This is a teaching from escapetoreality website on "falling from grace."
I am so glad the book of Galatians is in the Bible because we can learn a lot from other people’s mistakes.
The Galatians lost their liberty in Christ by allowing themselves to be enslaved to the yoke of the law. In their case the issue was circumcision, but for us it could be anything that puts a price tag on grace—church rules, confession of sins, the spiritual disciplines, whatever. I’m not against these things. I’m saying there is nothing we can do to add or improve upon Christ’s perfect work.
We stand by grace alone.
The Galatians had a different view. Some guys with long faces and long knives came preaching mixture and the Galatians bought it hook, line, and sinker. But does this mean the Galatians were now unsaved, under condemnation, and hell-bound? No. Falling from grace does not mean falling out of the kingdom.
“You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.” (Gal 5:4)
The NIV Bible says the Galatians alienated themselves from Christ. Other translations say they became estranged, separated, severed, and cut off. These are serious words with serious implications, but they do not imply condemnation.
Who cut them off? It wasn’t Christ.
Who did the separating? Not Jesus.
As always, he remains the thoroughly faithful husband who keeps us safe while promising that no one, not even ourselves in a moment of stupidity, can snatch us out of his hands.
Paul never tells the Galatians, “You are losing your salvation.” Instead, he says, “You are indulging the flesh” (Galatians 5:13). They were becoming carnal, biting and devouring one another in vicious arguments. The danger is not that God will destroy them, but that “you will be destroyed by each other” (Galatians 5:15).
Remove grace from any community and you will soon have quarrels, strife, bickering, manipulation, envy, hatred, and all the other works of the flesh that Paul lists in Galatians 5:19–21. But none of these things will send you to hell.
When Paul reminds the Galatians that “they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom,” he’s saying, “Those who belong to Christ shouldn’t act like those who don’t.”
If Christians were kicked out of the kingdom every time they walked after the flesh, heaven would be empty.
I am so glad the book of Galatians is in the Bible because we can learn a lot from other people’s mistakes.
The Galatians lost their liberty in Christ by allowing themselves to be enslaved to the yoke of the law. In their case the issue was circumcision, but for us it could be anything that puts a price tag on grace—church rules, confession of sins, the spiritual disciplines, whatever. I’m not against these things. I’m saying there is nothing we can do to add or improve upon Christ’s perfect work.
We stand by grace alone.
The Galatians had a different view. Some guys with long faces and long knives came preaching mixture and the Galatians bought it hook, line, and sinker. But does this mean the Galatians were now unsaved, under condemnation, and hell-bound? No. Falling from grace does not mean falling out of the kingdom.
“You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.” (Gal 5:4)
The NIV Bible says the Galatians alienated themselves from Christ. Other translations say they became estranged, separated, severed, and cut off. These are serious words with serious implications, but they do not imply condemnation.
Who cut them off? It wasn’t Christ.
Who did the separating? Not Jesus.
As always, he remains the thoroughly faithful husband who keeps us safe while promising that no one, not even ourselves in a moment of stupidity, can snatch us out of his hands.
Paul never tells the Galatians, “You are losing your salvation.” Instead, he says, “You are indulging the flesh” (Galatians 5:13). They were becoming carnal, biting and devouring one another in vicious arguments. The danger is not that God will destroy them, but that “you will be destroyed by each other” (Galatians 5:15).
Remove grace from any community and you will soon have quarrels, strife, bickering, manipulation, envy, hatred, and all the other works of the flesh that Paul lists in Galatians 5:19–21. But none of these things will send you to hell.
When Paul reminds the Galatians that “they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom,” he’s saying, “Those who belong to Christ shouldn’t act like those who don’t.”
If Christians were kicked out of the kingdom every time they walked after the flesh, heaven would be empty.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB)
[SUP]8 [/SUP] For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
[SUP]9 [/SUP] not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Romans 4:3-5 (NIV)
[SUP]3 [/SUP] What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."
[SUP]4 [/SUP] Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.
[SUP]5 [/SUP] However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
THEREFORE the purpose of works, can NEVER BE FOR SALVATION, or it ceases to be a gift, and ceases to be GRACE, which is something UNEARNED. What then is the ONLY PURE MOTIVE for works? IT CAN NEVER BE TO EARN ANY PART OF SALVATION, but rather TO EXHIBIT OUR LOVE FOR HIM:
John 14:15 (HCSB)
[SUP]15 [/SUP] “If you love Me, you will keep My commands.
In a VERY REAL SENSE, GOD's Love that the Holy Spirit poured into our hearts, the moment we believed and received JESUS as LORD, (Rom. 5:5), IS WHAT SPAWNS OR PRODUCES in our hearts a desire to SHOW OUR LOVE FOR HIM by our obedience.
So, many will say that they have seen Christians fall from Grace and Lose their Salvation. BUT IS THAT WHAT THE SCRIPTURES ACTUALLY SAY?
1 John 2:19 (NKJV)
[SUP]19 [/SUP] They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.
Conclusion, genuine Christianity will produce in us a desire to continually strive to obey HIM; not out of our own power and strength, but rather out of GOD's LOVE that was poured into our hearts.
Yes there is such a thing as backsliding, so what do we lose?
Crowns, spiritual maturity, heavenly rewards, and perhaps even our position of Service in Heaven; but NEVER OUR SALVATION, IF our faith and submission to receive HIM as LORD, meaning MASTER, was real in the first place. The easy believism TV false gospel of today, LEADS MANY, to believe they are saved, when in reality they entered through the WRONG GATE, and are on the Broad ROAD of destruction in HELL.
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