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Q2. Sowing to the Spirit


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2a)man reaps what he sows. If man is led by flesh, he deceives himself &his mocking God’s justice when acts sinful, as if to avoid expecting consequence judgment.

B)Looks like disrespect of God’s law of love, for Him,for our leaders,our neighbours in church/work,God’s creation etc.

C)sowing in Spirit results in church in growth spiritually, in numbers, fruit of Spirit seen as loving &active to meet needs of others.

D)sowing to flesh results into discord,factions, growth stunted.

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  • 7 months later...

 To sow in the flesh means to give into the desires of our flesh and not to lead a life led by the Holy Spirit.  It will lead us to sin and turn away from God.

 

It does not look good when we are in sin.

 

The synonyms Paul uses are "walking in the Spirit," "being led by the Spirit," "living in the Spirit," and "keeping in step with the Spirit." 

 

The congregation looks joyous and lively, sowing to the spirit.  Fellow believers will be forgiving and kind ready to carry each others burdens and help the ones who fall encouraging them gently.  There is great love and peace in such a congregation.  God is present in their midst and there will be true worship in this place.

 

As a result of sowing in the flesh, there will be disunity in the congregation.  God’s spirit will not be present here and memebers may not be filled with the fruits of the spirit.  There will be backbiting, gossip and pride and such a congregation will not grow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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To sow in the flesh means to do the very things the flesh wants to..or sin

The synonyms Paul uses are to live and be led by the spirit

Sowing to the spirit in the congregation looks like a fruitful harvest of spirit filled Christians and reaping the fruit of the Spirit.

The results of a congregation sowing in the spirit is Christ is the head,there is love ,there is fruit  of the spirit. `prayers are answered,miracles and wonders happen and there is great annointing of the `holy spirit and the congregation flourishes.

When the congregation is sowing in the flesh there will be destruction only.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Q2. (Galatians 6:7-8) What does it mean to “sow to the flesh”? What does this look like? What synonyms does Paul use for “sow to the Spirit” in Galatians? (Hint: see 5:16, 18, 25). What does sowing to the Spirit look like in a congregation? What are the results in a congregation of sowing to the flesh?

 

Sowing to the flesh means feeding those worldly desires in one's life that are contrary to God's standards.  It looks like sexual immortality; lustful pleasure; hatred; discord, jealously; idolatry; drunkenness; quarreling; division; and sins like these.  Paul refers to the end product of our actions (how we engage life), as fruit.  Either we are flesh or Holy Spirit driven.  Either will produce a certain kind of fruit. 

 

Sowing to the spirit looks like love; peace; joy; patience; kindness; goodness; faithfulness; gentleness; and self-control.  These fruits bring a congregation together in Christ whereas a congregation that sows to the flesh brings about destruction.

 

 

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Q2. (Galatians 6:7-8) What does it mean to “sow to the flesh”? What does this look like? What synonyms does Paul use for “sow to the Spirit” in Galatians? (Hint: see 5:16, 18, 25). What does sowing to the Spirit look like in a congregation? What are the results in a congregation of sowing to the flesh?

 

 

Sowing to the flesh means feeding those worldly desires in one's life that are contrary to God's standards.  It looks like sexual immortality; lustful pleasure; hatred; discord, jealously; idolatry; drunkenness; quarreling; division; and sins like these.  Paul refers to the end product of our actions (how we engage life), as fruit.  Either we are flesh or Holy Spirit driven.  Either will produce a certain kind of fruit. 

 

Sowing to the spirit looks like love; peace; joy; patience; kindness; goodness; faithfulness; gentleness; and self-control.  These fruits bring a congregation together in Christ whereas a congregation that sows to the flesh brings about destruction.

 

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  • 1 year later...

Sow to the flesh means to think more of material and earthly goods than of our own spirituality. People only think about what they can get. They want the best of everything. They do not care who they hurt to get it.

 

The synonyms for the fruit of the spirit are: love, joy, peace forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

 

Affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity, sense of compassion in the heart, conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people involved in loyal commitments not needed to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

 

In a congregation that sows the spirit is a very loving and compassionate group of people. Peace flows from all those that attend functions and worship. there is an ever present lightness about the group at all times.

 

A congregation that sows to the flesh are always in conflict. They are only concerned with the material things in the church. they most important thing to them is the budget report. Prayers are repetitive at the best.

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  • 8 months later...

Q2. (Galatians 6:7-8) What does it mean to “sow to the flesh”? What does this look like? What synonyms does Paul use for “sow to the Spirit” in Galatians? (Hint: see 5:16, 18, 25). What does sowing to the Spirit look like in a congregation? What are the results in a congregation of sowing to the flesh?

Galatian 6:7-8 the phrase "sow to the flesh" means people whose minds are set on the natural things, they live a sinful life. Any person who lives by the flesh cannot please God.

Living by the flesh is when a person is totally involved with earthly desires and knows nothing of God.

The symptoms Paul gives for sowing to the spirit are, walking in the spirit, led by the spirit and living a spiritual life.

Sowing to the spirit in a congregation looks like they are led, walk and live by the spirit, evident by their teaching and belief.

The results of a congregation that follows the spirit will live and walk by the spirit in their community by helping one another and their fellow neighbors. Being led by the spirit they will go out and do as the spirit commands them and share the gospel.  . 

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  • 1 year later...

SOWING TO THE FLESH: rejecting God; overtaken by the appeal, cravings, passions and lusts : live as you please, seeking earthly position, power, and honor, hoarding, strife with other believers; makes provision for the indulgence of fleshly appetites; licentiousness, intemperance, vanity; using lives to use their resources in wasteful ways; investing in fulfilling sinful human desires; resist the initiatives of the Holy Spirit; distinguished for luxury living, extravagance

SOWING TO THE FLESH LOOKS LIKE: heart with the world, mocking God; mimic others in contempt or derision, quarrelsomeness, conceited; prideful; being critical; rejecting God's ministers; Galatians 5:19-21

SOWING TO THE SPIRIT: Using resources to grow spiritually; support the Lord's work; wise stewardship; Holy Spirit controls life (things done through the power of the Holy Spirit); bearing the fruit of the Spirit; led by the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, live in the Spirit; souls reached for the kingdom; the Spirit of God will actually enter his life and take up residence there; the Spirit will implant the divine nature of God within the heart of the believer

SOWING TO THE SPIRIT LOOKS LIKE: sowing seeds of kindness to those in need; expresses Christ's love; preparing heart to receive the gospel; wise handling of money, use of talent and investment of time

SOWING TO THE FLESH RESULTS: destruction, death, judgment of God; prideful; virtue gone; soul debased (depravity); insult God with impunity; conceit; arrogance; attitude of selfishness

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  • 2 years later...

Greetings pastor, I found your site while looking for an answer on Galatians 6 ...

however, I would like to get another question clear in my heart.its about the sabbath....it is not quite settled in my heart,

according to gen.2:2-3 ...rev 22:14.....in gal 5:18...rom.6:14, 1john 3:4.....

we have the moral law.....law of Moses ..law of Christ....

as I understand the difference...we are to keep the moral law (10 commandments) and the law of Christ....

Can you pls help me understand....Thank you for listening. 

Grace and peace.

ps. Can I respond to your reply...

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  • 2 years later...

This sowing means that one is acting to choose courses of conduct that will gratify their cravings of their totally depraved natures.  The Judaizers aND those that followed them - adjusted to the fallen nature of man and continuing in sin.  No demand for the necessity of regeneration nor for faith in one final sacrifice of atonement.   Salvation by works religion which glorifies man not God; a religion that allows sin while seeking to buy favor of God by good works.   Paul saw that corruption would result.   This is very similar to the Manichean heresies of the 12th century.

Very tragic that even in the Roman Catholic Church, we see this happening.  Modern RCC seminaries are infiltrated with spurious theologians that have propagated such harmful doctrines.  Like their Protestant counterparts in liberal churches, the same thing:   just fine to sow to the flesh as long one keeps a semblance of Christainity.   No mentioning of being converted nor mortification of the sarx,  and no mentioning of renouncing the world the flesh and the devil.

"Walk"  "led" "live".   It is imperative to  submitted to the Holy Spirit.    If we invent our own way, we are doomed to failure.  In many churches,  so many negative results have occurred.  All sorts of sinfull behaviors have been allowed to spread even within "conservative" churches.   Just like King Solomon, who fell into serious idolatry later In life, very serious sins have been incurred by so called "clergy".  Their parishes have been affected as well.   Ungodly practices have been condoned under fancy theological jargon.  Whereas churches who truly sow in the Spirit will have godly pastors and godly parishioners.   They heed to the Holy Bible.  Their  churches are truly Evangelical, soul winning churches that are enthusiastic about preaching the Gospel and discipline people according to the Holy Bible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Paul compares two opposites -- the flesh and spirit. The verb he uses is "to sow" which is purposeful, something I plan to do. Sowing is not something that happens to me unexpectedly, like the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, but something I plan carefully to do, and then work at it. Sowing is hard work. Backbreaking work. (I've never sowed a crop, but can imagine how hard it would be ...)

So, to sow to the flesh would be like purposely putting little seeds of sin into my life. I do this in my mind. Little seeds of anger, for example, grow into bigger thoughts of anger. When my mind isn't focused on God, or doing mundane chores, it's distracted and self-centred, creating a distance between myself and God. I think it was Hanks, upthread, who used the phrase, "moral decay." He's right. Decay is slow and starts internally. Sowing to the flesh starts the process of decay.

Sowing to the spirit is the opposite. It's the purposeful cultivation of spiritual ideas, dropping "seeds" of thought that are centred on Him.

The synonyms Paul uses are 16 -"walk by the Spirit; 18 "led by the Spirit"; and 25 "live by the Spirit."

--

I'm struck by how responsible I am for my own spiritual condition. I''m the one who sows. I'm responsible for the seeds I put in the ground. God doesn't sow for me. Sowing is something I set out to do, something I do determinedly, not something that God does for me. 

I wonder if reaping is as purposeful as sowing, that I'm supposed to reap as determinedly as I sow, or if reaping is more passive, something God gives to me. I'm uncertain what is my responsibility and God's. Isaiah writes in chapter 30, "He will send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground ..."  This sounds like I'm to sow and He'll nurture it.

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