Reaping What We Sow

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

(Galatians 6:7-8 ESV) 

While we live in these bodies of flesh, our sinful nature will remain a part of us. And they will lure us continually to do those things that are contrary to the will of God. They will lure us, they will entice us, into sin.

At the same time, the Spirit of God lives within us. And he leads us continually to do those things that are pleasing to God. He leads us, and he empowers us, to serve and glorify God.

That being said, many of us, who profess faith in Christ, live for the desires of the flesh. The will of God doesn’t seem to matter to us in the least. Although we have been given a new life through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we continue to live in the old. Our lives remain unchanged as we seek only to satisfy our carnal desires.

In the midst of his instructions to us, on caring for our brothers and sisters in Christ, Paul gives to us a warning. And he begins by saying that God is not mocked. What he means by this is that God cannot and will not be treated with contempt.

I think this is something that many of us fail to realize. By living in sin, by living in unrepentance, we are, quite literally, treating God with contempt. We are thumbing our nose at him while we fully expect his salvation.

However, as Paul goes on to say, whatever we sow, that will we reap. If we sow to the flesh, if we live for the flesh, we’ll reap corruption. If we live under the power and direction of the flesh, we’ll reap destruction. And this, of course, refers to judgment.

This, you see, is the consequence of sin. And while none of us can live perfectly this side of eternity, we cannot live in sin. We cannot live in unrepentance. As Christ has redeemed us from sin, we can remain in it no longer.

However, if we sow to the Spirit, if we live for the Lord, we’ll reap from the Spirit eternal life. If we live under the power and direction of the Spirit of God, we’ll receive salvation. The Spirit of God will bestow upon us the salvation accomplished by Christ Jesus.

This isn’t to say that we’re saved by our own efforts. This is in no way contrary to the gospel. Our salvation is his work, and his work alone. And anything and everything we do for the Lord is the result of God’s grace.

But, if we truly trust in Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and if we trust in his sacrifice for eternal life, we cannot and will not live in sin. As we receive his salvation, we turn from the desires of the flesh. As we receive his deliverance, we leave behind the lusts of our sinful nature.