For he who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
6:8
— Because he who sows for his flesh, — 5:19-21. — from the flesh he will reap corruption; — The word corruption does not mean annihilation but ruin, destruction, deterioration, loss. Even in this life physical affliction follows sin (mostly sexual sin). Now (1994) America is reaping the taint of AIDS and various other venereal diseases. This is the harvest of the sexual revolution that began to be sown profusely in the 1960s. The violence sown by a generation of television is also now being harvested. Lots of people (not just gangs and other criminals) have a totally corrupt mentality (“disapproved”, Romans 1:28) from Hollywood. — but he who sows to the Spirit, — 5:16, 18, 22-23. — of the Spirit will reap eternal life. — (Romans 2:7; Romans 5:21; Romans 6:22-23; 1Ti 1:16; 1Ti 6:12; Tit 1:2; Tit 3:7).
Source: Commentary on the New Testament by Partain
sow for his meat. Romans 6:13; Romans 8:13; Romans 13:14; Jas 3:18.
will reap corruption. Pro 22:8; Jer 12:13; Hos 10:13; 2Pe 2:12, 2Pe 2:19; Rev 22:11.
Sow for the Spirit. Gal 6:7; Ps 126:5, Ps 126:6; Eccl 11:6; Isaiah 32:20; Jas 3:18.
of the Spirit will reap eternal life. Matt 19:29; Luke 18:30; Joh 4:14, Joh 4:36; Joh 6:27; Romans 6:22; 1Ti 1:16; Tit 3:7; Jude 1:21.
Source: The Treasury of Biblical Knowledge
sow for his meat. See notes on Gal 5:16-19; Romans 7:18 ; Romans 8:23. Here it means making concessions to the evil desires of the flesh. corruption. From the Greek word translated degeneration, as it happens to spoiled food. Sin always corrupts, and if left unchecked, always leads to the progressive worsening of a person’s character (cf. Romans 6:23). Sow for the Spirit. Walk according to the Holy Spirit (see notes on Gal 5:16-18; Eph 5:18; zip Joh 8:31; Joh 15:7; Romans 12:1-2; Col 2:6; Col 3:2). eternal life. This expression not only describes a life that lasts forever, but above all, the highest quality of life that one can experience (cp. Ps 51:12; Joh 10:10; Eph 1:3; Eph 1:18).
Source: MacArthur Study Bible
6:8 — For he who sows for his flesh, — 5:19-21.
— from the flesh he will reap corruption; — The word corruption does not mean annihilation but ruin, destruction, deterioration, loss. Even in this life physical affliction follows sin (mostly sexual sin). Now (1994) America is reaping the taint of AIDS and various other venereal diseases. This is the harvest of the sexual revolution that began to be sown profusely in the 1960s. The violence sown by a generation of television is also now being harvested. Too many people (not just gangs and other criminals) have the totally corrupt (“reprobate”, Rom 1:28) mentality of Hollywood.
— but he who sows to the Spirit, — 5:16, 18, 22-23.
— of the Spirit will reap eternal life. — (Rom 2:7; Rom 5:21; Rom 6:22-23; 1Ti 1:16; 1Ti 6:12; Tit 1:2; Tit 3:7).
Source: Reeves-Partain Notes
This verse concretizes the image of sowing and reaping from the previous verse. Meat Y Spirit are presented as two types of land that produce different crops: Corruption first, eternal life the second. It is necessary to translate these words in the same way as in their previous appearances in this letter. It is important to keep the emphasis of the original text, which says: “The flesh itself.” It can be translated, then: “Who is dedicated to satisfying his own harmful and selfish inclinations.” To make the idea of sowing more emphatic, Vidal adds the image of the field: “He who sows in the field of his own selfish nature” (Vidal: 115). It is possible to transform metaphorical expressions into a simile: “If a person, so to speak, lets his evil inclinations grow like seeds in a field.” The noun used here is usually translated as corruption or “bane”, and almost as an equivalent of “death”. Paul’s usage includes physical and spiritual death, as some versions communicate: “He will reap corruption and death from the flesh” (BL), “he will reap a harvest of death” (DHH96), “we will die forever” (TLA).
From the grammar of the Greek text it is not possible to determine whether “spirit” refers to the human spirit or the Spirit of God. The Spanish versions make a difference only by the use of uppercase or lowercase at the beginning of the word. NBE uses both dimensions in its translation: “He who cultivates the spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” In our opinion, if we take into account Paul’s general argument and the way in which he has been contrasting “flesh” and “spirit”, here he only refers to the Spirit of God: “He who sows in the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap a harvest of eternal life» (DHH96). With eternal life The emphasis is not on a life that does not end, but on the positive qualities that accompany life in the Spirit: “He will have a long life, full of God’s blessings”, “he will live forever, full of life and joy”.
Source: Commentary for Exegesis and Translation
CROSS-REFERENCES
302 Rom 8:6
r 303 Joh 6:63; Romans 8:13
304 Isaiah 3:10
Source: New World Translation
8 super (1) With a view to, or, towards. To sow for the flesh is to sow for the good of the flesh, having in view the desire and purpose of the flesh, to satisfy its greed. To sow for the Spirit is to sow for the good of the Spirit, having in view the desire and intention of the Spirit, in order to accomplish what the Spirit desires. Everything we do is a kind of sowing, either to our own flesh or to the Spirit, and everything we sow produces a harvest of corruption, which comes from the flesh, or a harvest of eternal life, which comes from the Spirit.
8 super (2) See notes 3 super (2) of chapter 3, and 19 super (1) and 22 super (1) of chapter 5.
8 super (3) Sowing to fulfill the purpose of the flesh produces corruption; sowing to carry out the intention of the Spirit results in life, eternal life. Corruption proceeds from the flesh, which indicates that the flesh is corrupt; eternal life proceeds from the Spirit and is the Spirit itself.
Source: New Testament Commentary Recovery Version
?V. 8:?For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows for him? ?spirit, of the spirit will reap eternal life.?Again, “flesh” must be understood here not only sinful pleasure, but according to? ?Apostle’s way of speaking, everything that is not spirit, that is, the whole man. So what, also requires the? ?text itself. For the wrong understanding of the words gave the heretic Tatian?31? reason to condemn? ?the sexual union between man and woman, precisely on the basis of this Pauline passage. Saint Jerome wrote? ?against him a learned refutation. “Flesh” and “spirit” are therefore presented in allegorical language? ?of the apostle as two camps. The two seeds are two works. One of them is the work of love, what? ?was previously fully described according to its nine fruits (chap. 5:22). The other is the seed of the? ?flesh, which we have seen in the passage that spoke of the works of the flesh (ch. 5:19-21). The two harvests are? ?corruption and eternal life. Erasmus interprets “corruption” as the corruptible fruit and destined to? ?perish, which once corrupted amounts, according to him, to no fruit.?32??“For his flesh” and not “for his spirit”-seems to have been added by the apostle for the purpose? ?I expressly prevent anyone from thinking about the “sowing” made in the flesh of women by men,? ?and so that it is not believed that he is talking about this act -although it is true that also what is born of the seed? ?of the male is a corruptible fruit, since he is a mortal human being. However, it does not follow from this that the? ?union of the sexes itself is bad. But at the end of the day: what is sown and harvested in all the earth that is not? ?is subject to corruption? Consequently, what is said here by the apostle must clearly be taken for one? ?allegory, and how can «sow» be understood as nothing other than «work», as is clear from what? ?Whats Next.? ?