by By Robin Schumacher
Without a doubt, there are some scary statements found in the Bible.
Moreover, a number of them come from Jesus Himself. For example, Jesus tells His disciples at one point: “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell” (Matt. 10:28). That’s some scary stuff.
Then you have the end of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus tells His listeners: “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matt. 7:22–23). That statement has put fear into a lot of professing Christians as they wonder whether they’ll be the ones hearing those words from Christ in the future.
The texts above and others like them are purposeful and serve as one side of the “fear coin” that the Psalms and Proverbs present: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10; Prov 9:10) — the other side being a fear of not pleasing God, just like we experience for others we love and want to do right by.
But then you have verses that cause heart palpitations needlessly, being misunderstood in what they are actually saying.
One verse like that is found in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, where he mentions those who have “fallen from grace” (Gal. 5:4). Some Christians have shuddered after reading that, wondering if they could somehow do something, sin in some way, and be separated from their salvation.
If that’s you, I have some good news: that’s not what the verse means.
Avoiding the hybrid faith
When we examine verses like Gal. 5:4 and others, we use a process called hermeneutics, which is the science of biblical interpretation. Hermeneutics involves observation (what do I see in the text?), interpretation (what does it mean?), and then application (how does it apply to me?) Such a method allows for a three-pronged progression when we engage in Bible study: Scripture first convicts us, then convinces us, then converts us.
Observation concerns itself with everything from the terms being used, the structure and genre of the book itself, and the historical background. And this step is important when it comes to understanding what Paul means when he references falling from grace.
The history behind Paul’s letter to Galatia is that the church had been infiltrated by Jewish teachers who were mixing Old Testament Law and customs with the new covenant of salvation through Christ alone. Paul speaks to how these false teachers were “disturbing” (vs. 1:7) and “troubling” (vs. 5:12) the church there, saying they must observe customs such as circumcision to experience salvation.
Having this background helps get to the heart of what Paul means by falling from grace and leads to our next hermeneutical step of interpretation. As a quick aside, contrary to what some believe, there is only one right interpretation of a particular verse of Scripture. Yep, just one. It may have multiple applications, but just one interpretation. As John Calvin said, “I acknowledge Scripture is a most rich and inexhaustible fountain of all wisdom; but I deny that its fertility consists in the various meanings which any man, at his pleasure, may assign.”
The explanation of the falling from grace verse is revealed well by the context of the chapter it’s in and the verses that precede it:
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace” (Gal. 5:1–4).
Paul starts by telling the church they have been freed from a law they could never keep, and that reverting to a salvation by works mindset, or mixing the idea of law and grace, would result in them going right back to square one and being “under obligation to keep the whole Law” (now that’s a scary thought!) John MacArthur calls it going the way of a “hybrid religion.”
So, someone who has “fallen from grace” refers to a person who has been misdirected into abandoning the belief that salvation is by grace alone (sola gratia) through faith alone (sola fide) in Christ, and instead trusting also in works, rituals, or law-keeping for salvation. A false teaching? Yes. But a loss of salvation for someone who’s saved? No.
And you’d be surprised at how many folks out there think they need both Christ and good deeds to be right with God.
For example, a study done some years ago by Arizona Christian University found that “Only one-third of American adults (35%) continue to embrace the traditional biblical view that salvation comes through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.”
To be sure, some of those straying outside the Gospel message in that study are likely those not born again and Christian in name only, and so they default to the normal works-based salvific plan touted by all other religions. But some may also be true believers who have “fallen from grace” and have a misunderstanding that works play a part in their eternal state.
Those are the ones who have forgotten what Paul says in Romans: “But if it [salvation] is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace” (Rom. 11:6).
This leads us to the application step in the hermeneutics process. Paul’s warning of falling from grace serves as a reality check for anyone trying to mix works and grace together and is put there to pull them out of that trap.
A hybrid religion, as MacArthur calls it, leads to a 180-degree turn from the rest and peace we enjoy in Christ, the return of the uncertainty of whether we’ll measure up to God, and a loss of confidence in where we’ll spend eternity. And who wants that?
In his commentary on Galatians (Vol. 1, pp. 714–715), Warren Wiersbe describes it like this:
“Paul next presents the life of the believer in the sphere of grace (Gal. 5:5–6). This enables us to contrast the two ways of life. When you live by grace, you depend on the power of the Spirit; but under Law, you must depend on yourself and your own efforts. Faith is not dead; faith works (see James 2:14–26). But the efforts of the flesh can never accomplish what faith can accomplish through the Spirit. And faith works through love — love for God and love for others. Unfortunately, flesh does not manufacture love; too often it produces selfishness and rivalry (see Gal. 5:15). No wonder Paul pictures the life of legalism as a fall!”
So, to sum up, to fall from grace is to shift your trust from one domain of power to another; to see salvation as needing Christ + works and move from believing in His death and resurrection as your sole source of eternal life and hope.
So, it’s not about losing salvation, but it is something you want to discard from your thinking, as the teaching is not found in Scripture. As Paul says later in his letter: “This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you” (Gal. 5:8).
