s saying God shares his moral life with us—his character, his holiness—so we begin to look like our Father through Christ and the Spirit.² We become like Christ in our character. As we align to the nature of God we are able to be conduits for the flow of His power. Power that is always enough should also be regulated by character. 

So Peter’s order is:

Gift → Posture → Practice → Fruit → Assurance.

God supplies. Roots receive. Branches grow. Fruit appears.

That’s why the Beatitudes matter: they keep your soul open to what God is actually giving.

Why this posture matters in the Christian life

We all love virtue growth until it costs us.

We want love, but not enemies.

We want peace, but not conflict.

We want self-control, but also seconds.

We want steadfastness… with an exit clause.

The Beatitudes are gatekeeper roots because they force you into reality before you try to run on strength. For example: “Poor in spirit” is spiritual bankruptcy—no swagger, no pretending, no “God is lucky to have me.” That posture matters because you can’t absorb grace while clutching your own righteousness like a Kohl's coupon.

And each Beatitude does something similar: it bends the heart low enough to receive. It keeps sanctification from becoming performance. Without them, we may gain what the culture and even the religious culture is offering (junk food at best), but miss what God is really trying to give us so that we may really know Him, not just try to be something for Him. 

As the Apostle Paul wrote: “⁸…For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— ¹⁰that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” (Philippians 3:8–11, ESV)

This is why it is important to have all the beatitude roots in good shape. If any are not absorbing as they should, you will be deficient in that area. 

Which supplements are absorbed by which roots?

Here’s the absorption map straight from the Tree framework:

1. Poor in spirit → absorbs faith

2. Those who mourn → absorbs virtue (moral excellence)

3. The meek → absorbs knowledge

4. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness → absorbs self-control

5. The merciful → absorbs steadfastness

6. The pure in heart → absorbs godliness

7. The peacemakers → absorbs brotherly affection

8. The persecuted for righteousness → absorbs love

Now, let’s put some flesh on those bones (apologies for adding another metaphor)—what each root posture does as it absorbs its nutrient (supplement),  what happens when it’s closed, and how it nourishes the virtues.

Root 1: Poor in spirit → Faith

Admitting spiritual bankruptcy is the only way to draw up grace. Faith grows best in a soul that has stopped negotiating with God.

When this root is closed, faith becomes either (a) optimism with Bible verses, or (b) anxiety with Bible verses. When it’s open, faith becomes settled dependence.

Virtue nourishment: faith is the foundational theological virtue, and it also opens the hinge of prudence (wisdom), because humility is how wisdom starts.  “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.” (Proverbs 11:2, ESV)

Root 2: Those who mourn → Virtue (moral excellence)

We grow in moral excellence when we truly grieve the ugliness of sin. Mourning turns “I got caught” into “I was wrong.” That grief is not despair; it’s spiritual honesty.

When this root is closed, virtue turns performative—image management. When it’s open, virtue becomes integrity.

Virtue nourishment: virtue (moral excellence) strengthens justice (a real concern for right and wrong), and it strengthens hope because comfort comes from God, not denial.

Root 3: The meek → Knowledge

Only a submissive heart can receive knowledge without arrogance. Meekness is strength under God’s authority, which means you can learn without constantly defending your ego.

When this root is closed, knowledge becomes ammunition. When it’s open, knowledge becomes wisdom.

Virtue nourishment: knowledge feeds prudence—knowing what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and why you should do it.

Root 4: Hunger for righteousness → Self-control

You only control lower appetites if you have a superior hunger for God. Self-control isn’t mainly about saying “no.” It’s about wanting a better “yes.”

When this root is closed, self-control becomes white-knuckle religion. When it’s open, self-control becomes a trained desire.

Virtue nourishment: this is temperance—the ability to enjoy good things without worshiping them.

Root 5: The merciful → Steadfastness

Practicing constant forgiveness builds the muscle of enduring compassion. Mercy is not a mood; it’s a habit. And habits require endurance.

When this root is closed, mercy turns into cynicism (“I tried being kind once—never again”). When it’s open, mercy becomes resilient.

Virtue nourishment: this is fortitude in everyday clothes—steadfastness that keeps obeying when obedience isn’t interesting.

Root 6: Pure in heart → Godliness

Purity is singleness of focus—practicing God’s presence. A divided heart can do religious activity for years and still be spiritually hollow.

When this root is closed, godliness becomes a stage persona. When it’s open, godliness becomes a life oriented toward God—public and private.

Virtue nourishment: godliness stabilizes justice (giving God his due) and prudence (because double-minded plans collapse).

Root 7: The peacemakers → Brotherly affection

Peacemaking exhibits kindness and reconciliation. Peacemaking isn’t “keeping the peace” by avoiding hard conversations; it’s doing the hard work that makes peace possible. Peace is a healing and a harmony, not an absence of strife. The dead don’t argue. (Ecclesiastes 9:6)

When this root is closed, brotherly affection becomes tribal (“kind to our people, cold to everyone else”). When it’s open, brotherly affection becomes family love.

Virtue nourishment: it strengthens justice (giving others dignity) and temperance (restraining the ego that loves a fight).

Root 8: The persecuted → Love

Enduring suffering for Jesus is the ultimate test of sacrificial love. It’s easy to love when the sun is shining; it takes deep roots to love when the world is burning you down.

When this root is closed, love becomes approval-addicted. When it’s open, love becomes cruciform—shaped like the cross.

Virtue nourishment: love is the theological summit, and it fuels fortitude (courage under fire). God always responds to love, for it is what He is. (1 John 4:7-8) It gives us courage in the face of fear,  knowing that whatever may happen or not happen it will be because God has made it so out of love. 

Why this makes a difference in the Cardinal and Theological virtues

My framework distinguishes cardinal virtues (the trunk) from theological virtues (branches). 

• Cardinal virtues are “cardinal” because everything hinges on them (Latin cardo, hinge): prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude.³ This is why in the images you see a small hinge in the “virtue nourishment” box.

• Theological virtues are “theological” because they originate in God and aim at God: faith, hope, love—and in the classical tradition they are “divinely infused.”⁴

Now notice Peter’s chain: it starts with faith and climaxes in love (theological bookends). In between are hinge-strengtheners:

• Knowledge feeds prudence.

• Virtue and godliness feed justice.

• Self-control feeds temperance.

• Steadfastness feeds fortitude.

When the Beatitude roots are open, the hinges stop squeaking and the gifts stop getting treated like personality traits.

Or, as one famous line from a devil’s correspondence in the Screwtape Letters puts it: “Courage [fortitude] is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”⁵ When the virtues are stretched and tested and taken as far as one can go, if any such as “Love” or “Justice” bends to danger, it will be only love or justice under certain conditions. As Lewis quipped, “Pilate was merciful till it became risky.”⁶ 

Beatitudes keep effort from becoming earning

Here’s where Baptists and many evangelicals often get tangled: Peter says “make every effort” (2 Pet. 1:5), while we insist salvation is by grace.

A better framing (and a necessary one): grace kills earning, not effort. “Grace is not opposed to effort… it is opposed to earning.”⁷

And the Beatitudes keep your effort from turning into earning:

• Poor in spirit keeps effort humble.

• Mourning keeps effort repentant.

• Meekness keeps effort teachable.

• Hunger keeps effort, well…hungry, not performative.

• Mercy keeps effort relational.

• Purity keeps effort undivided.

• Peacemaking keeps effort communal.

• Persecution keeps effort resilient.

Without this posture, you can “do Christian things” and still be spiritually dehydrated, which makes us dizzy and gives us all a headache. 

But not all soil is easy all the time. There are droughts. God has a purpose for this as well. 

The dark-soil passages: trials as pressure on the root system

Scripture is consistent: trials aren’t a glitch; they’re a tool.

• Suffering produces endurance, character, and hope (Rom. 5:3–5).

• Trials produce steadfastness and maturity (Jas. 1:2–4).

• Tested faith becomes more precious than gold (1 Pet. 1:6–7).

• God strengthens believers for endurance and patience with joy (Col. 1:9–14).

Trials press on the root system. When the soil gets hard, roots either go deeper or dry out. The Beatitudes are the posture that keeps roots open in hard soil.

Two pictures to keep in your pocket

A lizard that turns into a stallion

In a grey-town allegory, a man’s cherished sin is pictured as a whispering lizard. When he finally consents for it to be killed, the lizard is transfigured into a strong, glorious creature—desire redeemed rather than merely managed.⁸ That’s what Peter’s supplements are for: not just restraint, but transformation.

Travel bread in a wasteland

In a long-road epic, weary travelers survive a nightmare journey on a small, unimpressive provision that gives strength far beyond its appearance.⁹ Peter’s list often feels like that: knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, brotherly affection. Not flashy. But sustaining. The kind of nutrition you notice most when the road is long.

A quick word to churches

Individuals have roots. Churches do too.

A church that refuses poverty of spirit will become proud in spreadsheets.

A church that won’t mourn will become an expert at PR spin.

A church that won’t make peace will become addicted to outrage.

A church that refuses persecution will trade faithfulness for applause.

If you want Spirit fruit, keep the roots open.

Conclusion: Do not fake your fruit—open your roots

If your Christian life feels unfruitful, the worst thing you can do is scream at the branches or decorate them with fake fruit.

Fruit is not produced by scolding. Fruit is produced by life (zoe´–the God kind of life).

So don’t just “try harder.” Try deeper.

Open your roots: let Jesus name your posture, let Peter name your nutrients, let the Spirit grow your fruit.

Because the goal isn’t a decorated dead tree.

The goal is a living one.

Endnotes

¹Willard, Dallas. The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God. Harper, 1997. pp.99-102. 

²GotQuestions.org, “How do we participate in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4)?” https://www.gotquestions.org/participate-in-the-divine-nature.html 

³Kreeft, Peter. Back to Virtue: Traditional Moral Wisdom for Modern Moral Confusion. Ignatius Press, 1992, p. 59.

⁴Ibid, p. 71.

⁵Lewis, C. S. The Screwtape Letters. HarperOne, 2001, p. 161.

⁶Ibid, p.162.

⁷Willard, Dallas. The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’s Essential Teachings on Discipleship. HarperOne, 2007, 61.

⁸Lewis, C. S. The Great Divorce: A Dream. HarperOne, 2001, p. 111.

⁹Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings Illustrated. William Morrow, 2021. pp.369-370. For those who do not have this volume, it is found in book 2, chapter 8 of The Fellowship of the Ring.