Galatians 6:6-10 – Sowing to the Spirit by Grace

How many in here this morning enjoy gardening? Or simply enjoy growing things? I enjoy the idea of having a garden and enjoying the produce that comes from the garden. My family and I have had gardens throughout the years. It is probably safe to say we all understand farming or growing things to some degree. And if you don’t really know anything about gardening and growing things that’s fine, it’s fairly straight forward. In order to grow a plant, you must take a seed of that plant, put it in fertile soil, give it the appropriate amounts of water, food, and sunlight, and you will reap a harvest from that plant. For example, if you want to grow tomatoes, you must take a dried tomato seed, plant it in fertile soil either in a pot or out in the field, occasionally provide it with water and fertilizer (or simply rely on nature to do that for you), wait for it to grow and produce tomatoes, and finally pick the tomatoes.

So why this little lesson on gardening or farming? Well, throughout Scripture we frequently see the biblical authors use agricultural illustrations to convey important truths about the Christian life. Throughout history, agriculture has played a key role in mankind’s subsistence. And the parallels between the Christian life and farming make it a prime tool to teach important truths of Scripture.

In Galatians 6, Paul uses a principle from gardening/farming to teach the Galatians and us about how we are to live in response to the gospel, in response to the salvation we have been granted by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the principle You reap what you sow. Just as this principle applies in farming, it is a general principle of life in the kingdom of God as well. Earlier, in chapter 5, he described it as “walking by the Spirit” and “keeping in step with the Spirit.” Here he writes that believers “sow to the Spirit and reap from the Spirit.” Using this principle, Paul wants to continue to impress upon the Galatians’, and our, minds the importance of living according to the Spirit.

Paul continues this exhortation because he knows that due to our sin nature, we still have a tendency to give in to the sinful desires of the flesh. We turn back to what Paul said earlier in Galatians are the “weak and worthless elementary principles of the world.” Sin entices us and we give in to the sinful desires of the flesh. This is what Paul describes here as “sowing to the flesh.”

But God’s Word teaches us that those who are redeemed have the Holy Spirit poured into their hearts. Because of this redemption, we are set free from sin and free to walk or live by the Spirit, being led and fed by Him.

And being led and fed by the Spirit, we can live according to God’s Word. We give evidence of our salvation by sowing (doing) the things that are in step with the Spirit. In other words, we sow to the Spirit as we steward the works God has prepared for us to walk in. Those things that honor God. This is what Paul is continuing to teach in Galatians 6.

Apart from God’s grace, we will sow to the flesh. It is only by grace that we can glorify God, sowing to the Spirit rather than the flesh. In Galatians 6:6-10, Paul points out three ways believers sow to the Spirit. You can see them printed there for you on page 6 of the WG.

We sow to the Spirit as we steward our possessions by grace, as we steward ourselves by grace, and as we steward our opportunities by grace.

Let us look now at how Paul teaches us to sow to the Spirit, starting there in verse 6. It says, “6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.” Part of living out the gospel or living out our salvation is displaying kindness and generosity. One tangible way Paul teaches we can do this is by sharing all good things with the one who teaches. Essentially, Paul is speaking about supporting those ministers who teach and preach the word of God, those whose full-time job is the ministry of the Word. We see this reiterated throughout Scripture. 1 Cor. 9:9-11 states, “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 certainly speak 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?” We also see this principle initiated in the Old Testament books of Numbers and Deuteronomy where God says that the Levites, the tribe set apart to be the priest/ministers of the nation of Israel, were to be supported by all the other tribes.

The Idea is that those who have been called to minister the Word have a unique responsibility. They must devote themselves fully to accurately understanding and explaining the truth of God's word. This is their service to God and to the church.

To be sure, this in no way implies that the minister or pastor is more holy or more justified before God. They do not possess some intrinsic value that is greater than other believers. They do, however, play an important role in the church and the Kingdom of God - A responsibility that is not to be taken lightly. James 3:1- “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”

That being the case, there is a seriousness to this calling because these men are responsible for representing God before the people, at least in terms of accurately speaking his truth. And because of the function of the position, they require the support of the people they serve. In 1 Timothy 5:17, God says, “17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.”

In writing share all good things, Paul likely means more than simple financial support. We should strive to encourage our pastors, to serve them even as they serve us, and to build them up in the faith even as they build us up. So he means sharing all good things to include all this but he certainly means to include financial support as well. It benefits both learner and teacher if the instructor is supported to do the job full time. So let us strive to generously support those who labor in ministry. They have the responsibility of the shepherding of our souls. This is one way we are being good stewards of our possessions.

Paul immediately follows this idea of stewarding our possessions with a call to steward ourselves, or our bodies. In other words, to grow in holiness.

He begins with a stern warning in verse 7: “God is not mocked. Whatever one sows, that he will also reap.” God is not fooled. He knows those who are his, those whose hearts have been truly transformed by grace. Those who have trusted in the person and work of Jesus. It is those who are truly saved. And it is also those who will sow the fruits of righteousness and reap eternal life. It is not those who simply pay lip service to Christ, without having their hearts truly regenerated by the grace of God.

If we are to support our shepherds because of the particular calling they have been given by God and the nature of that calling, then it follows that God desires/commands those men to take seriously their calling and to faithfully and accurately preach the Word. Those who claim to be shepherds and then try to lead the sheep astray, they do not fool God. The language Paul uses here is strong, it literally means to “turn up the nose.” It suggests a very rude and disrespectful attitude. It is a grave insult. Paul wants the Galatians (and the false teachers themselves who would likely read or hear this letter) to understand that those people will reap what they sow.

That being the case, Paul also intends to apply the principle more broadly, to mankind in general. We are called to sow according to the grace we have been shown through Christ. We sow to the Spirit as we steward ourselves by God’s grace.

Notice verse 8. Paul adds detail to the principle - You reap what you sow. Before we look closer at verse 8, we must understand that You reap what you sow is not a universal principle. It is not true all the time in every single case. There are times it is not true. The blind man in John 9 is an example. It says in verse one, “As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” The disciples are essentially applying the principle of you reap what you sow. If this man is blind, then he must have done something to deserve or calls the blindness. But Jesus told them, no it's not because this man's sinned or his parents but it is to display Jesus's power and to give evidence that Jesus was who he said he was. It is the same in the book of Job. Remember what is going on between Job and his friends. They are in essence applying the principle of you reap what you sow. But remember what we are told at the beginning of Job, he was a righteous man. Which did not mean that he was sinless but these trials that Job is suffering are not due to some sin in his life. He has not sown some sin and now has reaped the loss of everything.

Although you reap what you sow is not a universal principle, it is a general principle that is true more often than not. Actions have consequences. Good actions generally have good consequences and bad actions generally have bad consequences.

Take parenting for example. We teach this principle to our children don't we? We tell them not to lie. We teach them that if you lie frequently or really even at all, people will not trust you.

It is not wrong to teach our children this principle, because as they grow into adolescence and then adulthood, they will see that this the principle of reaping what you sow generally plays out. It reminded me of a story I heard about the man who invented the radar gun. The story goes that the man was driving home from work one day going a little fast and was pulled over by a police officer. As he was talking, the man told the officer, “I was the one who invented the radar you used to check my speed.” The officer replied, “Wow! That's great. Thank you. It has been very helpful for us in doing our job.” And then the officer handed him a ticket. That man, to his surprise, reaped what he had sown.

The principle of reaping what you sow is not confined to the physical and material world. It is a general principle in the spiritual world as well. That why Paul says in verse 8, “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.” If you sow to the flesh, to sinful desires, what will it reap? It will reap sin. It will reap corruption. I will reap distortion of who you are in Christ. This sowing to the flesh will lead to a distorted view of humanity, a distorted view of the gospel, and a distorted view of Jesus.

If you sow seed poorly, you will reap a poor crop (and poverty). If you eat unhealthy foods consistently, you will reap poor health and a poor quality of life. If you give in to your sinful nature, you will reap spiritual breakdown and destruction. In other words you reap corruption.

The opposite is true as well - The one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. As Christians we have been justified (saved) by the grace of God through faith in Christ alone. That being the case once we are saved, God’s grace continues to work in us producing fruit through the power of the Holy Spirit. Eph. 2:10 – “10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Phil. 2:13 – “13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Titus 2:13-14 – “our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” So clearly, we are to be sowers, not to justify ourselves before God or even to make ourselves more acceptable before God but because we have been justified and made perfectly acceptable before God by the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, we are to live out the reality of who we are in Christ by doing for Christ. Sowing to the Spirit to glorify Him and to show our gratitude to Him. Remembering all the while that God’s grace undergirds while we are doers so that even when we fail in our doing, our status before God does not change. As we remember this, we will steward ourselves, growing in holiness and Christ likeness and producing the fruits of the Spirit.

Then Paul goes on in verse 9 to write, “Let us not grow weary in doing good.” In other words, let us not grow weary in stewarding the good works God has given us to do. Day by day, sowing to the Spirit requires us to “not grow weary in doing good.” There is always a delay between sowing and reaping, which can lead to weariness.

We all recognize weariness at the end of the day of long difficult things, of difficult relationships and circumstances. There are seasons of life where you feel weary, where we feel weary. May we never get weary of the Christian life. Never get weary of the things of God.  The fact that Paul is saying this means that there is a temptation to become weary. He understands that we are prone to get weary, we are prone to give up, we are prone to lie down and sleep and then forget who we are when we wake up again.

Paul says don't grow weary of doing good. But how do we do this? How can we not grow weary? By remembering and being reminded of the person and work of Christ and by relying on the Spirit. We are encouraged to persevere when we remember God’s promises to those who are redeemed. Promises like Isaiah 40:31 – “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. And 2 Cor. 12:9 – “9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

So Paul teaches we are to be stewards of our possesions and we are to be stewards of ourselves and then finally, we are to stewards of opportunity. at verse 10. “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

What is this “doing good" sowing? It is to “do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” This is sweeping and comprehensive in its simplicity. First, it shows that sowing to the Spirit as we steward opportunities is not primarily about meetings or programs but doing good to the person in front of you, giving him or her what is best for them.

Second, the word “doing” shows that we are to give them whatever love discerns as their needs. We are to love in deed as well as in word. We are to give them any good thing that is necessary to meet any need within our power to meet, whether it is material, social, or spiritual.

This love is to be directed to “all people.” So, we don't get immediately overwhelmed, Paul has already added “as we have opportunity" - we're not expected personally to meet all the needs of all people. We should look around us and see who we are near and where we are. The Reformation Study Bible states, “Christians are called to help relieve the suffering of those outside its fellowship (Luke 10:25-37; Lev. 19:10,34; Deut. 14:29), but they have a special responsibility to help brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need (1 Thess. 3:12).” Supremely, this love is to be given to the family of believers. Christians are all brothers and sisters in Christ. We must do good intently with those who are in fellowship with us.

Paul has been teaching this here in Galatians. Namely that you are one who is led by the Spirit, helped by the Spirit, strengthened by the Spirit, and encouraged by the Spirit. And what is it that the Holy Spirit loves to do? He loves to talk about Jesus. The Holy Spirit's entire existence is to draw attention to Jesus. Like a light that shines on a billboard, the Holy Spirit magnifies the person and work of Jesus. Jesus says about the Holy Spirit, he will speak of me. If we sow to the Spirit, the Spirit will make us like Jesus. If you sow to the Spirit, he will make you like Jesus. Like Paul said earlier in Galatians 4, the Holy Spirit will form Jesus in you and you will walk in the works God has prepared for you.

Of course we must remember, Paul is not here abandoning justification by faith alone for a works-salvation. He is teaching what happens after we profess Christ. We who prove that we belong to Jesus by following His way do so only because the Holy Spirit has changed our hearts, and even then our remaining sin makes our works undeserving of a reward. But John Calvin reminds us: The Lord kindly rewards “the works which his grace has enabled us to perform.”

If we live by the Spirit, we will enjoy the approval and assurance and fulfillment and joy of the Christian life now, and into eternity. It is this person, the person who has the Holy Spirit, who has trusted in Jesus as their Lord and savior, who has been justified before God by grace through faith in the perfect righteousness of Christ, it is this person who will reap eternal life. It is this person who by grace sows to the Spirit and stewards their possesions, their selves, and their opportunities.

Let’s pray.