Clergy/Leaders’ Mail-list No. 3-053 (Sermon/Leadership Notes)

THE LAW OF SOWING AND REAPING – LOOK AGAIN!

by Siu-Fung Wu

A gentle reminder —————–

Christian leaders face all sorts of issues in life and ministry. A small group leader may have to deal with people going through career and relationship problems. An elder of a church may struggle to balance the church budget. Parents may come to their pastor for wisdom regarding how to discipline their children.

Over time we develop insights and solutions to resolve these problems. We then use them to formulate principles for Christian living. For example, when it comes to disciplining children, a key principle may be: “Learn not to lose your temper”.

In order to demonstrate the validity of these principles, we invariably look for Scriptural support. Unfortunately often the Bible is used to fit into our agenda, rather than to fine-tune or correct the way we see and do things.

Most of the time this is not a big issue, but at times we can be so mistaken that we miss out the actual teaching of the biblical text altogether. In some instances the end result is that we are saying the opposite of what the text says, although on the surface “our principles” seem to work.

We all do this from time to time, and so there is no room for any judgmental spirit. The following will demonstrate how a Scripture can be wrongly used to support some popular “principles”. I hope it will serve as a gentle reminder to pastors and leaders to be mindful of their call to handle the Word of God carefully.

Three examples ————–

Consider the following three examples where Galatians 6:8 (a verse about sowing and reaping) is used. They should sound quite familiar.

(a) A pastor was dealing with a couple where the husband had been unemployed for six months and his wife was recovering from an operation. Although they were committed Christians, they were getting a bit frustrated and were wondering how they could deal with the situation. The pastor thought that there was a spiritual warfare going on. Pointing them to the Galatians 6:8b, he said to them,

“You are doing what is right by being patient with God and faithful in everything you do. But I also encourage you to spend more time praying in the Spirit. My experience is that as you pray in the Spirit, the enemy’s stronghold will be broken. As Paul says in Galatians, “the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.””

(b) In a seminar a Christian psychologist taught a group of parents with young children. Using Galatians 5:23 and 6:8 as the key texts, he said,

“The law of sowing and reaping is about teaching children self- control. Teach your children that there is a consequence for everything they do. For example, if Johnny snatches the teddy bear from his sister, he will lose his favourite toy for one week. By learning to obey rules early in life they will not break the law of the society when they grow up.”

(c) In the face of falling Sunday offerings, the church board decided to ask one of their members to share with the congregation her experience in her business. Again, she referred to Galatians 6:8 and said,

“Two years ago I read Galatians 6:8 and learned that I should sow into spiritual things rather than fleshly matters. At the time my business was falling apart, but after much consideration I decided to start tithing and give generously to the church. Ever since then my business has been prospering and I believe that God will always bless those who invest in his kingdom.”

What the Biblical text really says ———————————-

There is no doubt that in all these examples the person concerned was sincere and genuine. Through their ministry, professional and personal experience they had worked out a principle for Christian living, and they invited others to follow.

But they all have applied Galatians 6:8 incorrectly. Everyone uses the Scriptures wrongly every now and then, and so we should not be pedantic. Yet the above three scenarios are quite serious. Now let us look closer at what the apostle Paul actually said in his letter to the Galatians.

Although it is not easy to fully grasp the theology of Galatians, the following observations regarding 6:8 should be quite obvious.

(1) The context of 5:13-6:10 is disharmony in the Christian community. Not only that there was envy and unwillingness to carry each other’s burdens (5:26; 6:1-5), the Galatians were also biting and devouring each other (5:15).

(2) The response of Paul was that they should love one another through the help of the Spirit (5:13, 14, 22). They should be Spirit-led and love-centred in everything they did (5:16-18).

(3) The “Spirit/flesh contrast” appears throughout 5:13-6:10 – see 5:16-17; 5;19, 22; 6:8. Paul used it to exhort his audience to live by the Spirit’s guidance and empowerment, rather than allowing their sinful nature to take control. In doing so they would bear the fruit of the Spirit.

What is important is that the “sowing to the Spirit/sowing to the flesh” antithesis in Galatians 6:8 has nothing to do with “breaking down strongholds”, “setting boundaries for children”, or “financial giving”. Instead, it is about pursuing love through the Spirit in a Christian community where there is tension and disharmony.

It is true that Paul invites us to pray in the Spirit elsewhere (Eph 6:18 – and we should consistently do that). It is also true that children should learn to be obedient, and of course Christians should be generous. (Hence the assertions in the three examples above are not entirely wrong.) Yet none of these was Paul’s intended teaching in Galatians.

Missing the most crucial point ——————————

What is unfortunate is that all of the three examples above seem to have somewhat missed Paul’s overarching concern in Galatians. Paul was furious about the Galatians’ succumbing to the false teachers’ appeal to circumcise – a key requirement in the Law of Moses.

For Paul, keeping the law does not maintain a Christian’s righteous standing before God. Justification is dependent entirely on faith in the faithfulness of Christ. Of course, the law reflects the moral ideals of God, and is important for us. But it fails to give us the power to overcome sin.

Instead, it is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to live righteously. The entire law is summed up in the love command (Gal 5:14). In Galatians Paul teaches the church to love one another through the help of the Spirit. Spirit-led and love-centred behaviour ultimately fulfils the law.

The problem of the above examples is that they have used Galatians 6:8 to support their “formulas” for Christian living. These formulas are essentially “rules” that can distract us from relying on the Spirit and being love-motivated.

Although we should set boundaries for children, we should aim at teaching them to love one another. Thus we should pray that little Johnny will learn not to snatch his sister’s teddy because he loves her. “Rules” show children standards but do not make them love.

Similarly, tithing and giving is not the formula for financial blessing. The right attitude is that we give to God everything we have simply because we love him, and not because we want something back. The attitude of generosity does not originate from us, but it can be developed if we truly rely on the Spirit.

It is true that the apostle Paul teaches us to pray in the Spirit. But spiritual warfare is not always the answer to the problems common to humankind. When someone is unemployed or sick, the body of Christ should do more than just praying. They should support the person in every possible practical way – the very love-response that Paul refers to in Galatians.

It is very easy for us to take Scriptures out of context and make them fit into what we want to say. Even the best preachers do that from time to time. (So don’t worry too much if you have done it.) But a little more care will avoid some of the more unfortunate misuses of Scriptures, as the above demonstrates.

Let us be prayerful every time we use the Scriptures.

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Written by Siu-Fung Wu JustCHARIS Ministries