“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)
In the previous post, I dealt with the universal principle of sowing and reaping. As mentioned, this devotion is in two parts. In the first part, we looked at three principles that fall under this universal principle of sowing and reaping. Let me review these quickly.
First, to reap a harvest, you must sow something. Every farmer knows this. If you sow no seed, you will reap no harvest.
Second, what we sow makes all the difference. The type of seed that is being sowed is vital. Paul wrote that from a spiritual standpoint there were two types of seed that could be sown, seed sown to the flesh and seed sown to the Spirit.
Third, a person reaps of the same kind as he or she sows. The person who sows to the Spirit will reap spiritual blessings for all eternity. However, the one who sows to the flesh will reap things that will perish with no eternal value.
There are two more principles that we must understand as we apply this principle in life.
The fourth one is this. The seed sown has the effect of multiplying to produce a larger harvest. As we planted corn seed in my grandmothers’ field, when one seed germinated it produced many more kernels in several corn cobbs. The seed sown in this life will be multiplied in eternity. As the Galatians were swayed to the heresy of the legalists, they would perpetuate a doctrine which would lead many others astray. It would result in a multiplication of the false teaching. Every false teacher would lead many others on a path of destruction.
On the contrary, those who sowed to the Spirit would hold to and promote the true gospel. This would lead many to saving faith in Jesus. There would be a significant multiplication effect for eternity.
Moreover, there are also temporal effects. Those who sow to the flesh, often ignorantly, sow the seeds of sorrow for themselves and others in this life. In contrast, those who sow to the Spirit, manifest the fruit of the Spirit, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23, ESV). When one sows these things in life, he or she multiplies these blessings in the lives of others.
Last, everyone sows in one season and reaps in another. This too has both an eternal and a temporal reality.
Those who sow to the flesh do have an eternal influence. However, it is for destruction. The Galatians who held to the doctrine of the legalists, would end up withholding the message of God’s grace from others. This would result in many being led astray to eternal destruction.
The message sown by the spiritual person, the true gospel of salvation by God’s grace through faith, will result in eternal life. The message we sow today has an eternal effect.
On this side of heaven, there is also a season for sowing and one for reaping. Those who so to the sinful nature now will find negative repercussions of their sowing down the road. It can be in poor personal health, broken relationships, financial waste, etc. Yet the negative repercussions of sowing to the flesh will also inflict others with physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds.
The opposite is true for those who sow to the Spirit. It is not that life will be perfect, or that there will never be problems, but that those who sow to the Spirit will not leave in their wake a wounded and hurt people.
I will conclude this thought regarding sowing and reaping in the next devotion as we look at the last verse in this thought.
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9, ESV)
Renewing the Heart 