Galatians 6:7
6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 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.
9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
To this exhortation to a liberal support of the institution of the Christian ministry, the apostle subjoins a most impressive warning against self-deception. “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.” (Gal. 4:7-8)
The injunction, “Be not deceived,” when viewed by itself, is a very general one. It is a worning against all errors of all kinds, — a caution equally againt allowing others to deceive us, and against deceiving ourselves. All religious error is dangerous, and ought to be carefully guarded against. “There is a natural connection between truth and holiness, and between error and sin.” While the devil ‘abode in the truth’ he was holy; and no sooner was man deceived than he became a sinner. Every duty is acting out a truth, and every sin is the embodiment of a falsehood. Is it reasonable to expect that a man will walk in the right way if he does not know it? and if he is deceived as to this point, what can be anticipated but that he will stray into forbidden paths? Error is not, cannot be, either innocent or safe. It cannot be cherished without both sin and danger.
In the passage before us, the caution is to be viewed as referring to that species of error into which the Galatians were in danger of falling; and what that was, it is not difficult to discover from the preceding and following context. From the extreme importance attached to certain external rites and observances by the Judaising teachers, they were in danger of supposing that the essence of religion consisted in these, and to flatter themselves that they were truly righteous, merely because they attended to these rules and observances, though, at the same time, they were strangers to that spiritual mind, which is the essence of true Christianity, and were living in the neglect of duties plainly enjoined by the law of Christ, and to the performance of which the spiritual mind naturally leads. The error against which they are here so impressively warned is, that a man may live a carnal life, and yet be ultimately happy, — may “sow to the flesh” without reaping corruption, — or that a man may attain ultimate happiness without living a spiritual life, — may “reap life everlasting” without “sowing to the Spirit.” To those who were in danger of being thus deceived by the Judaising teachers, and who were in danger of thus deceiving themselves, by supposing they were something, when, in reality, they were nothing, — by supposing themselves objects of Divine approbation, when, indeed, they were objects of the Divine displeasure, the apostle says, “Be not deceived,” — ‘Let no man deceive you; and do not deceive yourselves.’
Many, perhaps most, interpreters have supposed that the apostle particularly refers to those of the Galatians who, seduced by these false teachers, had been led to neglect altogether, or to perform in a very imperfect manner, their duty in supporting those instructors whom the apostle had placed over them. That such would be the natural result of the success of the ministrations of the Judaising teachers, and that the apostle’s caution is very applicable to such a case, there can be no doubt; but we see nothing, either in the words or in their connection, which should lead us to limit their reference to this particular form of self-deception, — a person supposing himself a Christian, and cherishing the hope of eternal happiness, while living in the neglect of so plainly commanded a duty. It is well remarked by Riccaltoun, that “the unhappy selfish spirit — an attachment to the present world — inclines men to excuse themselves in neglect of that duty, and perhaps the neglect of this ordinance of God for the support of a gospel ministry, and substituting another mode of provision in its room, has contributed more than any one thing to the corruptions which have in all ages disfigured and disgraced the Christian religion.” (This is a striking statement from a minister of an Established Church.) The injunction, “Be not deceived,” which is common in the apostolic writings, (1 Cor. 6:9; 15:33; 1 John 3:7; James 1:16), appears to be here just equivalent to, ‘Beware of supposing that, in consequence of any external rite or distinction, you are objects of Divine favour — the peculiar people of God. It is not circumcision nor uncircumcision, but a new creature, that constitutes real Christianity.’
“God is not mocked.” God is often mocked by men, both explicitly and implicitly. There are men so fearfully impious, as to ridicule the attributes, and works, and word of God; and there are many more whose conduct can be accounted for on no other principle than that they have the most unworthy and contemptuous conceptions of God. The apostle does not mean to deny this: so far from denying it, he plainly intimates that those who deceive themselves, by cherishing the hope of eternal happiness while they live “after the flesh,” do in effect attempt to impose on God, and thus mock Him. But He is not imposed on.* His unchangeable principle of moral government shall be applied in reference to such individuals, and they shall be treated, not as what they professed to be — not as what they perhaps had succeeded in convincing others, and to a certain extent themselves, that they were, — but as what they really are.
This leading principle of the Divine government is couched in plain and figurative language. “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”** The expression seems proverbial, and intimates that there shall be a strict conformity between a man’s present character and conduct, and his future condition — a correspondence similar to that which exists between sowing and reaping. The proverb holds both as to the kind and as to the quantity of the seed sown. He who sows tares shall reap tares; and he who sows wheat shall reap wheat. Sin will produce punishment, and duty will lead to reward. “He who sows sparingly shall reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall reap bountifully.” The degree of punishment will be proportioned to that of crime, and the degree of reward to the degree of holiness.
The language seems also to intimate, that the connection between character and conduct in this world, and condition in a future world, is not accidental or arbitrary, but is just as much in the natural order of things in the moral government of God, as the connection between the quantity and the quality of what is sown and what is reaped, is in the physical government of God. To suppose that sin will not lead to punishment, is as absurd as to suppose that tares will not produce tares. To suppose that sin can end in happiness, is as absurd as to suppose that tares will produce wheat. To suppose that happiness can be obtained without holiness, is just as absurd as to expect an abundant harvest of precious grain when nothing has been sowed at all, or nothing but useless and noxious weeds.
— John Brown of Edinburgh (1784-1858)
* The phrase, θεὸς οὐ μυκτηρίζεται, is equivalent to, ‘God will not suffer himself to be sported with; God cannot be deceived.’ Elsner has, on this rare word, μυκτηρίζεται, a long note, which is worth reading.
** This principle is strikingly expressed in the old monkish rhyme: —
”Quod sibi quisque serit praesentis tempore vitae,
Hoc sibi messis erit cum dicent, Ite, Venite.”
We have a similar proverb to that before us, Prov. 22:8; 2 Cor. 9:6.
