I’m probably gonna catch some flak man
But ima swallow this pill like pac-man
Some of these folks won’t tell the truth
too busy tryina get them racks man
Church tryina rob my paychecks
Choir members probably having gay sex
Pastor manipulating, hurting women
I wonder what he’s gonna say next
Bookstore pimpin them hope books
Like God don’t know how broke looks
And tellin me that I’m gonna reap a mil
If I sow into these low crooks
Plus I know ol’ girl a freak, now how she sing the solo
I walked into church with a snapback and they tellin’ me that’s a no-no
That’s backwards and I lack words for these actors called pastors
All these folks is hypocrites and that’s why I ain’t
at church.[1]
And
if there’s ever been a song written by a Christian artist that truly made me
uncomfortable, it would be this one. Especially the line about pastors. The
first time I heard it, I felt dirty for listening to it. The pastors that I grew
up in the faith under for the first three years of my Christian life were not
at all actors. They were some of the realest people I’ve ever known. However,
if I’m being totally honest, I’ve turned to these lyrics several times in the
past three years in times of anger and frustration to say, “This is what is
wrong with the American church.” However, when my ipod played this song in the
past week, the heavy emphasis on money, and the specific words “reap” and “sow”
got me thinking. In addition, a news article I found on Facebook this week
explained that the sixth of the top reasons why 59% of millennials have left
the church is because of “distrust and misallocation of resources.” The author
explains, “Over and over we’ve been told to ‘tithe’ and give 10 percent of our
incomes to the church, but where does that money actually go? Millennials, more
than any other generation, don’t trust institutions, for we have
witnessed over and over how corrupt and self-serving they can be.”[2] While I don’t agree with the
solutions proposed by the article, the point stands that the common, “Give your
money and God will bless you,” teaching has done a ton of damage. I say this up
front, because today’s passage has Paul talking about sowing and reaping. Let’s
look at the context.
Paul writes in Galatians 5:16-6:10,[3] “I say
then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires
what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t
do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the
law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral
impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy,
outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy,
drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I tell you about these things in
advance—as I told you before—that those who practice such things will not
inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control.
Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus
have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by
the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit. We must not become conceited,
provoking one another, envying one another. Brothers, if someone is
caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person
with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you also won’t be tempted.
Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of
Christ. For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is
nothing, he deceives himself. But each person should examine his own
work, and then he will have a reason for boasting in himself alone, and not in
respect to someone else. For each person will have to carry his own load.
The one who is taught the message
must share all ⌊his⌋ good things with the teacher. Don’t be deceived: God is not
mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap, because the one who
sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to
the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So we must not get
tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.
Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all,
especially for those who belong to the household of faith.”
And before tying it all together, let me just explain one thing I’m
happy about from the past three years: learning how to properly interpret
Scripture. Three years ago, I would have said, “The beginning talks about
bearing in love, and this talks about sowing and reaping; I’ll tell what the
text says without keeping them connected.” However, that’s faulty Bible study.
Paul wrote this whole letter. From the first word to the last, it’s one
complete argument. We can’t chop it and take what we want where we want and
call it exegesis. We have to read all of it as a unit.
So we’ve finally come to the end of this super long section. Paul has
proved that the Law is fulfilled through love for one another, but also that
the flesh wars against the Spirit. He’s described the results of following the
flesh and the results of following the Spirit, and he’s commanded that
believers bear with one another in love and it was shown how that fulfills the
Spirit’s fruit and successfully wars against the flesh. Today, Paul wants to
show us how we bear with those who teach us the Word, and in so doing shows us
another way to resist the desires of the flesh, and encourages pastors to
remain faithful in their ministry.
Paul begins in verse 6 by saying, “The one who is taught the message
must share all ⌊his⌋ good things with the teacher.” John MacArthur
writes, “The seemingly obvious interpretation, and the one that is most common,
is that Paul is exhorting congregations to pay their pastors fairly. But although
that principle is taught in the New Testament . . . it does not seem to be what
Paul is teaching here.”[4] However, I must lovingly
disagree. Especially when Calvin, Luther, and another modern commentator all
see monetary giving being spoken of here. Cole states, “It
is, as often, difficult to decide whether this is the final verse of this
section or the opening verse of the next. As usual, it will be best to take it
as a ‘bridge verse’, whichever group it is considered as falling under. . . . When Paul says koinōneito, share,
or ‘have fellowship’, it is a Christian euphemism for ‘make a financial
contribution’.”[5]
Now, lest I dismiss MacArthur too quickly, his explanation must be discussed,
because it is helpful to understand the full meaning of our text today.
MacArthur sees verse 6 as going with verses 1-5, and wants to equate “the
teacher” of verse 6 with one of “the spiritual ones,” in verse 1. He helpfully
explains that the word translated “share” in verse 6 is commonly translated “fellowship,”
and the word translated “good things” speaks primarily of things that have “spiritual
or moral excellence,” and thus “the spiritual Christian who has picked up and
held up his fallen brother also builds him up in the word, in whose good things
they fellowship together.”[6] Thus MacArthur sees the
spiritual believer and the recovering believer as being able to share
fellowship together in the good fruit that results from the recovering believer
heeding the teaching of the spiritual believer.
I take the time to explain that because it helps add an extra layer to
the following verses, even if we understand fellowship primarily as “monetary
support.” In verses 7-8, Paul explains the spiritual truth behind his command
to share with the teacher. “Don’t be
deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will
reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap
eternal life from the Spirit.” He starts by commanding them not to be deceived.
Paul knows that the flesh wants to hold on to every dollar it is given. He also
knows that the flesh wants to isolate itself and not fellowship with other
believers. He says you can’t trick God; the law of nature—reaping what you sow—cannot
be undermined. If a person refuses fellowship with other believers they will
reap from the flesh; if a person hoards every dollar they are given, they will
reap from the flesh. God cannot be mocked. I want to give two examples for how
this process works in the life of Christianity today: one in the context of the
local church and one in the context of the wider Christian world.
First, in the local church we are called to share with those who teach
us the word. We share with them by giving our money—tithe/10% is never called
for in the New Testament. The model is actually to give until it hurts. Listen
to this from Luke 21: “He looked up and saw the rich dropping their offerings
into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow dropping in two tiny coins. ‘I
tell you the truth,’ He said. ‘This poor widow has put in more than all of
them. For all these people have put in gifts out of their surplus, but she out
of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.’” (Luke 21:1-4). She gave
100%. Paul will connect this act of giving to the Spirit’s manifestation of
love in 2 Corinthians 8:8-9, “I am not saying this as a
command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the
genuineness of your love. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Though He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you
might become rich.” This is what
our giving to the ministry should look like. (And in Galatians 6:6 it is a command.) Since we reap what we
sow, the teaching will reflect itself in our lives. If the teaching is all talk
and no action, the lives will be all talk and no action. If the teaching is
judgmental and degrading, the hearers will become judgmental Pharisees. For
this reason, the pastor should teach accurately so the people keep giving. He
shouldn’t have to preach one sermon a month on giving to keep people convicted
about the need to give; they should do it willingly because he teaches
accurately and models it in his own life. In the same way, if a ministry is fruitless,
there is no need to sow monetary funds into it to keep it going, especially if
it is doctrinally off or failing in the Christian living it produces.
In much the same way, as Christians, we read books written by other
Christians. When we do this we are sowing into their ministry, and
fellowshipping with them. Since the teaching becomes the living and we reap
what we sow, we should not spend time in worthless Christian media. If we do,
it will come out in our life. If Christians only purchased biblically sound,
gospel centered works, it would spur pastors worldwide to be accurate,
biblical, and Christ-centered; and a revival of sorts would take place in the
church which could then lead to a revival in the world.
We must sow to the Spirit so that we can reap eternal life and avoid
fulfilling the desires of the flesh. We must not sow to the flesh because if we
do, we reap corruption, and this is first shown in a lack of assurance of
salvation. People—like the majority of millennials today—who avoid church are
sowing to the flesh and reaping corruption. I personally believe the biggest
problem with millennials is their pride: they can’t take it if someone says
they are wrong, and since the first premise of the Gospel is that everyone is
wrong, no millennial—or really anyone else—wants to hear it. Thus they avoid
the church and put up smokescreens so they can continue to sow to their flesh.
And then in verses 9-10 we see an exhortation to persevere in love for
believers—summing up the whole section. “So we must not get tired of doing
good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must
work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of
faith.” It is hard work to bear with each other. It is hard to sacrificially
give our resources away. It is often very hard to resist the desires of the
flesh. However, we must rest in the Spirit and let Him manifest Himself in our
lives. The truth is there: we will reap if we don’t give up sowing. This earthly
life is the opportunity to sow. Sowing to the Spirit—the sowing we must not
give up—is done through bearing with one another, fellowshipping with one
another, not hoarding resources from one another, and by resisting the desires
of the flesh. We also sow by doing the exact opposite, but that will result in
corruption and we must give that up right now.
If your pastor is faithful to the Word and to pointing you toward
Christ, give of your resources. Especially if he is a fulltime pastor who is employed
by the church. He relies on you for support. If he is taking care of your
spiritual needs, you owe it to him to help support him. If you don’t give of
your resources, you want to reap corruption from the flesh.
However, if your pastor is not faithful to the Word, you are not sowing
to the Spirit by giving to his ministry. Unfaithfulness to the Word—and neglect
of the Gospel as presented in Galatians—leads to the unhealthy situation that
Paul had to correct in this letter. The reason he’s spent so much time on the
difference between the flesh and the Spirit is because legalism and lawlessness
both lead to fleshly corruption, and not to the Spirit’s eternal life. If your
pastor does not preach the gospel, you will not reap eternal life by giving to
him, but rather corruption from the flesh.
It is important to note what Paul says at the end of verse 10. We must
work for the good of all, but especially for believers. When millennials are
all about causes in the world, that’s great, but when they neglect to come to
church because they feel that the church isn’t doing enough for those “out
there,” they are missing the point. We—as the church—owe love first and
foremost to our own. Only after loving believers to the nth degree are we to
show love to the world. And the primary way we’ll show the world love is by
telling them they’re wrong and that only in Jesus can they be made right.
Why do you neglect to give to the church? Is it because you don’t belong
there because you have yet to be made a part of it by the blood of Jesus? I
would plead with you to believe in Him today. Find a church that points you to
Him and get involved. Love others well, which includes giving up your
resources, and sow to the Spirit for eternal life.
In conclusion, the church has done a lot of damage in the name of “sowing
and reaping.” However, that is because they have separated the act of giving
from the fruit of living. The teaching is promoted by the giving. The teaching
shows its true colors through the living that follows. If you want to live a
life of love to God and others, give to teaching that accurately represents who
God is. This will lead to eternal life, and is another way in which we win the
war against the flesh, walk by the Spirit in freedom, and prove that we are not
under Law but rather fulfilling Christ’s Law by bearing with one another in
love.
Til next time.
Soli Deo
Gloria. Solus Christus.
[1]
Lecrae, “Church Clothes,” Church Clothes
(Reach Records, 2012).
[2]
Sam Eaton, “59 Percent of Millennials
Raised in a Church Have Dropped Out—And They’re Trying to Tell Us Why,” Faith It, http://faithit.com/12-reasons-millennials-over-church-sam-eaton/.
[3] 6:6-:10
are bolded because those are what this post is focusing on.
[4]
John MacArthur, Galatians, 182.
[5] R.
Alan Cole, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries – Galatians, (Downers
Grove, IL: InterVarsity Academic, 2008), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 228.
[6] John
MacArthur, Galatians, 182.
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