Galatians 5:4 (NKJV)

You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

This verse is often misinterpreted to teach that there is a possibility that believer’s could loose their salvation based on Paul’s statement concerning some Galatian believers who had had “fallen from grace.”

Explanation

To understand the broader context of this scripture, let’s first read the verses 1-5.

Galatians 5:1-5 (NKJV)

1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.

3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.

4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 

5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

This letter was written by Paul to believers who professed Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord (otherwise they wouldn’t have been members of the Galatian church) who had now lost their sense of spiritual blessing. As far as their salvation is concerned, they never rejected Christ as a means of their salvation but rejected Him as a means of sanctification (ongoing spiritual growth).

The context suggests that many came from a Jewish background that stressed a legalistic self-effort to attain and maintain salvation.

Despite their positive response to the gospel message about justification before God through faith in Christ alone, they were unable to set aside their background/tradition.

It became apparent that some Judaizers were creating problems within the churches, claiming that faith in Jesus Christ was insufficient to attain complete salvation. Hence, they were looking to add law (specifically circumcision) to grace, believing that they could achieve righteousness through the law. They argued that while faith may begin the process of salvation, believers must also adhere to the Mosaic Law to be fully justified and perfected (Gal 3:1-3).

This is what it means when it says we have fallen from grace. It means we are seeking to justify ourselves through the law rather than through grace.

If a believer starts living under the law to merit salvation, he or she is actually rejecting the grace given to him or her for salvation. Legalism does not please God but offends Him. In fact, it distances a person from God instead of bringing them closer to Him.

By trying to be justified by the law, the Galatian christians alienated themselves from Christ and deemed His work on the cross & that of the Holy Spirit as useless.

Also note what Paul does NOT say.

He does not say “You have fallen from salvation.” He says “fallen from grace”, and there is a difference. The apostle Paul does not suggest that genuine believers can lose their salvation.

Paul argues that believers can lose access to the transforming power of grace in their lives. Which is the concept of having fallen out of the sphere of God’s grace by virtue of mixing grace and law.

It is not surprising that legalistic believers often live miserable lives, rarely defeating sin, living in constant shame, etc. Their temporary separation from Christ deprived them of the freedom that comes with being a child of God.

Salvation is a complete package, God is the one who saves us and He is the one who preserves us. It is grace that saves us and that keeps us saved.

It’s important to understand that a believer only “falls from grace” when they revert to living under the law in an attempt to earn salvation. However, if a believer sins, they do not fall from grace in the same way.

Instead, they fall into grace. When a believer stumbles, they fall into the hands of a gracious and loving God, who disciplines and restores them as His children. God’s grace is not just for salvation but is also the sustaining power that restores and preserves believers in their daily walk with Him.

Rather than being estranged from grace due to failure, sin drives believers deeper into the grace that continually renews them and keeps them close to God.