Once again, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:
7Stop being deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man
is sowing, this he will also reap, 8because the one sowing into his
own flesh, out of that flesh will reap destruction, but the one sowing into the
Spirit, out of that Spirit will reap eternal life. 9But let us not
be desponding doing the beautiful for we will reap in proper season, not giving
up. 10Consequently therefore, as we have season, let us be doing the
good toward all, and especially toward the ones belonging to the household of
the faith.
As I’ve noted before, verses 1 through 10 in some ways seem
at first glance like just an arbitrary jumble of admonitions. However, now
having studied, I don’t think that is the case. I would maintain that verse 10
is a summary of it all and actually gives us the thought behind all ten verses.
I translated the beginning of verse 10 as “consequently
therefore.” The Greek begins with ara oun, which would translate literally
something like my “consequently therefore.” What is important is that ara oun
represents a significant conclusion. When a Greek sentence starts with ara oun,
it is like a big red flag saying, “OK. Now. To sum up everything I’m saying, or
to bring all of this to a conclusion …” That in part leads me to see verse 10
as “wrapping up” the passage and definitely not as just another arbitrary
thought thrown into the mix.
Also note that just back in 5:22,23 Paul taught “the fruit
of the Spirit is love …” and in 5:25, he admonished us to “keep in step with
the Spirit”; then he embarks on 6:1-10, which tells us various ways to “do good
to all people, especially to believers.” I would suggest the theme throughout
really is love and particularly Paul is offering to the Galatians specific
expressions of love which they need to consider in light of their current
controversy.
He said back in 5:6, “The only thing that counts is faith
expressing itself through love.” To be indwelt by the Spirit empowers me to
overcome my pride and selfishness and fear and instead to live a life of love
to God and my neighbors.
Into that world, Paul injects this admonition, “Stop being
deceived. God is not mocked.” In other words, it is a big deal when professing
believers ignore the enormity of grace and just give in and live flesh. The
whole plan of salvation in this world is about the blood of Jesus making it
possible for us to be indwelt by His Spirit – that we might be genuinely
changed to live out His grace and love in our world. Like too many churches,
the Galatians think it no big deal to spit in the face of grace and just let
themselves act like lost people – giving in to their pride and being hateful
and mean-spirited with each other. They’re even deceiving themselves into
thinking they’re somehow “defending” the truth. No. What they are doing is
mocking God!
Here is a place where I think in part we miss the truth
because we are so programmed to assume that “walking in the flesh” means giving
in to immorality or drunkenness or the like. “Well,” the Galatians could say,
“We certainly aren’t doing that!” But go back to 5:19-21 and read again the
works of the flesh. Note again that the list contains not only debauchery but
also “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions,
factions …” What is going on in the Galatian church is not just a well-meaning
debate over truth. What is going on is gross, bald-faced walking in the flesh.
It is a grief to the Spirit of God (Eph 4:30) and we need to call it what it is
– mocking God(!). Grace is a big deal. When Christians think they can “take it
or leave it” they in effect mock God. That certainly is how unbelievers see it.
Church fights are a mockery. They are a mockery of everything that church has
claimed to believe both in its public teaching and in its very existence in the
community.
Is it a big deal? Is it? Is it really that important that we
strive to walk in the Spirit and not give in to our flesh? Paul goes on to
remind us all of one of the most ancient proverbs of the human race:
“Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.” And in this case, it is a
choice to sow either to the Spirit or to our flesh. Just as sure as planting
corn seeds will mean you grow corn plants, if you sow to the flesh you’ll reap
destruction and if you sow to the Spirit you’ll reap eternal life.
And note again, “sowing to the flesh” here means simply giving
in to whatever “comes naturally” to us, whether it be immorality or just plain
insensitivity. Our flesh is the natural us. It is the me that naturally wants
this and that and naturally will do whatever makes sense to get this or that.
Unfortunately, it is the rotten me and regardless of how “right” I may think I
am, when it’s me in control, what I’m sowing is my own flesh (Note the “the one sowing into his own flesh”).
It takes a deliberate effort to sow instead to the Spirit. Note it’s not “into
his own spirit.” That is because my spirit is rotten. That’s the whole point of Spirit-indwelling – I have
another Spirit living in me. I can choose to let that Spirit control me. And
when I do, I am sowing to the Spirit – and reaping eternal life, the life that
really matters, actually real life. God warned Adam “in the day you eat
thereof, you shall surely die.” What He said literally was, “in dying you shall
die.” To sin is not only to die but to live dying. To walk with God is to live
living. Just to know Him is eternal life (John 17:3).
Once again, is it a big deal whether I recognize the
presence of the Holy Spirit in my heart and yield to His control? The only
other option is to “sow to my own flesh.” But to do that is to miss everything
that matters and in the end it is to mock God(!). Yes it is a big deal.
And besides pride and “comparing” (vv3-5), what is one of the
most likely obstacles I will face if I resolve to walk in the Spirit, to live a
life of love? In verse 9 Paul warns us against the same sin we find in Hebrews
12 – getting “weary” and giving up. I would suggest that “giving up” is “the
sin which so easily besets us” from Heb 12:1. There is something about a
sin-cursed world that just makes a guy tired. It seems like the older I get the
more I have to fight weariness. Just physically speaking, it’s hard to get
through the day and usually by Friday afternoon at work I am just totally
cooked. And that is certainly real, certainly an obstacle to accomplishing much
of anything.
But the spiritual weariness is something more. I think
sometimes they go hand in hand, physical weariness and spiritual weariness. But
still I think they’re different. It’s one thing to be tired. It’s another thing
to be “tired of it.” What Paul is saying is that somehow I have to fight
exactly that. As I would live a life of love, I have to fight the sense that it
is hard. I can’t let myself “grow weary.” And I certainly can’t “give up.” Babe
Ruth said, “It’s hard to beat someone who doesn’t give up.”
Can I inject, I think perhaps what is tricky here is that Spirit-life
is powered by the Spirit. As I let Him be my spirit, as I sincerely would live
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, sincerely try to “do good” to the world
around me, it is His power that “makes things happen.” There is definitely “something
going on” that I am very aware is beyond me. In my flesh, I’m essentially
trying to control the world, trying to make it come out the way I want. I actually
think I can. But in the Spirit, I simply focus on being while I’m doing and
leave the power to control and change up to Him. I suspect, in reality, it is
that on-going choice to leave the power up to Him – that is where we get weary
and lose the battle. Suddenly fear sets in and we get manipulative again. We
disregard grace and start pushing and shoving again, not realizing that the
battle is already lost, the minute we “let down” and stop deliberately walking
in the Spirit. Paul says, “Don’t let that happen. You’ll reap a harvest of life
if you just stay on task, if you keep letting the Spirit be your spirit, keep
on doing good by being good.”
And so, back again to verse 10, the sum of it all, the big “ara
oun” is “do good.” In fact, do good to everyone you can, wherever you have an
opportunity. Live love and joy and peace and kindness with every interpersonal
exchange as you go through your day – every single person you talk to or
interact with. Love people you think are wrong. Watch for the chance, big or
small, to put your shoulder to someone else’s load when you see them
struggling. Share in the good things of eternal life with those who teach them
to you. Basically, resolve to “go about doing good.” Someone else did before
you. His name was Jesus. That’s what Spirit-life is all about.
I want to come back and think more about this big “ara oun,”
this big “conclusion of it all.” But for now, suffice it to say that I really
don’t think Galatians 6:1-10 is just a random collection of admonitions. I
think it is all Paul urging these Galatian believers (and us through them) to
see the big picture of grace and live it in the real world of our lives.
What if everybody did?
No comments:
Post a Comment