In the Garden of Eden, God placed a tree and called it the tree of life. That tree was Christ.
When Proverbs 11:30 says
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
it isn’t speaking of Christ directly, but it is alluding to the spirit of Christ. The FRUIT of the righteous is a tree of life, or is like the tree of life. In other words, the fruit of the spirit listed in Galatians 5: 22-23 are exhibited by those who live by the indwelling spirit of the risen Christ. It’s the only way we mortals can bear that fruit.
The second half of this verse alludes to winning souls. In some Evangelical circles, “winning souls” is the highest good. These groups take the Great Commission and blow it up to be the most important task of the church. The truth is, winning souls is a byproduct of the fruit of the spirit. Those who are living by the indwelling spirit of the risen Lord Jesus Christ can’t help but spread the word about His gracious beauty. And it will be infectious.
Yes, in that regard, winning souls is wise. But it’s wise because it’s done in the spirit of the One who is both wise and righteous. Legalistic outreach is a path to death.
Is your evangelism motivated by a love of Jesus or a fear that others might go to hell?