Fallen From Grace

God’s salvation is complete. It includes the grace to walk a sanctified life. So long as we think that it is up to our performance, we are outside of the gospel of Jesus Christ, or as Paul put it, “You have fallen from grace.” (Gal 5:4). Paul said to the Galatians, “I marvel that you are so soon removed from the grace of God.” (Gal 1:6). Paul was addressing their view of sanctification.

If we live under religious legalism, then we live in torment under a curse: as it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in every aspect of the law.” (Gal 3:10). This does not have to be the Law of Moses. It can be any law we make. Being under a curse means that it is impossible for us to live up to the conditions that we think we must achieve to be right with God. So long as we try to, we are under a curse.

The gospel is Jesus plus nothing, His blood plus nothing. Once we add works to the blood of Christ we have departed from the gospel. In Antioch, even Peter and Barnabas were drawn away from the gospel, not eating with those who were uncircumcised (Gal 2:9). If Peter and Barnabas did not recognize that the gospel had been completely compromised, then the same thing could be happening in our day in a different way, without us seeing it.

Luther claimed that both our justification and sanctification are gifts in Christ. Just as we are justified by the blood of Christ, so we are sanctified by His blood. The Galatians felt that the blood of Christ was sufficient for forgiveness of sin, but claimed that to be holy they had to keep the Law of Moses. They unwittingly (some knowingly) opposed the gospel stealthily, not a frontal attack against Jesus.

We may not think of circumcision, but may have some other traditions, a whole list of do’s and don’ts, by which we judge spirituality and judge others. But by judging others our conscience condemns our self, for we too cannot keep our list. Also the world sees that these many traditions and rules are meaningless in regard to real faith and love. They call it hypocrisy and they confuse these laws with Christianity.

The kingdom of God is not meat or drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Rom 14:17).