by R. L. Morrison

"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. 6:7-8).

Paul used a figure of speech in the passages above. He refers to a very simple illustration in nature to teach a great spiritual truth. Most folks are more or less acquainted with gardening. A couple of well known garden items are mustard and turnips. If you mix the seed together, you probably would not be able to tell them apart or separate them, unless you plant them. The seed may be mixed together before planting, but they will not be mixed in production. We are all aware that each seed produces after its kind. The turnip seed produces turnips. The mustard seed produces mustard. Turnip seeds never have nor ever will produce mustard. Mustard seed will not, indeed cannot produce turnips. There is a law which prevents this. It is not a man made law. God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth; and it was so" (Gen. 1:11). And it is yet so upon the earth.

God's law of sowing and reaping is unchangeable in the natural world. In this, God teaches a lesson which can be of great value, if men will learn it and properly apply it. It is possible for one to be honestly mistaken in the kind of seed sown in a field. But regardless of how sincere and honest he may be, that seed will produce only after its kind. God's law of sowing and reaping was given for man's own good and protection. One would hesitate to plant any seed in a field, if he did not know what would be produced. If one planted grain of some sort, needed for food, he would sustain great loss if it produced cockle burrs.

This law of God is true in the spiritual and moral realm also. This is the lesson Paul teaches in the use of this figure in Galatians 6. He said if one sows to the flesh he shall reap corruption. He said this same thing in other words: "For the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). There is no way to avoid or escape the consequences. Sin brings forth death.

In Galatians 5:19-21, Paul sets forth a list of what he calls works of the flesh. People who do these things sow to the flesh. "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like; of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in times past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." These things are sin, they are contrary to righteousness. They who practice them have no fellowship with God in this life, and certainly need not expect fellowship with God in the life to come.

We sow to the flesh as we live each day. The things we do, the words we say, determine our destiny in eternity. Our words and deeds spring from the heart, for as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

Many seem to think this law of God, though true in nature, does not include or involve the moral or spiritual issues in life. Sometimes people say of young people and some activities which are wrong, or at least questionable, "Well, they are young. They have to sow their wild oats." But "wild oats" produce only after their kind.

Recently it was announced in the news that among teenagers in our country, auto accidents are the number one cause of death. Following, or number 2, is suicide! What percentage of these deaths, do you think, can be attributed to "sowing wild oats"? The use of drugs, including alcohol (it is a drug), cause many of the deaths. Perhaps it is not all the fault of youth, for they follow the example set by parents or other adults. It seems some never grow too old to "sow wild oats." However, the age of the sower does not affect the harvest. It will be according to that which is sown. "For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind ..." (Hosea 8:7). Those who sow wild oats are deceived. The disillusionment will be terrible when one spends his lifetime sowing them, for there is no escaping the consequences.

Jesus spoke of a day of giving account for the kind of lives we live. "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48). The apostle spoke of this: "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead" (Acts 17:30-31). Again, "For it is written, as I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:11-12).

Some people reject the teaching of a resurrection and judgment. But it is as certain as was the resurrection of Christ. And all shall bow before Him, acknowledge him as Jesus Christ, some to honor and glory, others to shame and everlasting separation from God and all righteousness.

Although this is a dark picture, there is an alternative. You will remember that Paul said those who sow to the Spirit shall reap of the Spirit life everlasting. But HOW does one sow to the Spirit? It is not difficult to understand. Through the apostles, the Holy Spirit revealed the truth. It can make us free from sin, and a continual obedience to it, or sowing to the Spirit, leads to life everlasting.

We must recognize and then believe that Christ died for us, for our sin. He made our forgiveness possible. But we must obey him, his gospel, to be made free. When the apostles preached Christ, they told sinners to hear the word, believe it, repent of their sin, and upon a confession of their faith in Christ to be baptized for the remission or forgiveness of sins. Saved by this obedience, one is added by the Lord to the church, becoming a member of the body of Christ, the church. As a Christian, such a one sows to the Spirit and bears the fruit of the Spirit. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Gal. 5:22-23).

Peter wrote to Christians: "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity." When these things are the pattern of life of the child of God, he will bear the fruits of the Spirit. So doing will result in everlasting life. Should you inquire, "How long must I continue?", the Bible answer is: "Be thou faithful unto death."

There are just two ways to sow in life: to the flesh or to the Spirit. Every responsible person is sowing in one or the other of these ways every day of life. As long as we live and are able to exercise our minds, we will sow in one or the other. We can no more stop sowing than we can stop the tides of the ocean or the clock of time. Each one of us is responsible for his or her own sowing. You cannot sow for another; you cannot reap for another. We each shall give account for self, and we each shall reap as we have sown.

In view of this, does not wisdom suggest that we carefully choose the seed we sow in life? Remember, we shall reap according to what we sow. You cannot mix the seed of the flesh and that of the Spirit and reap a pure harvest. To attempt to do so is to lose all, for the "tares", the seed of the flesh, will condemn you. Why not turn to God's word, study it, learn and obey it? Live for God here, that you may live with Him eternally!

But, today, for today is the only time you really have, HOW are YOU sowing?