Galatians 6:7-8
7. God is not mocked—The Greek verb is, literally, to sneer with the nostrils drawn up in contempt. God does not suffer Himself to be imposed on by empty words: He will judge according to works, which are seeds sown for eternity of either joy or woe. Excuses for illiberality in God's cause (Ga 6:6) seem valid before men, but are not so before God (Ps 50:21).
soweth—especially of his resources (2Co 9:6). that—Greek, "this"; this and nothing else. reap—at the harvest, the end of the world (Mt 13:39).8. Translate, "He that soweth unto his own flesh," with a view to fulfilling its desires. He does not say, "His spirit," as he does say, "His flesh." For in ourselves we are not spiritual, but carnal. The flesh is devoted to selfishness.
corruption—that is, destruction (Php 3:19). Compare as to the deliverance of believers from "corruption" (Ro 8:21). The use of the term "corruption" instead, implies that destruction is not an arbitrary punishment of fleshly-mindedness, but is its natural fruit; the corrupt flesh producing corruption, which is another word for destruction: corruption is the fault, and corruption the punishment (see on 1Co 3:17; 2Pe 2:12). Future life only expands the seed sown here. Men cannot mock God because they can deceive themselves. They who sow tares cannot reap wheat. They alone reap life eternal who sow to the Spirit (Ps 126:6; Pr 11:18; 22:8; Ho 8:7; 10:12; Lu 16:25; Ro 8:11; Jas 5:7).Ephesians 5:6
6. vain—empty, unreal words, namely, palliations of "uncleanness," Eph 5:3, 4; Isa 5:20 (that it is natural to indulge in love), "covetousness" (that it is useful to society that men should pursue gain), and "jesting" (that it is witty and clever, and that God will not so severely punish for such things).
because of these things—uncleanness, covetousness, &c. (Eph 5:3-5). cometh—present, not merely "shall come." Is as sure as if already come. children—rather, "sons of disobedience" (Eph 2:2, 3). The children of unbelief in doctrine (De 32:20) are "children of disobedience" in practice, and these again are "children of wrath."Philippians 3:18-19
18. many walk—in such a manner. Follow not evildoers, because they are "many" (Ex 23:2). Their numbers are rather a presumption against their being Christ's "little flock" (Lu 12:32).
often—There is need of constant warning. weeping— (Ro 9:2). A hard tone in speaking of the inconsistencies of professors is the very opposite of Paul's spirit, and David's (Ps 119:136), and Jeremiah's (Jer 13:17). The Lord and His apostles, at the same time, speak more strongly against empty professors (as the Pharisees), than against open scoffers. enemies of the cross of Christ—in their practice, not in doctrine (Ga 6:14; Heb 6:6; 10:29).19. destruction—everlasting at Christ's coming. Php 1:28, "perdition"; the opposite word is "Saviour" (Php 3:20).
end—fixed doom. whose god is their belly— (Ro 16:18); hereafter to be destroyed by God (1Co 6:13). In contrast to our "body" (Php 3:21), which our God, the Lord Jesus, shall "fashion like unto His glorious body." Their belly is now pampered, our body now wasted; then the respective states of both shall be reversed. glory is in their shame—As "glory" is often used in the Old Testament for God (Ps 106:20), so here it answers to "whose God," in the parallel clause; and "shame" is the Old Testament term contemptuously given to an idol (Jud 6:32, Margin). Ho 4:7 seems to be referred to by Paul (compare Ro 1:32). There seems no allusion to circumcision, as no longer glorious, but a shame to them (Php 3:2). The reference of the immediate context is to sensuality, and carnality in general. mind earthly things— (Ro 8:5). In contrast to Php 3:20; Col 3:2.1 John 3:7-8
7, 8. The same truth stated, with the addition that he who sins is, so far as he sins, "of the devil."
let no man deceive you—as Antinomians try to mislead men. righteousness—Greek, "the righteousness," namely, of Christ or God. he that doeth . . . is righteous—Not his doing makes him righteous, but his being righteous (justified by the righteousness of God in Christ, Ro 10:3-10) makes him to do righteousness: an inversion common in familiar language, logical in reality, though not in form, as in Lu 7:47; Joh 8:47. Works do not justify, but the justified man works. We infer from his doing righteousness that he is already righteous (that is, has the true and only principle of doing righteousness, namely, faith), and is therefore born of God (1Jo 3:9); just as we might say, The tree that bears good fruit is a good tree, and has a living root; not that the fruit makes the tree and its root to be good, but it shows that they are so. he—Christ.8. He that committeth sin is of the devil—in contrast to "He that doeth righteousness," 1Jo 3:7. He is a son of the devil (1Jo 3:10; Joh 8:44). John does not, however, say, "born of the devil." as he does "born of God," for "the devil begets none, nor does he create any; but whoever imitates the devil becomes a child of the devil by imitating him, not by proper birth" [AUGUSTINE, Ten Homilies on the First Epistle of John, Homily 4.10]. From the devil there is not generation, but corruption [BENGEL].
sinneth from the beginning—from the time that any began to sin [ALFORD]: from the time that he became what he is, the devil. He seems to have kept his first estate only a very short time after his creation [BENGEL]. Since the fall of man [at the beginning of our world] the devil is (ever) sinning (this is the force of "sinneth"; he has sinned from the beginning, is the cause of all sins, and still goes on sinning; present). As the author of sin, and prince of this world, he has never ceased to seduce man to sin [LUECKE]. destroy—break up and do away with; bruising and crushing the serpent's head. works of the devil—sin, and all its awful consequences. John argues, Christians cannot do that which Christ came to destroy.