Galatians 6:6-10
Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
COMMENT
For this section, I want to focus on verse 7. Here it is: Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. I want to start by saying this, this verse does not teach karma! I have heard people reference this verse when wanting to say that the Bible does agree with karma, but I wholeheartedly believe that it does not!
Karma: (car-ma) is a word meaning the result of a person's actions as well as the actions themselves. It is a term about the cycle of cause and effect. According to the theory of Karma, what happens to a person, happens because they caused it with their actions.
In the idea of karma, one might say, "What goes around, comes around." In other words, if you do good things, good will ultimately be your reward. Likewise, if you do bad things, bad will ultimately be your reward. This takes us right back to the idea of law, and how we must earn our salvation, and even our rewards in this life. (insert upchuck emoji here)
What this verse does teach is that choices have consequences. If you play with fire, you might get burned. If you live in bitterness and anger, expect the consequences of bitterness and anger to be a part of your life. This is different that the idea of karma, which says that if you live in bitterness and anger, and equal amount of bitterness and anger will be your penance.
The motivation for doing good in karma is to receive that amount of good in return, to be rewarded for that good. The cause is how you live, and the effect is what you receive as a result. In Paul's economy, the cause is living by (seeking to please) the Spirit of God, and this is done even if it is difficult or we do not receive a reward for those actions in this life. This is why is says "let us not grow weary of doing good." Our reward, the effect, will be realized "in due season." Our reward will be spending eternity in the presence of God, not because we have earned it via good works, but because of actions we have displayed because of our faith in God. By grace you have been saved through faith! (Ephesians 2:8)
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