“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Galatians 6:7
Looking down from the heavens, planet Earth must look like a madhouse. The world seems to be falling apart everywhere. Liberal democracies have opened their doors to autocrats. Brutal wars, many of them civil conflicts, bring great suffering. In cities and communities, criminal gangs fight turf wars filled with assassinations. Racism and discriminations remain embedded. Leaders are engaged in partisan political survival dogfights that leave their countries horribly divided down streets and villages. And every now and then, major climate disasters of earthquake or storm add to the immeasurable suffering. Everywhere humans follow their passions, whims of the moments, each determined to have their own way. Many know they are doing wrong, but lies and deceits, even in the face of obvious truths, control them.
Despite all this, we live in an ordered universe. It operates by laws. Those who believe in God say these are divine laws, given by the Creator. To every action, there is a reaction, as the laws of physics state. We live carelessly, thoughtlessly, selfishly, yet we believe that there will be no price to pay for our actions. The Bible warns clearly, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7).
We make allowance for the errors of youth. There, innocence is demanding its right to experience the knowledge of good and evil. But when a certain age and supposed adult maturity have been attained, how can we excuse the deliberate wrongdoing that is indulged in? The attainment of adulthood is very difficult. The great passions of youth, indulgence of the senses without discipline or knowledge, the free rein given to self-centredness, these have a perverse pleasure in them, not easily given up. Maturity, even among adults, can be hard to find. Many, within their aging bodies, are still the spoiled, self-willed brats that they were as children. This explains much of what we see in broken homes, questionable political leadership, exploitation of workers, criminal activity whether blue or white-collar crime.
Respecting freedom of religious choice, and the freedom to not follow any religion, Christianity has always asserted that the revelations of Bible Scripture offer humanity the way to true development and maturity. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10). The Lord Jesus Christ had prayed, “Sanctify them by Your truth, Your word is truth.” (John 17:17). In a world that declares itself “post-truth”, which denies any “absolute truth” but proposes that “all truth is relative”, the Bible says its contents are recorded revelation from God Who exists, Who has not been silent, but has spoken to the world by prophets, apostles and His Incarnate Son, Jesus Christ. All of this Scripture “is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17).
The Bible reveals man as a creature made by a loving God. It shows that man has rebelled against the divine law, become sinful, and now stands under the judgement of God Who is Holy and Perfect. Man is fully responsible for the madhouse, miserable situation of suffering that has existed down the eras and afflicts us today. But the Bible reveals that God has been merciful and offers mankind a real salvation. This is to be found only through obedient faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Carpenter from Nazareth, Who is revealed to be God in the flesh, the Second Person of the Triune Godhead, the Son of God. Amazing! Incredible! But true! There is no religious faith like Biblical Christianity which gives such astounding revelations to mankind. The capstone that seals this historical event is the Resurrection of Christ after He had been crucified. And there is more. More that speaks to the future of this universe and our planet. The Apostle Paul, speaking in Athens to Greeks, tells them that God “has appointed a Day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man Whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31). Indeed, for believers in the Biblical revelations, the Gospel of God’s grace in Christ Jesus is good news!
The whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments, “For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14). How carelessly we live, even those who are believers in Christ! We are all troubled by the sin within us, the allurements of the world and the deceits of a real devil. Today, where there seems to be “no place for truth” (David Wells), we need more God-fearing, faithful persons within churches who give serious attention to the revealed truths of Scripture. So many are caught up in their denominational doctrines, many of which may be erroneous, and frankly, heretical. They are given more to external religiosity like the ancient Pharisees and show very little real love for others. Holiness, righteousness, love, godliness are often absent from churches and professing Christians. The apostles in the New Testament era and the prophets of the Old Testament always called God’s people to repentance and a more serious practice of the Presence of God. In that way alone can they be witnesses for Christ and His saving Gospel.
Only with a true reverence for God and His word will we have effective sowing and reaping of the seed of the Kingdom of God. Saint Lucia is not a Christian society. The majority religion, in several denominations (with conflicting doctrines) is Christian. But that does not make this country a Christian nation. If it were, this place would be paradise on earth, with no crime, corruption, exploitations, unfaithfulness, immoralities, partisan divisions whether of politics or religion. Only the Holy Spirit, by His word and power in their hearts, can make young killers, put down their guns. This is the message of the Gospel. It is God alone Who saves us from our sins (Ephesians 2:8,9). And many faithful Christians can testify to this. They can give witness as to what they once were and who they are now by God’s grace alone.
It is not easy to obey God and do what He commands in His word. The world, sinful flesh and devil are real enemies. To sow and nurture the seeds of God’s word found in the Bible is to put on the armour of God that protects us (Ephesians 6:11-18). That helps us to recover when we inevitably fail. To believe in the Gospel of the Risen and Reigning Christ with real repentance from sins is to sow seed for a future with God that is promised in Scripture. The faithful, persevering believer looks “for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:13). Indeed, what we sow is what we reap. This is an eternal, spiritual law.