Galatians 6:8–10: Edit history

Context

This passage belongs to the closing exhortations of Galatians, the letter Paul sent to the churches in the region of Galatia. In the letter Paul defends justification, the teaching that a person is declared righteous by faith rather than by the works of the law. Beginning in the latter part of chapter 5, he turns to the Christian life, contrasting the flesh (the human nature inclined toward sin) with the Holy Spirit. Galatians 6:1–10 offers exhortations on life in community. After urging believers to restore those who have fallen, to bear one another's burdens (6:1–2), and to share all good things with those who teach the word (6:6), Paul develops in verses 8–10 the agricultural image of verse 7: "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

Interpretation

• As a principle about the direction of one's life: Many commentators see the contrast between sowing to the flesh and sowing to the Spirit as continuing the contrast in chapter 5 between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit (5:19–23). What a person devotes his or her life to determines the final outcome: "corruption" (destruction) or life everlasting.
• In the context of sharing: Because the passage follows directly on verse 6, some interpreters hold that sowing includes supporting teachers materially. This reading also understands the "good" of verse 10 as concrete help and almsgiving.
• "The household of faith": Good is to be done "unto all men," and the passage is generally read as setting a priority: believers are to care "especially" for those in the same community of faith. This is understood not as narrowing the scope of love but as pointing first to nearer responsibilities.

Debates and Issues

• Reaping and grace: Some ask whether the language of "reaping" eternal life makes it sound like a reward for works. The Reformed tradition explains that eternal life is a gift of grace and that a life sown to the Spirit is the fruit that appears in those who have been saved. Methodist, Holiness, and other traditions that follow Wesleyan theology tend to emphasize sanctification carried out with the help of the Holy Spirit, as well as the believer's responsibility to persevere in that life.
• The condition in verse 9: Those who hold to the perseverance of the saints read it as meaning that God keeps His people to the end through their endurance. Those in the Arminian tradition read it as a real warning to keep the faith to the end. The New Korean Revised Version renders this phrase as "if we do not give up" (KJV: "if we faint not").
• Reading it as material reward: Some sermons use the image of sowing and reaping to teach that giving offerings brings material blessing. Critics respond that in this context what is reaped is eternal life, so an application in the manner of prosperity theology departs from the context. On the other hand, reading the passage together with 2 Corinthians 9:6–8 to encourage generous giving and sharing is widely accepted across many denominations.

In the Korean Church

The words of verse 9, "let us not be weary in well doing" and "in due season we shall reap," are often quoted to encourage volunteers, teachers, and believers who have prayed for a long time. The passage also serves as a sermon text urging church service and almsgiving, and because of its imagery of sowing and reaping, it is sometimes preached at Thanksgiving.

Related Passages

• Galatians 5:16–21: The contrast between the works of the flesh and life according to the Spirit
• Romans 6:21–22: Fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life
• Hosea 8:7: "They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind"
• James 2:15–17: Deeds that meet a neighbor's needs