Galatians 6:7
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
King James Version (KJV)
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In his closing exhortations, Paul presses a principle of moral consequence -- sowing and reaping -- to urge the Galatians toward the kind of life whose harvest they will want to gather.
What Does Galatians 6:7 Mean?
Paul issues a sober warning: do not be fooled, because God cannot be made a fool of, and a person harvests what he plants. The image is drawn from farming, which everyone understood: seed determines crop. There is a moral order built into how God runs the world, and pretending otherwise only deceives the one pretending. The phrase "God is not mocked" pictures someone turning up their nose at God as if His order could be sidestepped.
The principle is exact: "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Not something unrelated -- the very kind of thing planted is the kind of thing gathered. Paul is steadying the Galatians against a tempting illusion, the idea that one can live carelessly and still expect a good outcome. He has just spoken of generosity toward teachers; now he widens the lens to all of life. This is not a threat hurled at outsiders but a reality check for believers: the choices you plant today are forming the harvest you will one day stand in. It cuts both ways, sobering for careless living and encouraging for faithful living. God's order is patient but never naive, and it cannot be outwitted.
In the Original Language
Mē planasthe, "be not deceived," warns against being led astray; myktērizetai, "is mocked," pictures turning up the nose in scorn; speirei / therisei are the farming verbs "sow" and "reap."
Cross References
“For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
- Galatians 6:8
“Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.”
- Job 4:8
“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”
- 2 Corinthians 9:6
Application
Plant today what you would want to harvest later; God's moral order is patient but cannot be outwitted, and the seeds of your choices will come up as a crop.