Unto the Spirit the believers sow, and of the Spirit they reap in their life. Galatians 6:8 says, “He who sows unto his own flesh, shall reap corruption of the flesh, but he who sows unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life.” The Greek word translated “unto” in this verse also means with a view to or for. To sow unto the flesh is to sow with a view to the flesh, or for the flesh, with the purpose of the flesh in view, fulfilling what the flesh covets. To sow unto the Spirit is to sow for the Spirit, with the aim of the Spirit, accomplishing what the Spirit desires. To sow for the fulfilling of the purpose of the flesh issues in corruption; to sow for the accomplishing of the aim of the Spirit issues in life, even eternal life. Corruption is of the flesh, indicating that the flesh is corrupted; eternal life is of the Spirit and is the Spirit Himself.
Sowing covers the totality of our Christian life. Everything we do is some kind of sowing, either to the flesh or to the Spirit. Wherever we may be and whatever we are doing, we are sowing seeds. It is crucial for us to realize that the Christian walk must be a walk by the Spirit and a life of sowing unto the Spirit. We shall always reap what we sow. If we sow unto the flesh, we shall reap corruption of the flesh. If we sow unto the Spirit, we shall reap eternal life of the Spirit.
It is very important to understand what Paul means by sowing. Because of his human experience and what he had learned and because of the revelation he received from God, Paul had a thorough understanding of human life. His use of the word “sow” in Galatians 6:8 points to the true meaning of human life. According to Paul’s understanding, human life is a process of sowing. Day by day we are sowing. We sow by what we say and do and by what we are. To sow is to put forth something that will grow and eventually be reaped. In our daily living we are constantly putting forth things that will grow and bring forth a harvest. Even a word uttered by us contains seeds that will land in a particular soil, grow, and produce a harvest that we shall reap. The word “sowing” is actually equal to living. To be careful in our sowing is to be watchful concerning our living.
Because sowing causes a certain result, Paul warned us to be careful of our sowing. If we sow unto the flesh, we shall of the flesh reap corruption. But if we sow unto the Spirit, we shall reap of the Spirit eternal life. Therefore, in 6:8 flesh stands in contrast to the Spirit, and corruption in contrast to eternal life. There are only two kinds of sowing and two kinds of reaping. There is no neutrality, no third kind of sowing or reaping. No doubt, corruption includes death. Sowing unto the flesh will always produce a harvest of corruption, whereas sowing unto the Spirit will always produce a harvest of life eternal.
Paul’s words strongly imply that we need to make a decision with respect to our aim, our goal. Will our aim be the flesh, or will it be the Spirit? Paul speaks of sowing unto the flesh and unto the Spirit. To sow unto the flesh is to have the flesh as the goal. But to sow unto the Spirit means to sow with a view to accomplishing the purpose of the Spirit. This is to have the Spirit as our goal. Thus, the Spirit should be not only our life and walk but also the goal of our living. There is no neutral ground between the flesh and the Spirit. Our goal is either one or the other. It cannot be anything else.
As believers, we are not aimless, for we have a goal, an aim, that controls and directs us. Whatever we do, we do with a view toward this goal. Therefore, Paul charges us to sow unto the Spirit, to live unto the Spirit, to say and do everything with a view to the Spirit. We need to take the Spirit as our unique and eternal goal. God’s goal is to become the all-inclusive Spirit in us for our enjoyment. God’s economy, therefore, is to give us Himself as the Spirit. Now we should take the Spirit as our aim, our goal.
Finally, we need to see the reason for sowing unto the Spirit. In Galatians 6:15 Paul speaks of the new creation. Paul’s mention of the new creation here gives us the reason for sowing unto the Spirit. The result of sowing unto the Spirit is a new creation. Hence, we should sow unto the Spirit for the new creation. When we aim at the Spirit and sow unto the Spirit, the Spirit makes us a new creation. Furthermore, as we sow unto the Spirit, we shall walk by the Spirit. Then spontaneously we shall be the new creation in a practical way, for the divine Spirit will mingle Himself with us and constitute us of Himself to make us new. For this new creation we need the Holy Spirit to work in us to keep us continually in the divine fellowship. Then in our daily living we shall sow unto the Spirit and of the Spirit reap eternal life.
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