One of the most frequently quoted and most often misunderstood verses in the New Testament is Galatians 6:7,
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a person sows, that they will also reap.”
This verse is often used as a warning of divine punishment, as though God is waiting to respond to human failure with retribution. But in the context of the gospel, this is not a threat, it is a revelation. It reveals how reality works in a world that has already been reconciled in Christ.
To “mock” God is not to make Him angry, but to treat what He has done as if it were insufficient.
The Finished Work Is Not Partial
Scripture is unambiguous about the scope of Christ’s work.
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)
“God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their sins against them.” (2 Corinthians 5:19)
“For by one sacrifice He has perfected for all time those who are being made holy.” (Hebrews 10:14)
The cross did not change God’s attitude towards humanity, it revealed God’s attitude towards humanity. God did not need His anger satisfied before He could love, forgive, or restore. Rather,
“God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
The cross is not God being reconciled to us, it is us being reconciled to God.
“When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.” (Romans 5:10)
So, What Does It Mean to Mock God?
To mock God is not to provoke Him, but to contradict Him.
It is to live as though sin still defines us more than Christ does, as though separation is still more real than reconciliation, as though death still reigns instead of resurrection.
Paul describes the human problem this way,
“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds.” (Colossians 1:21)
Notice where the alienation is located, not in God’s heart, but in our minds - in our own imaginations.
The gospel does not announce a change in God, it announces a change in us.
“Be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)
Not because God is unwilling, but because He already is reconciled, and we are being invited to awaken to that reality.
Sowing and Reaping Is About Participation, Not Punishment
Galatians 6 is not about God retaliating, it is about us participating.
A few verses later Paul explains what he means,
“The one who sows to please the flesh, from the flesh will reap corruption, the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:8)
This is not a threat, it is a description.
If we sow mistrust, fear, separation, and self-effort, we reap anxiety, striving, and exhaustion.
If we sow trust, union, grace, and love, we reap life, freedom, and joy.
God is not standing over us with a stick, He is standing before us with open hands. Giving abundant, empowering Grace to lead us.
The Real Mockery of God
The real mockery of God is not human weakness, failure, or doubt.
The real mockery is when we insist that the cross was not enough.
When we keep pointing at sin in the sinner instead of the sin already dealt with at the cross, we quietly diminish what God has done.
When we treat forgiveness as conditional, reconciliation as partial, or love as limited, we imply that Christ’s work was incomplete.
And that is what “mocking” looks like in the light of grace. Not because God is offended, but because His gift is refused.
What Then Do We Reap?
Not punishment from God. But the sad harvest of living below what is true and what is intended.
Fear instead of peace.
Striving instead of rest.
Self-protection instead of love.
Religion instead of relationship.
And yet even here God is not absent.
“It is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance.” (Romans 2:4)
Repentance is not grovelling, it is a change of mind, a turning from false views of God back to the truth of who He is.
Good News, Not Good Advice
The gospel is not a demand for us to become something. It is the announcement that something has already happened.
“You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3)
“Our old self was crucified with Him.” (Romans 6:6)
“If anyone is in Christ, new creation.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) And... we are all in him because he said, "when i am lifted up, I will draw all men to myself", and the John adds in the next verse - "He was talking about being lifted up on the Cross".
This is not an invitation to achieve, but to receive. Not to earn, but to awaken. Not to strive, but to trust.
Conclusion
“God will not be mocked” does not mean God will not tolerate defiance. It means reality cannot be overridden. Love cannot be undone. The cross cannot be reversed. Resurrection cannot be cancelled.
To pretend that it can is to make a mockery of the finished work. To act like God is Angry at people is to mock the cross. To portray the Father as anything other than pure Goodness and unconditional love is to mock God. This attitude does not anger God, but it saddens Him because it messes with your life as you are living in darkness still. You are still that lost coin... but rescue is on its way.
We are free to live in harmony with what God has done, or to resist it. But only one of those ways leads to life. And that life has already been given.
No comments:
Post a Comment