Is It Possible For A Christian To Fall From "Grace"?

[Karl]

If we take the verse in it's context Paul is explaining the hypothetical result of the false Gospel that either the brothers from Jerusalem had brought (which is the reason He went to Jerusalem to straighten out this false Gospel) or those that were deliberately working against him, ...........in that context, is it really possible to fall from grace?

 

[Jethro Bodine]

The Gospel of Christ no longer reaches your life. In other words you are disconnected from the Cross of Christ.

When you fall from grace you become disconnected from the justification you had by your faith in Christ. You make Jesus of no effect in regard to justifying you. You have fallen away from and lost that justification.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

If we take the verse in it's context Paul is explaining the hypothetical result of the false Gospel that either the brothers from Jerusalem had brought (which is the reason He went to Jerusalem to straighten out this false Gospel) or those that were deliberately working against him, ...........in that context, is it really possible to fall from grace?

It is possible to be trusting in Christ for justification one day, and then to be trusting in something else for justification the next. The Galatians are our proof of that. They also prove the door stays open for a while so you can go back to trusting in Christ. If that were not true Paul would not be calling them back to justification by faith in Christ.

 

[Karl]

When you fall from grace you become disconnected from the justification you had by your faith in Christ. You make Jesus of no effect in regard to justifying you. You have fallen away from and lost that justification.

But is Paul teaching that?

What were the Galatians guilty of, observing the sabbaths and feasts Gal 4:10, ...they were considering going all the way, doing the deed and becoming circumcised, following the sabbaths and feasts are outside of the body, circumcision is desecrating the Temple of God, ...did not he teach about the sins outside of the body and sins in the body, .....think about about, if fornicating joined Christ to a prostitute, the circumcision would be joining Christ to the Law, no?

Is not Paul is speaking hypothetically, is he not saying, from verse 1 through 10, that if they were to become circumcised they would fall from grace, but he ends with having confidence in them they would not become circumcised, and continue on in the faith.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

But is Paul teaching that?

Yes, he is teaching that. The context is justification. They were falling from the justification they had in Christ and returning to a reliance on justification by works of the law. The epitome of which was physical circumcision, the sign of the covenant (Sabbath keeping being the other 'sign' observance).

... circumcision is desecrating the Temple of God...

If that were true, why did God command Abraham and countless saints after that to be circumcised? Timothy was circumcised by no less than Paul himself.

, ...did not he teach about the sins outside of the body and sins in the body, .....think about about, if fornicating joined Christ to a prostitute, the circumcision would be joining Christ to the Law, no?

Circumcision, for the purpose of being justified (see context), would be to abandon trust in faith in Christ alone for justification. That is what is wrong with circumcision. There is nothing wrong with circumcision in and of itself. Paul circumcised Timothy. That alone shows us it is not a sin, in and of itself, to get circumcised. Circumcision is wrong when you are doing it to earn a declaration of righteousness, instead of trusting Christ alone through faith for that declaration of righteousness.

Is not Paul is speaking hypothetically, is he not saying, from verse 1 through 10, that if they were to become circumcised they would fall from grace, but he ends with having confidence in them they would not become circumcised, and continue on in the faith.

And thus the age old question: Can the Galatians really continue to turn away from their faith in Christ until God turns them over to that decision, or is the warning sufficient enough to bring them back? Hebrews 10:29 NASB answers that question for me.

 

[Karl]

I'll reply in Blue

Yes, he is teaching that. The context is justification. They were falling from the justification they had in Christ and returning to a reliance on justification by works of the law. The epitome of which was physical circumcision, the sign of the covenant (Sabbath keeping being the other 'sign' observance).

I'm sorry I don't see where he was talking about justification, what I see him saying is they would lose their liberty.

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Gal 5:1

Look what Paul said,

Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. Gal 5:4

I ask, who was ever justified by the Law, no one, that's one of the reason's I believe he was speaking hypothetically.

If that were true, why did God command Abraham and countless saints after that to be circumcised? Timothy was circumcised by no less than Paul himself.

Abraham is not the Church, and good point, ...yes Timothy was circumcised by Paul, did he fall from grace afterwards?

Again, why would Paul circumcise his convert and protege if he knew he would fall from grace, ...unless he was speaking hypothetically to the Galatians.

Circumcision, for the purpose of being justified (see context), would be to abandon trust in faith in Christ alone for justification. That is what is wrong with circumcision. There is nothing wrong with circumcision in and of itself. Paul circumcised Timothy. That alone shows us it is not a sin, in and of itself, to get circumcised. Circumcision is wrong when you are doing it to earn a declaration of righteousness, instead of trusting Christ alone through faith for that declaration of righteousness.

I understand your point and I agree with you in faith in Christ only, but I reiterate, I believe Paul started teaching them in verse 1 with the idea of them losing their liberty.

And thus the age old question: Can the Galatians really continue to turn away from their faith in Christ until God turns them over to that decision, or is the warning sufficient enough to bring them back? Hebrews 10:29 NASB answers that question for me.

And that is exactly the point of this thread, an age old question that is never asked in the Word, ...so then men have to give their opinions.

Brother I don't want to argue with you and I certainly don't want to make more work for reba or be the cause for making her sad.

Lord bless

 

[Cturtle]

If one is born again, how long do you suppose that it takes to fall from Grace?

I herd it said that, Grace is God's overwhelming desire to treat you and me as if sin never happened

 

[Karl]

Cturtle, you dear one have hit the nail squarely on the head, I have asked this question many times,

After being born how does one become unborn?

After being declared just how does one become unjust?

But we have to take it farther than that, The Word teaches we are not only pardoned and justified, ...we are exonerated by the Judge, ...how does one become unexonerated?

 

[Cturtle]

Cturtle, you dear one have hit the nail squarely on the head, I have asked this question many times,

After being born how does one become unborn?

After being declared just how does one become unjust?

But we have to take it farther than that, The Word teaches we are not only pardoned and justified, ...we are exonerated by the Judge, ...how does one become unexonerated?

That is what i have always believed, i have walked away from God, for a season, and He never turned His back on me. In fact i believe He never stopped pursuing me. Just patiently waited till i was ready to turn to Him and get my life in Him back on track.
Blessings

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Cturtle, you dear one have hit the nail squarely on the head, I have asked this question many times,

After being born how does one become unborn?

After being declared just how does one become unjust?

But we have to take it farther than that, The Word teaches we are not only pardoned and justified, ...we are exonerated by the Judge, ...how does one become unexonerated?

These are good questions.

The mystery that God allows is not knowing where the line is drawn to no longer have the opportunity to come back to the justification in Christ a person once had. Perhaps that's because it's different for each person in any given set of circumstances. I just know he's patient and long suffering not wanting anyone to perish, so I don't think it's a flippant matter in the heart of God.

You become 'unjustified' when you reject God's justification. That only makes sense.
You get justified by faith in Christ. You get unjustified by losing that faith in Christ. If someone thinks that is impossible, consider that is exactly what the Galatians were toying with--turning away from the faith that justifies to pursue another way to be justified. And Paul warns them vigorously not to do that or else lose the benefit of justification in Christ.

You become un-exonerated when you commit new crimes without the benefit of the justification you had that covered you before. How can we have the benefit of a justification that is secured by faith in Christ if we turn our backs on our faith in Christ? Peter tells us we are kept for the Day of salvation by faith:

5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:5 NASB)

You can't be kept for the Day of salvation by a faith you do not have anymore. Faith in Christ's forgiveness is how you are protected by God's power for the Day of Salvation. Lose that faith and you no longer have the power of God's protection that faith secured.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

I rarely encounter Christians who are in fear of losing their faith. What I encounter is Christians who vigorously resist works as the benchmark of salvation. Any Christian who is still clinging to justification by faith in Christ has nothing to worry about. The only time I'd worry if you've lost your faith in Christ is if grace has become a license to sin without regret or remorse. IMO, that is when you need to reexamine your faith in, and reliance on Christ to justify.

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

You can't lose your salvation.
It all comes back to the same thing everytime.
Was a person truly born again to begin with?
Only God knows our hearts. Acts 15:8;

 

[Willie T]

We can very definitely fall from grace... we fall back into trying to follow the law. (Grace being higher than the Law, it is exactly that, a "fall".)

 

[Willie T]

Which illustrates how we take the plain words of Paul and filter them through a predetermined indoctrination.

This could easily be written.... "Which illustrates how we take the plain words of The Whole Bible and filter them through a predetermined indoctrination."

 

[JLB]

The answer depends on whether you're Calvinist or Arminian in your beliefs.

The answer depends on whether you believe what the scripture plainly says, or you believe something else.


JLB

 

[Willie T]

I rarely encounter Christians who are in fear of losing their faith. What I encounter is Christians who vigorously resist works as the benchmark of salvation. Any Christian who is still clinging to justification by faith in Christ has nothing to worry about. The only time I'd worry if you've lost your faith in Christ is if grace has become a license to sin without regret or remorse. IMO, that is when you need to reexamine your faith in, and reliance on Christ to justify.

I keep hearing that chanted over, and over again, like a mantra... however, I've yet to see it. Usually, all this seems to mean is that they do not believe what the accuser believes.

 

[YosefHayim]

Did people miss the "you're trying to be justified by the law" part? We're saved by grace trough faith. Not works. If you think you don't need Christ and can do it yourself, good luck, "you are fallen from grace"... "fallen short of the glory of God"...

No. Christians can't "fall from grace".

 

[Jethro Bodine]

You can't lose your salvation.
It all comes back to the same thing everytime.
Was a person truly born again to begin with?
Only God knows our hearts. Acts 15:8;

But you do agree that the Galatians had fallen from grace, right? Paul plainly said they had.

The question is does everyone always come back from that? I respect your belief that 'yes' every true believer that falls from grace will come back to that grace.

What I can in no way respect is the belief that Paul did not say the Galatians had fallen from grace. He plainly said they did.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

We can very definitely fall from grace... we fall back into trying to follow the law. (Grace being higher than the Law, it is exactly that, a "fall".)

You get it.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Did people miss the "you're trying to be justified by the law" part? We're saved by grace trough faith. Not works. If you think you don't need Christ and can do it yourself, good luck, "you are fallen from grace"... "fallen short of the glory of God"...

No. Christians can't "fall from grace".

But the Galatians are indeed Christians, and Paul said they had fallen from grace.

The question is, do all Christians who fall from grace come back to grace? That is the true question, not whether Christians can fall from grace.