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Galatians 6:7

ESV Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
NIV Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
NASB Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap.
CSB Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap,
NLT Don’t be misled — you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.
KJV Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
NKJV Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

What does Galatians 6:7 mean?

Paul has been encouraging Christians to live a life marked by the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:19–25), and to support each other in the struggles of life (Galatians 6:1–5). Christianity is all about the grace of God. He gives us good things which we could never have earned on our own. In our sin, we deserve death and suffering. Instead, in Christ, God gives us life and purpose.

Still, as Paul states clearly in this verse, the grace of God does not eliminate the principles of choice and consequence. In this life, our decisions will bring with them natural results. We must not lie to ourselves, that because of God's grace and forgiveness of our sins, we will not suffer any harm if we continue to choose sin. To believe such a thing is to mock God, to make light of Jesus' sacrifice for our sin on the cross.

What we do in this life does matter, beyond even the question of whether or not we will see heaven. In eternity, our choices will be reflected in our heavenly rewards, for those who are saved (1 Corinthians 3:12–15; 2 Corinthians 5:10), or our eternal punishment, for those who are not (Revelation 20:11–14).

Until then, the "crop" we produce between now and the moment of our death is also determined by the "seeds" we plant along the way. God's natural laws of cause and effect still apply, to believers and unbelievers alike. Paul will expand on this idea in the following verses.
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