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You have been
severed from Christ, you who are seeking
to be justified by law; you
have fallen from grace.
-Galatians 5:4
Fallen From Grace And I
Can't Get Up
A number of years ago
there was a humorous, yet memorable, commercial about a product for the
home bound and the elderly. The product was a device that, with a push
of a button, would alert a loved one or caretaker that the elderly
person had become incapacitated in some way. The commercial featured a
senior citizen who was shown laying on the floor of her home desperately
calling out to anyone who might hear her, "Help! Help! I've fallen
and I can't get up!" I'm assuming the masses of viewers cried out
in anguish as I did, 'If only she had the XYZ alert buzzer!"
Friends, there is
another kind of incapacitation that has occurred in the body of Christ
today. It is not, however, a physical condition. It is a condition of
the heart and the mind in those who, of all people, should know
"the peace of God, which passes all comprehension"
(Philippians 4:7). The afflicted have also "fallen" like the
elderly woman in the commercial, only theirs is not a tumble to the
ground but rather a fall from grace.
Let me reassure you
that falling from grace does not mean that we lose our righteousness
before God, for “if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of
works, otherwise grace is no longer grace” (Romans 11:6). To say that
God’s grace can be taken away from you, or forfeited by you through
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.
Who Has Fallen from
Grace?
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” (Gal. 5:4). Read it again. Who is it that
has fallen from grace? Is it those who are “living in sin” (a.k.a.
sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll) 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 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” (Titus 2:11-14).
To Fall From Grace Is To Put
Yourself Back Under Law
Paul’s letter to
the Galatians was not dealing with their embracing a lifestyle of sex,
drugs, and rock-and-roll. Just the opposite was the case. These dear
folks 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 Him 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).
Read this letter 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 juxtaposing 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).
You Have Fallen From
Grace If You Believe Righteousness Is Earned
Folks, 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 a sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll debacle,
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 Budweisers. 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). Trying to work for right standing with God will do
nothing but knock you down, put you on your back, and make you feel like
there is no way to get up out of your misery. Friend, if you fall for
that trap, the way you get right back up on your feet 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)!
Have You Fallen From
Grace?
Friend, 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…and another fall from grace.
Grace and peace to
you always!
John
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