Sin and Its Consequence

Galatians 6:7, 8; I John 1:5 – 2:6

GOLDEN TEXT: “If, we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”—I John 1:9

THE thought of sowing is that of planting with a view to development, or result. Sometime the harvest will come. All of our thoughts, all of our actions, have an effect on future character. Little by little, the character is made up. The sowing of today will bring the reaping of tomorrow. If our thoughts and our attention are given to earthly things, the result will be development along earthly lines; but if our thoughts and attention are given to heavenly things, the development will be along spiritual lines.

Sowing to the flesh, minding the things of the flesh, means gratification of the desires of the flesh, minding the things that are craved by our fallen nature. If yielded to, these cravings will grow stronger and stronger. It is a mistake to suppose, as some do, that a reasonable gratification of the flesh is proper. Every gratification of the fallen flesh satiates only the animal propensities. Those who continue to yield to these propensities will ultimately reach corruption, death—the second death.

Those who mind spiritual things, set their affections on things above, not on things of earth; those who seek to develop themselves along spiritual lines, will progress in spiritual attainment. In due time such will reap the character-likeness of the Lord, and thus become copies of God’s dear Son, sanctified more and more through the truth. To such He has promised to give life eternal.

The words of our text are addressed to the church, and relate, therefore, to those who have made a “covenant with the Lord by sacrifice.” If these live after the flesh, they shall die, as the apostle says; for they have already surrendered their human life-rights. If by earnest endeavors they seek to lay down their lives and develop the new life by mortifying the flesh, by putting it to death, by striving to overcome the weaknesses which they inherit, they shall shortly be rid of all the impediments, and be clothed upon with a new body. Then they shall be like the Lord.

Comparatively few realize to what extent we form our own characters. Our minds, our affections, are gardens in which we may plant either the thorns and thistles of sin; the merely moral and practical qualities corresponding to useful vegetables; or, those seeds which produce the fragrant, beautiful flowers and fruits which more particularly represent the heavenly and spiritual graces. Whatsoever a man soweth, he shall also reap, whether he sow to the flesh, or to the spirit. Whoever, therefore, seeks for the heavenly things, joint-heirship in the Kingdom, etc., should keep uppermost in his mind, in his affections, those qualities and graces which the Lord marks out as essential to the development of the character such as will be “meet for the inheritance of the saints in light.”—Col. 1:12

There is for all mankind the natural attraction toward earthly things. During this reign of evil, the earthly things are blemished and in many respects distasteful to those who have learned to love righteousness and hate iniquity. There is still, nevertheless, a very strong attraction by even the marred and blemished earthly things. Like weeds, earthly affections, and desires spring spontaneously from seeds which come we know not when. The Christian, therefore, who would keep his heart in the love of God, must not only keep planting good seed, keep setting his affections upon heavenly things, but he must keep rooting out the weeds of earthly desire and attraction.

In Colossians 3, verses 12 to 14, the Apostle Paul points out the various graces of the Spirit exemplified in our Head, Christ, Jesus, and which we are to cultivate. Among these he lists (1) Compassionate sentiments; a disposition of largeness and generosity of heart toward everybody and everything—toward the saints, toward our neighbors, friends and relatives, toward our enemies, and toward the brute creation. Amplifying, he continues, showing that it would imply (2) Kindness toward all; (3) Humbleness of mind, the reverse of boastfulness, headiness, and pride; (4) Meekness, or gentleness of disposition; (5) Long-suffering or patient endurance with the faults and weaknesses of others. This implies that we should bear with one another’s peculiarities of temperament and disposition, freely forgiving one another if there be found cause for offense—learning the meanwhile to correct ourselves, as we see our own blemishes mirrored in others. And the standard for all this course of conduct is found in the Lord’s course toward us; for He surely has been generous, kind, forbearing and forgiving.

The apostle says, “Be not deceived.” The question naturally suggests itself, Is there danger that we may not know whether we are sowing to the spirit or sowing to the flesh? We answer, there is danger of being deceived along this line. The Scriptures represent that the flesh is very crafty; that the natural mind is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, and that the new mind needs to guard continually lest it fall into a trap of the old nature. If one is living according to the flesh, he may expect to reap accordingly. In all the affairs of our lives we are either building up the old nature that we agreed should be destroyed, or faithfully seeing to it that the deeds of the flesh are mortified and killed, that we may prosper as new creatures.

QUESTIONS:

What character lesson is taught by the illustration of sowing?

What would be the final result in the life of a Christian who continued to sow to the flesh?

What are some of the fruits to be expected from a faithful sowing to the spirit?

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