Galatians 6:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

NIV: Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

NASB: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap.

CSB: Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap,

NLT: Don’t be misled — you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.

KJV: Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

NKJV: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

Paul has been encouraging Christians to live a life marked by the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:19–25), and to support each other in the struggles of life (Galatians 6:1–5). Christianity is all about the grace of God. He gives us good things which we could never have earned on our own. In our sin, we deserve death and suffering. Instead, in Christ, God gives us life and purpose.

Still, as Paul states clearly in this verse, the grace of God does not eliminate the principles of choice and consequence. In this life, our decisions will bring with them natural results. We must not lie to ourselves, that because of God's grace and forgiveness of our sins, we will not suffer any harm if we continue to choose sin. To believe such a thing is to mock God, to make light of Jesus' sacrifice for our sin on the cross.

What we do in this life does matter, beyond even the question of whether or not we will see heaven. In eternity, our choices will be reflected in our heavenly rewards, for those who are saved (1 Corinthians 3:12–15; 2 Corinthians 5:10), or our eternal punishment, for those who are not (Revelation 20:11–14).

Until then, the "crop" we produce between now and the moment of our death is also determined by the "seeds" we plant along the way. God's natural laws of cause and effect still apply, to believers and unbelievers alike. Paul will expand on this idea in the following verses.

Galatians 6:1–10 focuses on how those in Christ should treat each other, through the power of God's Spirit. We should restore those caught in sin with gentleness and humility, and we should help to carry each other's burdens. Having said that, Christians should be honest with ourselves about what God is doing through us. We need to take responsibility for what He has asked us to carry. Because eternal life comes from planting God's Spirit by faith in Christ, and not by works of the flesh, we must keep doing good. The harvest will show that we planted well.

Galatians 6 includes instructions for how people who are free in Christ and walking by God's Spirit, should treat each other. Christians should restore those who are caught by sin, and we should bear each other's burdens. Only those who plant the fruit of God's Spirit, by faith in Christ, will harvest eternal life. Believers should not get tired of doing good for each other! The harvest is coming. Paul concludes the letter, writing in large letters that circumcision means nothing. Only becoming a new creation through faith in Christ matters.

Galatians 5 wrapped up with a focus on what it means to be led by God's Spirit. Galatians 6 starts with describing how Spirit-led Christians serve each other by restoring those caught be sin and bearing each other's burdens. Only those who plant God's Spirit in this life, through faith in Christ, will harvest eternal life. Paul concludes the letter by writing in big letters that circumcision does not matter, only being made a new creation by faith in Christ matters.

Galatians is sometimes called “a short Romans” for its similar themes of justification and sanctification through faith. A group of Christians known as “Judaizers” were preaching a gospel of legalism, rather than grace. Paul’s main purpose in writing the letter to the Galatians was to reiterate the true nature of the gospel: we are justified (made righteous) and sanctified (made more Christlike) through our faith in Jesus Christ alone. This letter was probably written shortly before the church elders in Jerusalem issued their official refutation of the Judaizers, commonly called the Jerusalem Council.