A Christian Can Fall From Grace

We appreciate Blake for leading our singing this morning and for all of our men who do such a fine job in leading our worship. We’re very thankful for each one. This morning, we’re going to continue with our series on authentic Christianity from the book of Galatians.

And we’re going to be looking at chapter 5 and verses 1 through 6 this morning and thinking about some things related to what Paul says in these verses. Let’s remember that the book of Galatians was written because there were some teachers who had come to the churches saying that unless you are circumcised according to the customs of Moses, that you cannot be saved.

He wanted the people to obey the law of Moses and to keep the law of Moses and Paul had been given the gospel by Jesus Christ and he knew that this wasn’t the case, that in fact that there were things the law of Moses could not do and those things we read about in Acts 13 39 which says that everyone who believes in Jesus is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

And so that meant you had to leave the law of Moses behind and embrace Christianity and embrace Jesus Christ. And when we look at Galatians chapter 5, we want to think about authentic Christianity in relationship to what Christ taught, what the apostles taught, and what the Bible teaches.

And we ask the question, why authentic Christianity? Because there are so many today who claim to be Christians but are not Christians because they are not practicing authentic New Testament Christianity. If I were to give you a twenty dollar bill and say, this twenty dollar bill is not authentic, would you take it? You would probably say, no thanks, you can keep your trinkets for yourself. But if I were to give you a twenty dollar bill that was an authentic twenty dollar bill, you might say, yeah, I can use that. Why? What’s the difference between authentic and not authentic? That which is not authentic isn’t real.

It’s not true. It’s not genuine. And you recognize when you’re dealing with cash, cold hard cash is something that’s not authentic, has no value. Well, today there’s so many in the religious world who are not authentic Christians because they don’t follow authentic Christianity.

And the bottom line is that those inauthentic Christianities have no value. But how do we restore what is broken? How do we take all of the inauthenticity out there and bring it back to a place where we can be authentic Christians?

Well, we’ve got to go back to the Scriptures. We’ve got to go back to God’s plan for mankind. We’ve got to go to the Bible and see what the Bible says and teaches and just accept that. Not the teachings of men, not the teachings of the religious world around us, just what the Bible says.

And if we do that, then we know we will be authentic Christians and be practicing authentic Christianity. Now today we’re going to look at something that is clearly a distinction between the religious world around us and those who are practicing authentic Christianity.

And that is this, that the teaching that a Christian can fall from grace. Now, there are so many in the religious world today who teach the doctrine of once saved, always saved. And we’re here to say this morning that is a false doctrine, that the Bible never teaches the doctrine of once saved, always saved, and that this passage in Galatians 5, 1 through 6 teaches that part of authentic Christianity, being an authentic Christian, is that we have to acknowledge and understand That a Christian can fall from grace. Now let’s read together Galatians chapter 5 and verses 1 through 6 and just look at what Paul explicitly says here in this passage.

Now, he’s saying this to those who have gone away from authentic Christianity and gone back to Judaism and tried to make some kind of Christianity hybrid out of Judaism and out of Christianity, and that’s not going to work. And today, people try to make a hybrid out of their own beliefs or their religious traditional beliefs in Christianity, and that’s not going to work either.

And one of those hybrids that they make is that, well, once saved, always saved. No, that’s not going to work. Let’s look at what Galatians 5, 1-6 says. Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed, I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.

And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ. You who attempt to be justified by law, you have fallen from grace. For we, through the Spirit, eagerly await for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but faith working through love. And so let’s take this passage right here, Galatians 5, 1 through 6. Let’s think about it in its context and let’s look at this idea that authentic Christianity means that a Christian can live.

Now, in this context, Paul is making the argument that a return to the law of Moses means that as a Christian, he or she has fallen from grace. And he exhorts Christians to embrace Christian liberty. And that liberty means freedom from the law of Moses. It also means freedom from the tyranny of sin.

Just like Jesus taught in John chapter 8 and verse 32. When He said, you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. But when one abandons Christian liberty, he leaves Christ and he walks back into bondage. Whatever that bondage may be. Whether the bondage to the law of Moses or bondage to sin. And we’re going to see how that happens.

And so, one can, therefore, fall from grace. The Christian can fall from grace. And how does the Christian fall from grace? First of all, the Christian falls from grace by being entangled with a yoke of bondage. Well, the yoke of bondage that Paul has in mind is the law of Moses, and he says as much here, but notice he says to stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

A yoke of bondage, yokes were placed on slaves to prevent them from running away. And here’s an example from ancient archaeology, and you may note these particular collars that are placed on these slaves here and here and here and here.

Those were yokes that were put on slaves in the ancient world, and those were designed to put people into bondage and to lead them wherever they wanted them to go, you know, so they couldn’t do what they wanted. And the lesson we get that, you know, sin enslaves, regardless of what kind of sin it is, it could be a sin of going back to the law of Moses and abandoning Christ.

Christ, it could be the sin of getting involved with the world and doing all kinds of worldly, sinful things, but think about what Jesus says in John 8, verse 34. Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. Sin enslaves. It puts that yoke around your neck and leads you about to do its will instead of the will of God.

In Romans 6, Paul the apostle wrote, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that’s the old slave, it was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

So Christians are no longer slaves of sin. They no longer have that yoke of bondage around their neck, and they’re not supposed to put it back on, you know. And in essence, that’s what Paul was saying these Christians in Galatia were doing. They were putting the yoke back on their necks and going back to being in bondage to the law of Moses.

Christians today, they can reject Christ, put that yoke of bondage back on their neck and go back to living in the world. That’s something that we are not to do. When we think about this yoke of bondage, we think about those today who promise liberty, but they themselves are slaves of corruption, for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage, 2 Peter 2 and verse 19.

And we see people in bondage today to sin, and they commit horrible acts in this world. And you think, well, why would they do such a thing? And the answer is very simple. The Bible gives us the answer. They are enslaved to sin. And the only thing that’s going to change them is if they repent of sin.

And so, we need to understand that sin enslaves. And as Christians, we’re not to go back to that. We’re not to be entangled again with that yoke of bondage. Colossians 2, verse 8. Galatians 4, verse 3. Look at what Paul says, He says, “‘Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.'” Colossians 2, verse 8, “‘Beware, lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit.'” He’s talking to Christians here. He’s talking to Christians. How could a Christian be cheated if it’s once saved, always saved? Well, he couldn’t be. But you see, it’s not the case that once saved, always saved is true. The Christian can be cheated through philosophy and empty deceit. And so there’s a warning here about that.

What is this philosophy and empty deceit according to? According to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. Why the warning? If that can’t happen, if Christians can’t be cheated, well, they can be. And so there is the warning.

Notice also that a Christian can fall from grace by being estranged from Christ. Think about what this means, and look at the text here in Galatians 5, 1 through 6. Indeed, I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.

You have become estranged from Christ. You who attempt to be justified by law, you have fallen from grace. Estranged from Christ. Now think about that word estranged and what it means. It means having lost former closeness and affection in a state of alienation from a previous close or familiar relationship. Now, I want you to think about this, because remember, the doctrine of once saved always says, well, you can’t be estranged from Christ. It’s impossible to be estranged from Christ.

But Paul says, you who go back to the law, you are estranged from Christ. And being estranged from someone Someone implies that you once had a good relationship with them, and now you don’t. Now sometimes, those who believe the doctrine of once saved, always saved, they say, well, that person was never really a Christian to begin with. Well, if these people were never really Christians to begin with, how could they become estranged from Christ?

How could they have had a once good relationship, which is what the word estranged means, and then not had it anymore? You see, that doesn’t work. That argument, they were never Christians to begin with, doesn’t work, because it contradicts what Paul says right here about being estranged from Christ.

So, to be estranged means you once had a great relationship and now you don’t. That’s what’s going on here with these Christians who are members of the church, churches of Galatia, who have gone back to the law. They have become estranged from Christ. They had a good relationship with Him, but now they don’t because they have become estranged.

The Greek word is katargeo. It means to render idle, inactive, or inoperative. To remove someone from one’s life. And that’s in essence what we do when we as Christians go back to sin, go back to the world. We are removing Christ from our life. And that becomes a relationship issue and it will condemn us if we do not repent. Being estranged from Christ, the implication is that through our actions, we can become removed, so far removed from Christ that we make Him ineffective in our lives.

One way to stop doing this is simply by forsaking the assembly. If a Christian says, you know what, I’m done with the church, I’m not going back to church. Well, that estranges you from Christ. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 25 and 26 is, “…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching.” And notice what he says here, Here, for if we sin willfully, after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. When we estrange ourselves from Christ, we give up the sacrifice that Christ made for our sins. And how do we estrange ourselves? We sin willfully, intentionally, deliberately.

And you see, forsaking the assembly is one of those things, and we don’t want to do that. What’s another way we can do that? By returning to the world. Look at 2 Peter 2, verses 20 through 21, another passage that makes it very clear that a Christian can abandon Christ and be lost.

It says, “…for if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than having known it to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.”

And so here’s a person who escapes the pollutions of the world, and he does that through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Who is that? That’s a Christian. But then this Christian goes back to the world. He’s entangled again in that yoke of bondage. He’s entangled and overcome. What happens? His latter end becomes worse for him than the former.

And notice what Peter says. It would have been better for him not to have known the way of righteousness. That is, he became a Christian. He knew the way of righteousness and he obeyed it. It would have been better if he had never done that. And so a Christian can be estranged from Christ. And that’s another way that we can fall from grace.

And then finally, we can fall from grace if our faith does not work through love. Faith working through love. Paul says here in the last few verses of Galatians 5, 1 through 6, But for we, through the Spirit, eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.

Now, this is a great point that we need to think about here that the Apostle Paul makes. Because so often in the religious world today, people will say, well, as long as you believe, you’re saved. And then once saved, always saved. And so really, you don’t have to do anything. But Paul says, no, that’s not the case.

That our faith must work through love. Faith, it avails, you see. What doesn’t avail? Putting on that yoke of bondage, going back to the law of Moses, putting on the yoke of bondage, going back to the world of sin, that doesn’t avail. But what does avail? Faith working through love.

And the point here is, is that faith works. Faith works. And what does that mean? It means that when I believe in Jesus Christ, I believe in the message of the Bible, I am going to act upon that message. I’m going to live out that message within my life. I’m going to be faithful to the Lord.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, and when I have faith, I’m going to do something about that faith. I’m not just going to sit there and say, oh, I believe, and then go about my business and live a worldly life like so many do. No, faith must work. Faith must work. To be a faithful Christian, we must practice good works.

Now, faith working means that we get out and we do good things, that we’re involved in being good examples, that we are involved in teaching others the gospel, that we are involved in helping people better their lives through Christ. To be a faithful Christian, we must practice good works.

Now, these works do not earn our salvation. I want to be very clear about that. They are not meritorious. We can’t say to God, once we get to heaven, look at all my good works and therefore you owe me salvation. Nope, that doesn’t work that way. We’re still saved by grace through faith. But those works are necessary. They’re conditional. If we get to heaven and we don’t have any good works at all, God’s going to say, I’m sorry, you didn’t do that.

They didn’t do anything, and so that’s not going to work out. They are necessary, but they don’t earn us our salvation. Now, we can earn condemnation. We can earn that which is going to separate us from God, but we can’t earn our salvation.

But look at Titus 2, verse 14. Does this sound like works are necessary or not necessary? “…who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”

What about Titus 3, verse 8? This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. Necessary or not necessary? Hebrews 10, verse 24.

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. Is that a command? Yes, it is. And so we need to do good works. They don’t earn us our salvation, but they are a condition for salvation.

Now, some say that we do good works because we have been saved. And there’s some truth to that. But I want us to notice that James also says that we do good works to be saved. James 2 and verse 24, you see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith only.

Now, we do good works because we’re saved, but we also do good works to maintain salvation. Again, it doesn’t mean that we’re earning our salvation. What does it mean? It means we’re following the authority of Jesus Christ. Colossians 3, verse 17, “…whatever you do in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

When we abandon good works, we are abandoning the authority that Christ has over our lives and making Him ineffective. I want us to think about that. Abandoning good works is abandoning Christ. Galatians 3 and verse 6 says that Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And this is how it works.

When we do the works that Christ tells us to do, we don’t merit our own salvation, but God does put it down on our account that through Christ we have done a good work. Now that’s important. James 2 and verse 23 tells us the scripture was fulfilled, which says, Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God. It’s accounted to us for righteousness. That’s important. It’s important to understand that works of faith that are done by the authority of Christ are counted as righteousness. It’s not It’s not my righteousness from the standpoint of me making something up. It is Christ’s righteousness because it’s by His authority that I do them. And so our works are accounted for righteousness. That’s what the scriptures teach. Romans 4, verses 4 through 5 says, Now, to him who works, that is, who tries to earn his salvation, the wages are not counted as grace, but as debt.

But to him who does not work, that is, he’s not trying to earn his salvation, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. So notice the basic things Paul is saying here in Romans 4. Work for wages is accounted as debt, but the work of faith is accounted as righteousness. Now, Paul doesn’t contradict himself or James when he says in Galatians chapter 5 that the thing that avails is faith working through love.

Now, he knew what he meant when he wrote Romans chapter 4, verses 4 through 5. And he knew what he meant when he wrote Galatians chapter 5 and verse 6. And those two things do not contradict one another, because faith works. Faith must work through love for us to maintain our salvation.

Galatians 5, verses 19 through 21 make it clear that when we abandon what is good, we are abandoning Christ. Think about all these works of the flesh that Paul says we’re not supposed to do as Christians. He lists them. We’re not going to list them, but you can read them there. But notice this key thing. He says, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

You can’t practice the works of the flesh and inherit the kingdom of God. Whether you are one who has never become a Christian or whether you are a Christian, if you practice these things, you will not inherit the kingdom of God. Now, that’s Paul’s words, not mine. It’s the Holy Spirit’s words, not mine. We’ve got to listen to the Holy Spirit.

Authentic Christianity means that a Christian can fall from grace. But look, you don’t have to. You don’t have to fall from grace. It’s a choice that a person makes. We can choose to be faithful to Christ. We can choose to let the blood of Christ cover our sins.

We can choose to have that penitent attitude that when we do sin, we turn back to the Father through the blood of Jesus Christ. That’s what we want for everyone. And maybe someone is here this morning who has become a Christian at some point, But then, through one choice or another, has left Christ, gone back into the world, started living in a way that is not according to the principles and the teachings of the Bible, maybe this morning you can make that change in your life and come back to Christ.

You don’t have to be lost. You don’t have to continue to abandon Christ. You can come back. You can return. Just like the prodigal son. Here was one who was in the Father’s house. And he left the father’s house and went out and wasted his life. But then what happened? He realized that he had a problem.

The text says, when Jesus tells the parable, the text says, he came to himself. He said, it was a lot better in my father’s house than it is out here in this old pig pen. And what did he do? He said, I will go back to my father and I’ll say, Father, I’ve sinned before God and before you and I don’t even want to become your son. I just want to be your servant. And of course, when the father saw him, he welcomed him with open arms. Christians can fall from grace, but that doesn’t mean they can’t come back. And that’s what we want.

But maybe there’s someone who’s not a Christian and someone who needs to become one today because, like we said earlier, you know, if you were in the world and practicing the works of the flesh, you will not inherit the kingdom of God. How do you inherit the kingdom of God? You’ve got to live by faith. Faith working through love.

And the first love that your faith needs to work for is Jesus Christ. It’s Him. By hearing His Word and believing it, repenting of your sins, confessing Him as your Lord, and being baptized for the forgiveness of sins, identifying with Christ. That’s your first love. That’s the first opportunity you have to let your faith work through love.

And maybe you need to do that this morning, and if you do, we encourage you to make that choice. Come to Christ today while together we stand and while we sing.

End of transcript. Thank you for reading along!