John Calvin Commentary Galatians 6:7

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." — Galatians 6:7 (ASV)

God is not mocked. The purpose of this statement is to address the dishonest excuses that are often made. One person claims to have a family to support, and another maintains that they have no excess wealth to spend on generosity or extravagance. As a result, while so many hold back their help, the few who do their duty are often unable to provide the needed support.

Paul completely rejects these excuses for a reason the world hardly considers: this transaction is with God. Meeting a person's physical needs is not the only issue; it also involves the extent of our respect for Christ and His gospel.

This passage shows that the practice of treating faithful ministers with contempt did not begin in our time, but their wicked insults will not go unpunished.

For whatsoever a man soweth. Our generosity is limited by the assumption that whatever goes into another's hands is lost to us, and by the concern we feel about our own future. Paul addresses these concerns with a comparison drawn from the sowing season, which, he tells us, is a suitable illustration of acts of kindness.

We had occasion to speak on this subject when explaining 2 Corinthians, where the same comparison was used. It would be a happy thing for us if this truth were deeply engraved on our minds. How very gladly would we spend and be spent (2 Corinthians 12:15) for the good of our neighbors, motivated by the hope of the coming harvest!

No task is more willingly performed by farmers than sowing the seed into the ground. They are able to wait patiently for nine months of the year, motivated by the hope of harvesting a perishable crop, while our minds are not appropriately influenced by the hope of a blessed immortality.