What does it mean to "fall from grace" (Galatians 5:4)?

We may be asked, What about falling from grace? This is a much misunderstood passage of Scripture, not because it is difficult of understanding if carefully considered, but because those who believe in the possibility of a true child of God perishing for ever twist this Scripture in the vain attempt to prove their theory. Many think that falling from grace means a good Christian falling into sinful ways. For instance that prize fighter, who got soundly converted to God, and who went on well and happily for a long time, one day got intoxicated, and in his drunken frenzy knocked a man down, and found himself within the four walls of a prison cell, ruefully lamenting that he had “fallen from grace.” “Fallen from grace” really describes a believer, who failing in his apprehension of the grace of God as set forth in the Gospel, falls from that grace by descending to law-keeping in a mistaken effort to perfect himself in the flesh (Gal. 3:3). Thank God, however, he does not fall out of the grasp of God’s grace.

The liberty into which we are brought, then, is the complete emancipation which has reached us as being made the sons of God. It is the freedom of which the Lord Jesus spoke when He said, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8:36). We are no longer like servants of the household, who rightly have their conduct regulated by the rules suitable to the servants' hall; and to put ourselves in our thoughts and behaviour back into that position is to sadly entangle ourselves. It is indeed to fall from grace, as verse 4 has it.

The words "fallen from grace" are often taken to mean that such have fallen out of the gracious hand of God — that such are no longer saved. The phrase however, refers to what was produced in their consciousness, not to what is true as before God. The verse begins, "Christ is become of no effect to you." Is Christ of no effect REALLY? — that is, IN THE SIGHT OF GOD? Far be the thought — an impossible supposition! But to them — in their experience and consciousness? Yes. If they considered themselves as justified on the principle of law, Christ was most evidently disallowed in their minds, and they had descended from the divine and lofty principle of grace to the far lower level of law. And the descent between the two is so pronounced and precipitous that it can only be described as a fall!

To fall from grace is not a difficult thing. How many a professed believer there is today that is guilty of it! Are we all clear on the point? Do we stand in the liberty of grace in all our dealings with God?

But as being in Christ, dead to the law, if they become circumcised Christ would profit them nothing and they were bound to fulfill the whole law. Going back to the law for righteousness, they had fallen from grace. This is the only time "fallen from grace" is used in the Bible. It has been strangely misapplied by a certain system of theology to deny the security of the believer in Christ. It is generally used to describe a Christian who has fallen in sin and, as it is claimed, lost his relationship as a child of God and is, therefore, once more under judgment. Falling from grace does not mean this; it means to give up the grace of the gospel in order to satisfy the requirements of the law. To go back under the law and its bondage is falling from grace. Verse 5 does not mean that a believer hopes for righteousness; he possesses righteousness by faith. Indwelt by the Spirit, the believer waits not for righteousness, but for the hope of righteousness by faith. And the hope of righteousness is the coming glory, when all those who are saved by grace will be glorified and be like Christ.

If the Law is taken as a principle of justification, this (practically speaking) renders them "estranged from Christ" (v.4). They were not apostates who had given up the truth concerning Christ, as the case (impossible of recovery) of those described in Hebrews 6:4-6, but they had "fallen from grace." This expression does not mean that they had carelessly fallen into sinful ways after having believed, or that they had committed some dreadful sinful act, but rather that in taking the place of being justified by keeping the Law, they had fallen from the high position they had by grace. They are not reproved for wicked works, but for depending on their supposed good works to keep them saved, instead of depending entirely on the grace of God.

Moreover, he thereby becomes "fallen from grace" as verse 4 says. He takes up a ground before God which practically makes Christ of no effect to him. The words "fallen from grace" are sometimes wrongly used as though they meant that a believer who once stood in the grace of God has now been ejected from it by God because of his bad behaviour. The point of the passage is rather that anyone who has once taken up his position before God in grace, as these Galatians had, and then abandons it in his own mind and consciousness for law has had a bad fall. To step off the grace platform on to the law platform — if we may so speak — involves a descent that amounts to a fall, for the one is far lower than the other. In the case of a true believer being entangled thus, the fall, we repeat, is in his own mind and consciousness. God's grace and the relationship established by grace remain the same, for "the gifts and calling of God are without repentance" (Rom. 11:29).

In the case of one who has professed Christianity without being a true believer, he was never in any vital relationship of grace with God out of which to fall.

To "fall from grace" has become in some quarters a rather hackneyed expression, and it has acquired a significance very different from that which it has in Scripture. The Galatians had not lapsed into the world, nor gone back as a washed sow to her wallowing in the mire, and so fallen out of the position in which God's grace had set them. On the contrary, they were adopting a rigid legalism and pursuing justification and holiness — not licence — by going over to law-keeping; and in so doing they were forsaking, in their own consciousness and experience, grace for law. In their own thoughts they no longer stood before God on the grace platform, but the law platform; they no longer viewed themselves as sons with the Spirit of God's Son in their hearts, but as servants under the regulations that prevail in the servants' hall (see Gal. 4:1-7). The difference between these two platforms is so great that to step down from the one to the other amounts to a fall. Thus in their own state and experience they had fallen from grace. As to their standing before God in grace, of which Romans 5:2 speaks, this standing was theirs unalterably in Christ, if indeed they were really the Lord's and so justified by faith.

Verse 4. "Ye are ceased from Christ, whosoever of you are for justifying yourselves by the law; ye are fallen from grace." "Ye cannot have two Saviours, or be justified with God upon two separate grounds. If then ye are choosing law, ye have no more to do with Christ. The hands which should have held Him fast have been removed from Him, and laid upon another hope." With the terrific language of this verse, we may compare the Lord's immediate teaching in John 15:6. For how indeed should the true vine acknowledge as its branches those who are seeking establishment of heart in meats and not in grace? (Heb. 13:9). They are seeking legal justification; they are seeking therefore their own righteousness, and abandoning, in favour of this mad pursuit, the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ. The precision of his language should be well observed. He does not say, "ye are justified by the law," which would be false and impossible; but "ye are being justified," or seeking righteousness, "in law." The believer is already justified in Christ. The legalist regards his justification necessarily as prospective. Meanwhile the man who, having begun in the spirit, thus dreams of perfecting himself by the flesh, is already fallen from grace. He has left the congregation of the righteous, and is no more numbered by the Spirit of truth among the living. For the law which he has chosen as his trust is the ministration, not of righteousness, but of sin and condemnation; not giving life, but working wrath. All true hope therefore, for such as depart from the Lord at the instigation of the evil heart of unbelief, is at an end. For by abandoning the only Saviour, they draw back unto perdition. Ceasing to cleave to Him they fall from grace. Their expectation of reward is thenceforth a delusion, and their life, as namers of His name, an empty lie. And that he may save his brethren from their awful danger, he thus unmasks it to its full extent.

Nothing can be plainer than the Holy Ghost's decision in the matter. He shows that the very smallest insisting on the law, in any shape, brings you in a debtor to do the whole of it; and if so, where are you before God? You are lost and hopeless, if you have a conscience. The question of the law generally comes up now as connected with sanctification. In the case of the Galatians, it came out strongly in the matter of justification. But the Christian has no more to do with it in one form than another. In verses 1-4 it is connected with justification. In the latter part of the chapter its link is with sanctification, which is the connection, and the only connection, in Romans 6, where justification is not touched upon, but only the believer's walk. As to this, he is not under law, but under grace. What a blessed thing it is to stand in this true grace of God! If I look at my salvation, it is all His grace; and if I think what is to give strength to my walk and service, it is just the same. Grace is the spring all through. God does not alter, now that He has revealed, the fulness of grace in Christ. Launched into that ocean, He will not go back into what had to do with exposing and scourging the old man, needful as the task was. Is He not rejoiced to have done with that which never wrought anything else, as far as man was concerned, but the mere crushing of those that had a conscience, and an opportunity to make out a self-righteousness for those that had none; those that were conscientious, groaning and miserable; and those that were not, full of themselves and of their fancied goodness? How sad, then, the departure warned of here! "Christ is become of no effect to you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." By these last words, he does not mean that they had slipped into immorality, or were openly gone from Christ. But they had joined the law along with Christ as a means of justification; and the moment you have done this, you have let slip the only principle on which God can possibly count you righteous. For God justifies sinners. What a glory of God! "To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted to him for righteousness."

This is very stern language, but the honour of Christ, as well as the salvation of sinners, was at stake. Christ will not take the place of a helper, to the detriment of His place as a Saviour. Any dependence on legal righteousness, moral or ceremonial, renders Christ 'profitless' unto us. Nothing but salvation meets our need. How often do we hear the phrase, "I know I can do nothing by myself." But this only puts Christ in the place of a helper, and helper indeed He is to thousands who are never saved. The ten lepers were alike helped by Christ, but one only had faith to throw himself at His feet, and thus to get salvation. If you look partly to yourself, and partly to Christ, "Christ shall profit you nothing." What profit is Christ Himself to thousands who bear His name? Well might the apostle, who gave up every advantage for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, ask this question. Christ was truly all to him. Well might he reiterate the testimony, "He that is circumcised is a debtor to do the whole law." The holy majesty of the law, the rich grace of the gospel, and the glory of Christ, alike forbid the vain and senseless attempt to make our own partial obedience, together with Christ, the ground of our salvation. Such an attempt is, in the language of the apostle, to nullify the work of Christ on the Cross, as though it were a needless work, and to fall from grace — to abandon the firm rock of God's grace in Christ Jesus, for the sandy foundation of our own righteousness. It is, indeed, a fearful thing for a Christian to fall into sin; but even for such a one there is provision in the rich grace of the gospel. "If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He is the propitiation for our sins." But to fall from grace is to reassert confidence in the flesh, and to give up confidence in Christ; it is to turn the gospel into a mere remedial law; so as to produce a religion, which leaves man in his native distance from God, without purging his conscience, or giving him peace with God. Man, as a sinner, needs salvation, and this the grace of God brings to him. To fall from grace is to undermine the certainty of salvation by faith in Christ Jesus, and to leave salvation as a grand uncertainty, to be determined at the day of judgment, instead of receiving it now as of God, and on the ground of it rejoicing in peace with God, and nearness to God.

The stern language of the apostle is very arresting: any dependence on legal righteousness, moral or ceremonial, renders Christ profitless to us. It is extremely misleading to say, "I know that I can do nothing by myself," for this only puts Christ in the place of a helper, and the thousands who are relying on Christ as a helper for righteousness will never find the salvation of God. The ten lepers were alike helped by Christ, but only one had faith to throw himself at Jesus' feet; and he alone received the words, "Thy faith has made thee whole." The nine were content to remain as Jews in Judaism, and knew not the blessedness of giving glory to God at the feet of Jesus. Many thousands bear the name of Christ, but what profit is He to them? If you are looking only partly to Christ and partly to yourself "Christ shall profit you nothing." Christ was everything to Paul: once he had profited in the Jews' religion above many," but he had given up every natural and acquired advantage for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord, and could well instruct others regarding the profit to be found in Christ.

Well might Paul reiterate the testimony, "He that is circumcised is debtor to do the whole law." The holy majesty of the law, the rich grace of the Gospel, and the glory of Christ, alike forbid the vain and senseless attempt to make our own partial obedience, together with Christ, the ground of our salvation. To do so is to virtually disown the work of Christ as Gods means of justifying the sinner, and to think lightly of the sacrifice of the Christ of God. Those who think themselves justified by their own efforts in any way are fallen from grace. It is a very solemn and grievous thing for a Christian to fall into sin, but for such an one there is the rich and effectual provision of God; "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and He is the propitiation for our sins." But to fall from grace is to reassert confidence in the flesh, and to displace Christ, with all the injurious consequences, not the least of which is the abandoning of the truth of the Gospel as to present justification before God by faith in Christ. There is also the surrendering of the true Christian hope, by making the attainment of righteousness the hope, instead of making present righteousness, through faith, the sure warrant for expecting glory. "We," says the apostle in the name of all believers, "wait" (not for righteousness, but for) "the hope of righteousness by faith" — the hope to which righteousness is entitled. If we tamper with the truth of present acceptance in the Beloved we undermine the blessed hope for which, through the Spirit, we are entitled to wait, even glory.