Galatians 6:7-10
"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith," Galatians 6:7-10. "Be not deceived" in verse 7 is the Greek word "planao" and means to (cause to) roam (from safety, truth, or virtue):- go astray, deceive, err, seduce, wander, be out of the way. This Greek word is used 39 times in the New Testament. Twenty four times it is defined as deceive. "And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?" Mark 12:24. We live during a time when people do not know the Scriptures. The result is that the people err. People roam from the safety of the Scriptures. They go astray, which makes them easy targets for the false teachers. Since they do not know the Scriptures, they do not know who God is. People end up getting their theology from t-shirts, bumper stickers, or cliché's. One of the results is that they are not grounded in the Scriptures which means they are tossed too and fro with every wind of doctrine. They are never settled, and they end up guessing on how to live the Christian life. The God of the bible is unknown to them. An unknown God can neither be trusted, served, or worshipped.
"Be not deceived" is a present imperative which is a command to do something in the future and involves continuous or repeated action. The Galatians had allowed themselves to be deceived and Paul is commanding them not to be deceived, and continue to not be deceived. The only way to do this is to be grounded in the Scriptures. To be grounded in the Scriptures takes much time and effort. "And further, by these my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." Ecclesiastes 12:12-13. Our flesh is so wicked and lazy that we would rather someone tell us what to believe than to take the time to study for ourselves. This brings us to the question, what kind of life are you living? Are you guessing on how God would have you live, or are you sure how God would have you live? These questions can only be answered with Scripture in context. God has given us Scripture. We have no excuse to guess.
This command to not be deceived is for us also. When we put what God has given us on the back burner, we are saying that the Scriptures are not good enough. When we do this, we are mocking God. To mock God is to make mouths at, i.e. ridicule:- mock. Some of the most popular preachers in the world today are those who are motivational speakers. They use very little if any Scripture, and it is never in context. Their focus is on looking to self, not God. They are making a mockery of the ministry, but, we can be rest assured that God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Sowing and reaping is a law. What you sow is what you will reap. This is a simple law. What you sow into the ground is what will come out of the ground, and at some point you will reap that which was sowed. Let us ask this question again, what kind of life are you living?
"For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting," Galatians 6:8. It is here that self-examination is very important. Remember in verse 7 we are not to be deceived. If we examine ourselves with anything other than the Scriptures, we will deceive ourselves. It is natural to protect ourselves and our reputations. We want to look good in the eyes of others, but more so in our own eyes. This is where self-deception comes in. We judge ourselves by comparing ourselves to others, and the conclusion we come to is that we are not that bad. In doing this we justify our actions and continue living like we have been living not realizing that we are sowing to our flesh. Notice that verse 8 tells us "He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption." "Corruption" in this verse means ruin. Notice it is by and through the flesh that this ruin comes. This flesh which we are covered with is at enmity with God. This flesh wants to be god in our lives. This flesh wants to be catered to. If we sow to our flesh, we will reap ruin by our flesh. Stop for a second and examine your flesh. Does it ever want you doing anything for the Lord? How many excuses did your flesh give you to try to keep you from being in the church house? How many excuses for not praying, for not studying, for not living for the Lord? With every excuse there is a justification for that excuse. When you quit praying, studying, and gathering with the church there are consequences (II Peter 1:3-15). Our ruin comes by our own flesh.
The Christian battles with the flesh until he dies, but the lost person can only do what the flesh wants to do. The lost person is prompted by wrong principles. A lost person can get up and pray, read their bible, and even gather with the church, and they do this because they know it is the right thing to do, but they are not doing it out of love for God. You know this because doing these things is only a check list. Once you check that off your list you please the desires of your flesh. You feel good about yourself, but there isn't a true change in your life. You grow in knowledge, but there isn't any application of the truth; therefore, there isn't a radical change in your life for the Lord. Saving grace is also transforming grace. Again, we can ask the question, "What kind of life are you living"?
The opposite of sowing to the flesh is sowing to the Spirit. The result is of the Spirit we reap life everlasting. "Life" in this verse is the Greek word "Zoe", and means physical life and existence as opposed to death and nonexistence. The reference here is quality of life. To sow to the Spirit means we crucify the flesh. This means the life that we live is not about us, but is for the Lord. Instead of living a life of ruin and shame, we live a life of rejoicing and worshipping our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Turn to Galatians 5:16-26.
In closing I want to encourage all of us to examine ourselves according to the Scriptures. What kind of life are we living? Lord help us not to deceive ourselves, or to mock Him.
Please send questions and comments to richardsonbaptistchurch@gmail.com. Soli Deo Gloria.
