Righteousness! Chapter
Four
What Does It Mean To
Fall From Grace?
In Galatians 5:4 Paul says,
"You have been severed from
Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from
grace."
For years throughout
the body of Christ we have been taught that we must live up to a certain
standard of behavior in order to maintain our acceptance in the family of
God. I used to teach from a
booklet called, ‘The Ten Do’s and Don’ts for the Christian.’ When I would
discuss this with our preacher or with one of the elders I was told that we are
now living under the Law of Christ and that my eternal salvation was dependant
on how well I was able to keep these laws. If I were to sin and die without
having asked for forgiveness I would end up in hell. Every prayer, even to this
day, in the church I attended, would include a request that the Lord would
forgive us our sins and our unforgiven sins. As a result, I was always conscience
of sin and doubt as to the security of my salvation.
We were also taught
that one could fall from grace and be eternally lost. Let me reassure you that
falling from grace does not mean that we lose our righteousness before God.
Paul said in Rom. 11:5-6,
"So too, at the present time
there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer by
works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace."
Think about that!
This is as plain as it gets! To say that God’s grace can be taken away from
you, or forfeited by you because of your actions and deeds, is to contradict
the very definition of the word. Grace is no longer grace if it is initially
attained, or perpetually kept, through our performance. The apostle Paul taught
that it was impossible for those in Christ to lose their salvation (Romans
8:38-39), going so far as to say that nothing present or anything to come could separate us
from His love.
So what does it mean
to fall from grace? The answer lies not in religion, not in tradition, not in
how you feel about it, but in the Word of truth. In fact, Paul tells us in no
uncertain terms who the people are who have fallen from grace. He declares that
"you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from
grace!"
Paul said in Gal.
5:4 (NLV)
“For if you are trying to make
yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from
Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.”
Read it again. Who
is it that has fallen from grace? Is it those who are “living in sin” (such as,
sex, drugs, and drinking) that we in the church so frequently condemn and point
the finger at as those who have fallen? No, it is remarkably the opposite.
Those who have fallen from grace are those who are "seeking to be
justified by the law"! That’s right. To fall from grace is to
knowingly or unknowingly revert back to thinking that you can do something to
maintain the right standing you already have with God through Jesus Christ. It
is this foolishness that all of us have fallen into at one time or another and
it is the greatest deception that the body of Christ has ever faced.
If the grace of God
is undeserved, unmerited, unearned favor with God, then how can you lose it?
The answer is you can’t. His grace was never something He rewarded you with
because of your great performance. It was a gift that He lovingly bestowed upon
us and then asked for nothing in return other than our thanks. And yet the gift
is much more that that. There is life and power in God’s grace from one moment
to the next as we rest in it. In fact, it is His grace that is instructing us
to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and
godly in the present age…zealous for good deeds” Paul said in Titus 2:11-14,
"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to
all men It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly
passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present
age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God
and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for
himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
If we attempt to live once more by law and depend upon
our own ability to live a righteous life, we have in our minds fallen from the
grace that is in our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul’s letter to the Galatians was not dealing with their
embracing a lifestyle of sex, drugs, and drinking. Just the opposite was the
case. These people had drifted backwards in their thinking about the gospel to
which they had once so gratefully responded. The road they were sadly traveling
back down again was the road of law-keeping for righteousness. Paul, therefore,
was disappointed and perplexed that they were, "so quickly deserting
the one who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is
really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to
distort the gospel of Christ!" (Galatians 1:6-7).
If we teach that we
must live according to certain laws and rules then we are preaching another
gospel than what Paul preached. Read carefully the following scripture where
Paul explains what he is teaching. Gal.
3:10-14,
"For as many as are of the
works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every
one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law
to do them. But no man is
justified by the law in the sight of God, it
is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the
law is not of faith: but, The man that does
them shall live in them. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law,
being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every
one that hangs on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the
Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
Read this letter to
the Galatians very closely and you will quickly see the common theme that runs
throughout. According to Paul, there were "false brethren who had
sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to
bring us into bondage." (Galatians 2:4) Peter himself began to withdraw and hold himself aloof (from the
Gentiles), fearing the party of the circumcision (Galatians 2:12) and the
consequences he might face from them for enjoying his freedom in Christ. This
in turn put others back in bondage to law as the rest of the Jews joined him
(Peter) in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by
their hypocrisy. (Galatians 2:11-13).
The issue at hand
continues as Paul writes that "by the works of the Law shall no flesh
be justified" (Galatians 2:16) and that "if righteousness comes through the Law, then
Christ died needlessly." (Galatians 2:21) He goes on to ask
several rhetorical questions comparing the works of law against faith in
Christ, perhaps for the purpose of waking the Galatians from their foolish
state of mind (Galatians 3:1-5). Paul goes on to point out that "those
who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer while those who are of
the works of the law are under a curse." (Galatians 3:9-10). Like a
tenacious bulldog, Paul presses on with his mission of dispelling any notion
that a man can be right with God through his performance. He reminds the people
"that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident, that the
law is not of faith, and Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law…so
that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith!"
(Galatians 3:11-14).
If we have bought
into the idea that righteousness is earned by following law then in our minds
we have fallen from the grace that sets us free. Just think about it. Why would Paul be
bringing these things up if the Galatians were standing confidently in the
finished work of their Savior? If their falling from grace was tied to sex,
drugs, and drinking, why doesn't he address these issues? I'll tell you why.
It's because they were not standing firm in the faith. Their bondage was to
working for righteousness, not drinking Budweiser's. The deception that the
Galatians had fallen for was the same one that has plagued the saints
throughout history. They were doubting the testimony of Paul concerning the
righteousness they had in Jesus Christ. They, like so many through the ages,
were going back to the law, back to their works, in an attempt to justify
themselves before the Lord. And it is that very mindset that puts you, me, and
anyone else into the miserable condition of having fallen from grace.
Paul’s impassioned
plea to these confused saints in the first century is his same plea to us
today: "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep
standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery."
(Galatians 5:1) If you have
been caught in this trap, the way you get out is by renewing your mind once
again on the most comforting and reassuring message ever proclaimed…the gospel
of the grace of God (Acts 20:24)!
Because of what
Christ has done for you, you are now seated high on the highest mountaintop of
all that God has to give you. You reside on the peek of 'grace' mountain,
seated in fact in the heavenlies (Ephesians 2:6). There is no loftier position
a man can enjoy. Your righteousness is a gift that is now forever yours. There
are no exchanges, no refunds, no recalls. You’re stuck with the gift whether
you choose to believe it, enjoy it, or not.
Have you fallen from
grace? I hope not. But if you have, you will know it because your confidence
will have switched from what Jesus has done to what you are doing. The peace
and the joy that you once knew will be replaced by fear, anxiety, and
condemnation day after day. Why? Because your doing can never measure up to the righteous
requirements of the law. Heck, you can't even measure up to your own standards
or that of your neighbor!
So what is the
solution? It is to believe the gospel and to rest in knowing that
"having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1) Continually remind yourself of the
righteousness that is now yours in Christ according to the gospel given to the
apostle Paul by the risen, ascended Christ.
Do not give in to
the temptations all around you to work your way into right standing with God.
Get up, my friend, and stand firm in the truth! He has made you right and to
try to add to what He has done is to say you think He did not complete the
task!
Once again, Paul said in Titus 2:11-14,
For the grace of God that brings
salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to
ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and
godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the
glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself
for us to redeem us from
all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager
to do what is
Good!"
Matthew said in Matt. 4:23, (NIV)
"Jesus went throughout
Galilee, teaching in their
synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every
disease and sickness among the people."
Also in John 10:10 Jesus
said,
"The
thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have
life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
The good news that Jesus and
Paul shared with us teaches us how to live the life of God and if we want to
live a life filled with love, joy and peace in the Holy Ghost we will learn to
follow their instructions and live our lives accordingly. The good news teaches
us to say “No” to ungodliness
and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in
this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of
our great God and Savior and if we do these things we have life and life more abundantly. This
life comes by following the instructions that Jesus set down for us if we want
to live a peaceful life.
To live a life filled with
love and peace depends on how well we discipline ourselves to follow their
teachings but our salvation does not depend on how well we follow their
teachings. The only thing that our salvation depends on is our faith in what
Jesus did for us. Paul said in 1 Cor. 6:10,
"All things
are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under
the power of any."
We have a lot of freedom in the Kingdom of God and nothing pleases our Father more than our willingness to be obedient to His commands and our willingness to discipline our lives according to His wishes. May I encourage you today to relax and enjoy this wonderful freedom we have in Christ Jesus and practice daily giving the love of God to your neighbors and those who persecute you and say all manor of evil against you and show yourselves worthy to be called Son's of the most high God!! Practice living as Jesus would have you to and enjoy the following blessings. Matt. 5:3-16,
"Blessed are
the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are
the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are
they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be
filled.
Blessed are
the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are
the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are
the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you,
when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all
manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding
glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the
prophets which were before you.
You are the salt
of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be
salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be
trodden under foot of men.
You are the light
of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick;
and it gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is
in heaven."