The Law, the Christ, the Promise With R. L. SolbergSample

The broader application of Paul’s sowing and reaping metaphor applies to all Christians. He isn’t describing the process of God stepping in to render judgment; He already rendered His judgment when we were justified by faith in Christ. Rather, “sowing and reaping” is about the long-term natural consequences of our actions in God’s universe. In the same way that continually bingeing on junk food puts us on a crash course for a health crisis later in life, repeatedly “sowing to the flesh” puts us on a crash course for a spiritual crisis. If we persistently follow our sinful nature, we will reap spiritual collapse and destruction. There are still natural consequences for sin in the life of a believer. We all know that sin can be fun in the moment. But it never yields a harvest of joy, peace, and life. . . .

It deceives us into trying to accomplish in the flesh what can only be completed by the Spirit. Our sinful nature wants us to get some of the glory when all glory rightfully belongs to God alone. “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other” (5:17 ESV). Paul shows us how our sinful nature can lead us to fall back into some degree of slavery to sin, even though we have already been set free. It’s as if part of us wants to put the shackles back on our wrists. And when believers are in this state of mind, we can lose sight of the gospel.

This is part of the Spirit-led sanctification process. Everyone’s journey is different because every human being is different. We don’t all mature in our likeness to Christ in a nice straight line. But as we walk out our sanctification, the fact never changes that we have already been justified. Just because we stumble or lose sight of the truth for a time or go through a period of discipline from God does not mean that we stop being saved by God’s grace. After all, He sent the people of Israel into exile and scattered them across the nations, but He never stopped loving them. His promise that a remnant of Israel will be saved still remains. Likewise, if our faith is genuine, our salvation is secure too.

Prayer

Father, I want to glorify You in all that I do. Please forgive me for my sins, and thank You for the saving faith You have given me. Amen