Galatians IV
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. (Galatians 6:7 ESV)
Reaping
The old TV show Dragnet ended every episode with a description of what ended up happening to the perpetrators described in the show. When Dragnet became syndicated, time constraints caused the producers to cut those “just desserts” off the end of the episodes. But a backlash resulted, with fans writing and complaining.
“Just Desserts” was the most popular part of the show.
But this verse is not intended to cause us to gloat about sinners reaping what they have sown. It is a warning, instead, to not mock God.
Not because He always gets His revenge against liars, blasphemers, murderers, and adulterers.
People mock God when they do not take seriously His one offer of salvation. Those who reject God’s Jesus will reap what they sow. Those who sow disbelief, sow arrogant skepticism, sow denial of God’s grace, sow denial of God’s existence, WILL reap what they have sown.
God will treat those who mock by denial by giving them what they claim to want.
God staying out of their lives, out of their business, out of their ethics, out of their hearts.
And the reaping that results is the eternal absolute absence of God… in other words, hell itself.
But look how much God does NOT want that to happen. Look at the price He paid so that we do NOT have to reap what we have sown. In fact, the Messiah, Jesus, reaps what we have sown in His very death (and His life, and His resurrection!)
And therefore, we can reap what JESUS sows!