We have just experienced Daylight Saving Time. Although we may have lost an hour of sleep, the extra sunlight can make a big difference. For many people, the ever increasing amount of daylight in the average day, impacts their moods and their productivity. For the farmers, the sunlight makes a big difference as well. For a farmer, crop growth and yield are strongly affected by sunlight. Solar radiation is essential for plant growth. Plant leaves absorb sunlight and use it as the energy source for photosynthesis. Things that are planted, produce a more bountiful harvest with the light. It is the law of sowing and reaping.
The law of sowing and reaping is just as valid in the spiritual as in the physical and moral realms. The frustration and hopelessness of humanistic psychology, psychiatry, and counseling can be traced, among other things, to their refusal to consider the immutable spiritual law of sowing and reaping. A person’s character cannot change until their nature is changed, and that can happen only through the new creation that comes from trust in Jesus Christ.
In the context of our study in Galatians, Paul has shown the motives of the Judaizers, and what happens when we try to earn our own salvation. But for the faithful one, who works unto the lord will be rewarded with Godly fruit for their labour and one that is selfish, who lives unto themselves will bring ruin.
In Galatians 6:6-10, Paul instructs the Galatians, as us by extension in how to regard those who labour and see the principle of sowing and reaping to be universal laws that apply to everyone, everywhere. In this he explains: 1) The Precept: (Galatians 6:6) 2) The Principle behind the Precept: (Galatians 6:7-8), 3) The Promise: Galatians 6:9 AND FINALLY: 4) THE PROCEDURE: (GALATIANS 6:10)
In order to properly regard those who labor, we must understand:
1) The Precept: (Galatians 6:6)
Galatians 6:6 [6] One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches. (ESV)
Share is from koinoneo, which has the basic idea of sharing equally. It is the verb form of the noun commonly translated “fellowship.” Paul is talking about mutuality, not of one party serving or providing for the other but of both parties sharing together (reciprocity: Rom. 15:27; 1 Cor. 9:4-14; 2 Cor. 8:7-9; 1 Tim. 5:8). Not only must we bear one another’s burdens in fellowship and aid those who bear them, there are also “good things,” spiritually and morally beneficial things, in which we should delight to have fellowship with those who possess these good things (Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. Paul's Epistles to the Galatians, to the Ephesians and to the Philippians. Columbus, O. : Lutheran Book Concern, 1937, S. 303).
• Here we see an extremely practical application of the fruit of the Spirit. The love empowered by the Spirit is expressed in “goodness.” In practice, that means sharing good things (Hansen, G. Walter: Galatians. Downers Grove, Ill. : InterVarsity Press, 1994 (The IVP New Testament Commentary Series), S. Ga 6:6).
What exactly are these good things that we are called to share? Good things translates the plural of agathos, which is used in the New Testament primarily of things that are of spiritual and moral excellence. Not only are we to bear one another’s burdens, but share all good things.
• One way we do this corporately is in prayer request and praises
In this context to share all good things with the one who teaches the admonition is clear that as a teacher shares the good things of the Word of God, a believer is to reciprocate by sharing all good things with the one who teaches (Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:610). In the immediate context, to share implies to provide support at the same standard of living as the original recipients enjoyed. It was the principle that God laid down for the support of the Levites by the remaining tribes of Israel in Old Testament times (Edgar H. Andrews: Free in Christ: Welwyn Commentary Series. Evangelical Press. 1996. p. 315). Galatians may well have withdrawn material support from these church leaders in their infatuation with the new theology advanced by Paul’s opponents. In any event, Paul reminded them here, in the broader context of his command for them to bear one another’s burdens, of the importance of sustaining a faithful gospel ministry through generous financial support (George, Timothy: Galatians. electronic ed. Nashville : Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1994 (Logos Library System; The New American Commentary 30), S. 420).
• By extension, when someone is displeased with an aspect of corporate church ministry, they have an obligation to responsibly make their concerns known and not withdraw support. God has set in place both a means to support ministry and a means to deal with disagreements. When individuals fail to follow His directives in either, it is a direct offence against the one who has put these processes in place.
This concept of voluntary giving to provide for the Lord’s servants was revolutionary since Jews were taxed for the support of their priests and Gentiles paid fees, made vows, etc., to sustain their religions. As opposed to the fees and taxes that paid for teachers in the Jewish and Greek religions, Paul’s wording emphasized that this giving and sharing with the Christian teachers was really a partnership (fellowship). As the teachers taught the “good things” of the gospel, the believers reciprocated with sharing “good things” to provide for the teachers (Barton, Bruce B.: Galatians. Wheaton, Ill. : Tyndale House, 1994 (Life Application Bible Commentary), S. 207).
There are two common ways to deal with the issue or the sharing all good things, or compensation. One is to preach it in order to get more. That was the approach of the Judaizers and most televangelists today. The other is to avoid the topic altogether to avoid appearing to be in this first category. But Paul in his wording of sharing provides the solution to this. In describing the one who teaches it literally means, “him that teacheth catechetically/systematically.” (Jamieson, Robert ; Fausset, A. R. ; Fausset, A. R. ; Brown, David ; Brown, David: A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments. Oak Harbor, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. Ga 6:6).
• As you have probably noticed, I have a strong compulsion in my calling to teach the whole counsel of God, in expository teaching. This allows for systematic teaching through sections of scripture. One advantage that this has, along with many others, it that it allows me to cover a wide variety of topics without having the criticism that I picked a certain topic to get something or to pick on someone. This text is one of those.
Please turn to 1 Corinthians 9
In the broadest application, in relating to me, the one who teaches, it means sharing what is challenging to you, but also what you are excited about. In sharing your burdens with me, I endeavor to be one who can help. In sharing you questions, it helps in guiding me as to what teaching topics to cover.
To explain the concept of sowing and reaping, Paul introduces the concept comparing how various people are commonly supported:
1 Corinthians 9:7-14 [7] Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk? [8] Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? [9] For it is written in the Law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain." Is it for oxen that God is concerned? [10] Does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. [11] If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? [12] If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. [13] Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? [14] In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. (ESV)
Look how this reciprocity applies:
Hebrews 13:17 [17] Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. (ESV)
• What leaders teach, (sow) they shall have to give an account for (reap)
• How people respond to their leading (sow) they will receive in likewise receive (reap)
Illustration: Victim of His Own Invention
Several years after inventing radar, Sir Robert Watson Watt was arrested in Canada for speeding. He’d been caught in a radar trap. He wrote this poem: “Pity Sir Robert Watson Watt, Strange target of his radar plot, And this, with others I could mention, A victim of his own invention”. (Galaxie Software: 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press, 2002; 2002)
The law of sowing and reaping is not contradicted by the gospel of grace. The law of salvation in Jesus Christ is, in fact, the ultimate demonstration of that law. Jesus Christ sowed perfect righteousness and reaped eternal life, which He gives to those who trust in His finished work. The believer reaps eternal life because, in faith, they are united with Christ and with what He has sown and reaped on believers behalf. But the believer is not thereby exempt from all the consequences of their own sowing. They will never reap the ultimate consequences of sin, which are death and judgment, because Jesus already reaped those consequences on the cross. But people will continue to reap the earthly heartaches, wounds, shame, and pain for sins and foolishness.
In order to properly regard those who labor, we must understand:
2) The Principle behind the Precept: Galatians 6:7-8
Galatians 6:7-8 [7] Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. [8] 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. (ESV)
Paul here uses a well-known law of botany-that a given seed can reproduce only its own kind-to illustrate God’s parallel and equally inviolable laws in the moral and spiritual realms. He will give a warning, explain the principle, and then show how this links to the precept
The concept of being deceived is introduced to warn those who don’t see the connection to sowing and reaping. Deceived is from planao, which has the primary meaning of leading astray. In part, the apostle was calling on the misguided Galatians to stop being deceived by others (False Teachers: 1 Timothy 4:1), because many of the Galatians had been led astray, or “bewitched” (Gal. 3:1), by the Judaizers into thinking that obedience to the Mosaic law, represented especially by circumcision, was necessary for receiving and living the Christian life (2:15–21; 3:2–3; 4:8–11). They are to no longer be deceived but support those who have faithfully taught them in the word.
When believers are deceived by false teachers it results in them deceiving themselves. James gives a warning to those who think it is enough simply to know God’s Word without obeying it:
James 1:22[22] But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (ESV)
John specifically warns believers:
1 John 1:8-10 [8] If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (ESV)
When believers fail to acknowledge the reality or seriousness of sin in their lives, their hearts are deceived and God is … mocked. The second consequence is by far the worse, because it amounts to treating the Lord with contempt. Mocked is from mukterizo, which literally means to turn up one’s nose, and therefore to scorn or sneer. In the passage cited above from his first letter, John declares that for a Christian to deny their own sin is to make God a liar (1 John 1:10) and to mock His absolute holiness. For a believer to sin willingly in any way and to any degree is to deny his Lord. But to sin while thinking one is somehow immune from God’s standard of holiness is to mock the Lord and to mimic the world. For the unbeliever, for them to believe that all God requires on the day of judgment is a good excuse or sincere pleading of ignorance to His standards, is to mock God and it will be the most tragic miscalculation that someone can make for its consequence is eternal.
Paul now drives home the point that even believers can become guilty of mocking God and that being saved does not exempt them from the inexorable consequences of His law of sowing and reaping. In the second half of verse 7 he says: [for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. (ESV)
In its literal, physical sense, that rudimentary law of agriculture is self-evident. It is absolutely universal, applying equally to every farmer and gardener in every time and place-to the young and the old, the experienced and the inexperienced, the wise and the foolish, and the saved and the unsaved. It is as impartial, predictable, and immutable as the law of gravity. There are no exceptions, and the person who plants the seed makes no difference at all in the law’s operation. Whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
Please turn to 2 Corinthians 9
The focus on this Galatians 6:7 is on what is done or sown: the seed. As the writer of Proverbs warns:
Proverbs 1:29-33 [29] Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, [30] would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, [31] therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. [32] For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; [33] but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster." (ESV) (cf. 11:18).
Implicit in the description of Whatever one sows, is the whatever applies in quality and quantity of sowing:
2 Corinthians 9:6-11 [6] The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. [7] Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. [8] And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. [9] As it is written, "He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." [10] He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. [11] You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. (ESV)
The metaphor of verse 7 is continued in verse 8 when Paul says: [8] 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. (ESV). The difference from verse 7 is that here in verse 8 there is a slight change. Attention is now drawn not to the seed, but to the ground on which the seed is sown (Arichea, Daniel C. ; Nida, Eugene Albert: A Handbook on Paul's Letter to the Galatians. New York : United Bible Societies, 1993 (UBS Handbook Series; Helps for Translators), S. 151). God has told us to be careful where we sow, and it is this principle that Paul deals with here. He looks on our material possessions as seed, and he sees two possible kinds of soil: the flesh and the Spirit. We can use our material goods to promote the flesh, or to promote the things of the Spirit. But once we have finished sowing, we cannot change the harvest (Wiersbe, Warren W.: The Bible Exposition Commentary. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1989, S. Ga 6:6). If “Spirit” here has the same reference as in Gal 5.16, then it means the Holy Spirit. To plant in the field of the Spirit is to concentrate on the fruit of the Spirit as previously mentioned, the result of which is eternal life (Arichea, Daniel C. ; Nida, Eugene Albert: A Handbook on Paul's Letter to the Galatians. New York : United Bible Societies, 1993 (UBS Handbook Series; Helps for Translators), S. 152).
The Christian has only two “fields” in which they can sow, that of his own flesh and that of the Spirit. As has been stated, the flesh refers to the believer’s uncleansed humanness, which awaits the day of glorification (Rom. 8:23). But in the meanwhile it can produce all manner of selfish, fleshly desires that are contrary to God’s will and standards and are expressed in everything from blatant immorality to cold indifference to the things of the Lord. The flesh is the residence of sin that still remains in a believer’s life (Rom. 7:18). The person who sows to his own flesh panders to its evil desires instead of letting the Spirit subdue it. This is a situation of capitulation or surrender instead of sanctification. John Stott said to “sow to the flesh” is to pander to it, to (indulge), cuddle and stroke it, instead of crucifying it (Barton, Bruce B.: Galatians. Wheaton, Ill. : Tyndale House, 1994 (Life Application Bible Commentary), S. 210)
The particular sin that Paul addresses so strongly throughout this letter is the sin of legalism, particularly that of the heretical Judaizers, who undermined the gospel of grace by placing human works between Christ’s sacrifice and salvation. Because that sin was so centered in the flesh, it led to countless other sins. It turns believers back to their own resources and power, in which we can do nothing but stumble from one trespass to another, producing only the deeds of the flesh (Gal. 5:19–21; 6:1).
The one who is continuing to (Greek present tense) sow to his own flesh…which is opposed to God and unrenewed by the Holy Spirit (an unbeliever) will reap corruption (KJV Bible Commentary. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1994, S. 2401). Corruption is from phthora, which refers to degeneration, going from better to worse. It is a term used for a field in which the produce is too rotten to harvest (Heb. 6:8). The deeds of the flesh are always corruptive and can only make a person progressively worse. The ultimate corruption is eternal death, the wages of sin. Paul has shown (5:19–25) the intermediate products of the flesh and the Spirit; here he mentions the two final harvests. “For if you live after the flesh, you shall die: but if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live” (Rom 8:13).Romans 6:23 explains the dichotomy of consequences:
Romans 6:23 [23]For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (ESV)
• Although trust in Christ saves one from spiritual death, a sinning believer can nevertheless reap corruption, suffering physical death and many other tragic earthly consequences, as did some of the unrepentant Corinthians (1 Cor. 11:30). It means a tragic loss of rewards for believer (see 1 Cor. 3:12–15; 2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 22:12)
• For those who would have nothing of God in this life, they shall have nothing of God but judgment in the next. The result (reaping) will be what they sowed in this life.
The believer who sows to the Spirit will/shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. The Christian who is preoccupied with the things of God rather than the fleshly things of the world will produce the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22–23). To sow to the Spirit is the same as to walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16), to be led by the Spirit (5:18), and to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). It is the same as abiding in Christ and in His Word and having His words abide in us (John 8:31; 15:7). It is the same as walking in Christ (Col. 2:6) and setting one’s “mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (3:2). It is the same as giving one’s body as “a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God,” and not being “conformed to this world, but [being] transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:1–2). In the context of what we have just seen in Galatians, to sow to the Spirit means “serving one another in love” (5:13), restoring one who has been caught in sin (6:1), carrying the burdens of others (6:2), giving generously to those who teach in the church (6:6) and doing good to all (6:9). Sometimes sowing to the Spirit has been defined in terms of private, personal holiness, as if it were something done in a closet by oneself. But sowing to the Spirit in the context of Paul’s teaching here involves building love relationships with others. Sowing to the Spirit cannot be done in isolation or separation from others (Hansen, G. Walter: Galatians. Downers Grove, Ill. : InterVarsity Press, 1994 (The IVP New Testament Commentary Series), S. Ga 6:7).
There are two ways in which eternal life (same word translated everlasting) is used in the Bible: (1) It is the present possession of every believer (John 3:36). (2) It is that which the believer receives at the end of their life here on earth (Rom. 6:22). Those who sow to the Spirit enjoy eternal life here and now in a way which other Christians do not. Then, too, they will reap the rewards which accompany faithfulness when they reach their heavenly home (MacDonald, William ; Farstad, Arthur: Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1995, S. Ga 6:8)
What Paul is trying to bring out here in Galatians, and throughout Scripture, eternal life refers primarily to quality, not duration. The believer begins participating in eternal life the moment they trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. But just as their life does not always perfectly reflect the righteousness they have before God in Christ, neither does it always perfectly reflect the eternal quality of life believers have in Christ. No sin can separate a believer from eternal life, but any sin in a believer’s life corrupts their reflection and enjoyment of that eternal life. That is why some Christians are among the most miserable, unhappy, and wretched of people. A persistently sinning believer can sometimes be more miserable than an unbeliever, simply because their sin is in constant conflict with and warring against their new nature in Christ. The sinning Christian has a battle raging within them that an unbeliever never experiences. The believer who sows to his own flesh does not lose the Spirit, but they lose the fruit of the Spirit, among which are love, joy, peace, and patience (Gal. 5:22). That fruit represents all the blessings of a life sown to the Spirit, life that, in faithfulness and obedience, fully enjoys “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” and “the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Eph. 1:3, 18).
Illustration: Sin Is Not a Reigning King but a Lurking Outlaw
In John Bunyan’s description of the Holy War, after the Diabolonians were overthrown in Mansoul, many of them remained hidden away in dens and corners of the city, and although diligent search was made to find them, there were always some of them hiding away in the back lanes and side streets, where they could not easily be discovered. It is just so with sin. As a reigning king, sin is dead to you, and you to it. But, as a sneaking outlaw, sin is still lurking within your soul. It is plotting and planning to get back its former dominion over you, and not merely plotting and planning, but it is also warring and fighting to that end. (Spurgeon, C. (2017). 300 Sermon Illustrations from Charles Spurgeon. (E. Ritzema & L. Smoyer, Eds.). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.)
In order to properly regard those who labor, we must understand:
3) The Promise: (Galatians 6:9)
Galatians 6:9 [9] And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (ESV)
Please turn to Hebrews 12
Give up/Lose heart is from enkakeo and grow weary is from ekluo. Both terms carry the ideas of becoming exhausted and giving up. They are the opposite of being “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58). To avoid the situation where we give up/lose heart and grow weary is to cast off sin and have a clear role model for endurance:
Hebrews 12:1-3 [12:1] Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, [2] looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. [3] Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. (ESV)
Sometimes, of course, the problem is not spiritual weariness but spiritual laziness, becoming weary from doing nothing rather than from doing good. Sometimes the problem is spiritual hypocrisy, hearing and talking about serving the Lord but doing little of it (cf. James 1:22).
Quote: The Puritan saint John Brown wrote, “Many Christians are like children; they would sow and reap the same day.” It is easy to become tired of sowing and be anxious for the harvest.
But when a believer is genuinely and persistently faithful in doing good, they have God’s assurance that in due season/time they will/shall reap. The seed that is planted does not bear fruit immediately, it bears fruit in due season. For those who walk and sow in the Spirit, the fruit of patience (see 5:22) often seems among the most elusive. After years of faithful, unselfish service to the Lord, a believer may have experienced little obvious evidence of the Lord’s blessing. Like Paul, they may have more problems, frustrations, and persecution at the end of his life than he had when he was a new believer. It is worth pointing out that Paul is implying that the end may not be imminent—worrying about weariness, perseverance and not giving up are not apposite if one is convinced the Lord’s return is necessarily, not merely possibly, imminent (Witherington III, Ben: Grace in Galatia : A Commentary on St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians. Grand Rapids, MI : Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1998, S. 433
v. verse).
• One of the dangers of saying that Christ could come at any moment is that a life can become like those of the Thessalonians: disregard for anything of this life. A healthy consideration that there may be a delay in the Lord’s return, and He is waiting for the full harvest (Rom. 9; 11) before His return, helps us to consider that we are called and to pray for labors for the harvest. We are to be working in the harvest to come, not sitting back and waiting for the harvest to be brought in by others.
As in regard to reaping eternal life (v.8), Paul is not talking here about working to earn salvation but about blessing, and ultimately eternal reward. Paul is saying that it is possible to serve God for a long time and then to give up and lose blessing here and reward in glory: The apostle John warned, “Watch yourselves, that you might not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward” (2 John 8).
Please turn to 2 Corinthians 4
Paul knew what it was not to give up/lose heart and grow weary in the Lord’s work. On the shore near Miletus, he declared to the elders from Ephesus, “I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).
To the Corinthian church, Paul said:
2 Corinthians 4:1-2 [4:1]Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. [2] But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. (ESV)
2 Corinthians 4:8-10 [8] We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; [9] persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; [10] always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. (ESV)
2 Corinthians 4:14 [14] knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. (ESV)
Paul reaped blessing in this life because he never gave up. He called the Thessalonian believers his “joy or crown of salvation” (1 Thess. 2:19). At the end of his life he could say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:7–8). The reaping is both in this life and in the life to come.
Illustration: William Carey arrived in India in 1793 with a burden to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who had never heard the name.
For seven years he proclaimed the gospel message faithfully week after week, month after month, with not a single native of India converted to Christ. Through years of struggle and doubt, Carey was often discouraged but never defeated. To his sisters back home in England he wrote:I feel as a farmer does about his crop: sometimes I think the seed is springing, and thus I hope; a little blasts all, and my hopes are gone like a cloud. They were only weeds which appeared; or if a little corn sprung up, it quickly dies, being either chocked with weeds, or parched up by the sun of persecution. Yet I still hope in God, and will go forth in his strength, and make mention of his righteousness, even of his only. (George, Faithful Witness, 116.) On December 28, 1800, Carey baptized in the Ganges River his first Hindu convert, a carpenter named Krishna Pal. William Ward, who witnessed the dramatic deliverance of this man from the grip of paganism into the glorious truth of the gospel, wrote in his diary: “Ye gods of stone and clay, did ye not tremble, when in the Triune Name one soul shook you from his feet as dust?” (George, Faithful Witness, 132.) This was the beginning of a mighty harvest of souls that God granted to Carey and his coworkers at the Serampore Mission in India (George, Timothy: Galatians. electronic ed. Nashville : Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1994 (Logos Library System; The New American Commentary 30), S. 426).
Finally, in order to properly regard those who labor, we must understand:
4) THE PROCEDURE: GALATIANS 6:10
Galatians 6:10 [10]So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (ESV)
Verse 9 is negative: let us not grow tired, not be exhausted. So we now here in verse 10 have the positive: Let us do good. Recall that Paul began this section by encouraging the Galatians to be generous in sharing material “good things” with those who taught them the word of God. Now he broadens that out considerably to include helping “all people” as opportunity allows. And he takes special care to include those who are closest, the members of the family—especially the family of believers (Panning, Armin J.: Galatians, Ephesians. Milwaukee, Wis. : Northwestern Pub. House, 1997 (The People's Bible), S. 108).
Opportunity translates kairos, which literally refers to a fixed and distinct period of time. This does not mean that the good is something we do only every now and then that is, when we have the time or if we get the chance. On the contrary, the Greek word for opportunity is the word for time or season. Thus it conveys the urgency of the coming harvest: This is a limited opportunity (Philip Graham Ryken. Galatians: Reformed Expository Commentary. P&R Publications. 2005. p. 267).
Quote: John Wesley said it so succinctly: “Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” (MacDonald, William ; Farstad, Arthur: Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1995, S. Ga 6:10)
In other words, a believer’s entire life is unique but limited opportunity to serve others in the Lord’s name. The idea is also implied of seeking for and even making particular opportunities within the broader opportunity of our time on earth. The reflexive exhortation, let us do is from ergazomai, which means to be active, to work effectively and diligently, and is here a self-call to great effort in taking every opportunity to sow for God’s glory. The apostle has argued at length (here in Galatians) that such works cannot justify (2:16) or sanctify (3:3) anyone. However, good works are, in fact, an important fruit of the life of faith (5:5) that God has planned for each believer (see Eph. 2:8–10) (Radmacher, Earl D. ; Allen, Ronald Barclay ; House, H. Wayne: The Nelson Study Bible : New King James Version. Nashville : T. Nelson Publishers, 1997, S. Ga 6:9).
Good is from agathos and has a definite article in front of it in the Greek. In other words, Paul is speaking of a particular good, the good. It is the agathos goodness of moral and spiritual excellence that is a fruit of the Spirit (5:22), not simply kalos goodness that is limited to physical and temporal things. It is the internal goodness produced by the Spirit in the hearts of obedient believers, which then finds expression in external goodness spoken and performed. Doing Good means meeting people’s needs by performing the six acts of charity: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, showing hospitality to strangers, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting prisoners (Mt 25:34-36) (Philip Graham Ryken. Galatians: Reformed Expository Commentary. P&R Publications. 2005. p. 266). It is also good that is unqualified and unrestricted, to be shown to everyone, including unbelievers. “For such is the will of God,” Peter said, “that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Pet. 2:15). One of the best ways to thwart criticism of Christianity is for Christians to do good to unbelievers.
• Loving concern will do more to win a person to Christ than the most carefully articulated argument.
• The heart of every Christian testimony should be kindness. “In all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds,” Paul admonished Titus, “with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, in order that the opponent may be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us” (Titus 2:7–8). Later in the same letter Paul says, “Concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God may be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men” (Titus 3:8).
It is not only by words that we witness to the lost, but also by our works. In fact, our works pave the way for our verbal witness; they win us the right to be heard. It is not a question of asking, “Does this person deserve my good works?” Did we deserve what God did for us in Christ? Nor should we be like the defensive lawyer who tried to argue, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:25–37) Jesus made it very clear that the question is not “Who is my neighbor?” but “To whom can I be a neighbor?” (Wiersbe, Warren W.: The Bible Exposition Commentary. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1989, S. Ga 6:6)
Please turn to 1 John 3
As important as doing good to unbelievers is, however, it is especially to be demonstrated to those who are of the household of the faith.
The application of this concept must first be to our immediate physical family:
1 Timothy 5:8 [8] But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (ESV)
• Notice also how proper use of material things is viewed as a fruit of faith, whereas misuse of them signals a lack of saving faith and makes one “worse than an unbeliever.” Here is food for thought for many a deadbeat dad and for parents in general who neglect their children, as well as for children who neglect aging parents (Panning, Armin J.: Galatians, Ephesians. Milwaukee, Wis. : Northwestern Pub. House, 1997 (The People's Bible), S. 108).
In fulfilling our family obligations, we then show our love of God in how we treat those of our spiritual family, “the household of God” (Eph 2:19):
1 John 3:14 [14]We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. (ESV)
1 John 4:20-21 [20]If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. [21]And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. (ESV)
Quote: In commenting on this verse, J. Brown offered the following interpretation of this important principle:” Every poor and distressed man had a claim on me for pity, and, if I can afford it, for active exertion and (financial) relief. But a poor Christian has a far stronger claim on my feelings, my labors, and my property. He is my brother, equally interested as myself in the blood and love of the Redeemer. I expect to spend an eternity with him in heaven. He is the representative of my unseen Savior, and he considers everything done to his poor afflicted as done to himself. For a Christian to be unkind to a Christian is not only wrong, it is monstrous. (Brown, Galatians, 348. as found in George, Timothy: Galatians. electronic ed. Nashville : Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1994 (Logos Library System; The New American Commentary 30), S. 428)
Joyful sowing makes for joyful reaping, and it is also dynamic testimony to those outside salvation. How we treat each other is our greatest attraction to a world seeking love, kindness, and compassion. How we treat our fellow brethren, is how we treat Christ Himself.
(Format Note: Some base commentary from: MacArthur, J. (1996, c1987). Galatians. Includes indexes. (183). Chicago: Moody Press.)
