FALLEN FROM GRACE

There is a phrase that keeps popping up that I feel needs comment ..
and that is 'Fallen from grace'
By its common contemporary usage, it seems to mean, or rather infer, someone who has fallen out of favour with another person because of some misdeed,
In religious circles it is someone – usually a leader – who has 'fallen' immorally, by having 'an affair', having been found out in adultery, or some such action
(And there have been many such instances of such leaders in local 'religious circles' in this fair land, and in the USA)
So that's the common modern usage of the phrase, fallen from grace, at least in the Western world.

But looking at scripture, and presumably from where it has been derived, its origin and meaning is very very different.
Galatians 5:4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

What's this ? You who attempt to be justified by law - estranged from Christ !
There's nothing about immorality here, nothing at all.
Instead, to my reading, its all about mingling LAW with GRACE
and falling out of Grace back into Law
The subtilty is – to start in the Spirit, but ending up in the flesh – to start in faith, but ending up back under Law, and under its curse Galatians 3:3
What it is really all about - instead of being justified, made righteous, by faith in Christ alone, we drift back into Law, by thinking that our good deeds, somehow accumulates 'brownie points' and God's favour.
There's a vast difference between faith in Christ for salvation and rewards for faithful service after that time. 1 Corinthians 3 : 11 -14

An interesting point .....
The last verse / word of the Old Testament speaks of a CURSE
The last verse / words of the New Testament speaks of GRACE.
But there's something appealing to the 'natural man' about works and Law keeping as quite distinct from our right.eous.ness – our right standing - by FAITH alone in Jesus sacrifice. Alas, God's favour cant be earned ... or bought !

The LAW came by Moses, GRACE and TRUTH came by Jesus John 1 : 17
They are 2 separate dispensations of Gods dealing with us
SO, please dont FALL FROM GRACE by mingling the 2 in any way

Jesus last words were IT IS FINISHED John 19:30
and the veil / curtain of the temple was ripped from top to bottom Matthew 27:51 signifying that the way into the Holy of Holies was now open to ALL
Note the veil was ripped by Gods hand DOWN from top to bottom
not from bottom to top UP as a man would have done it

I heard someone say that later on, after this event, the Jews came back, stitched the veil up again, and carried on their temple worship as before !
Until the temple was destroyed some 40 years later in AD 70, when the Romans occupied Jerusalem. They slew every man, woman and child, the streets flowed with blood, and later drunken soldiers set fire to the temple. The inlaid gold that overlaid the walls melted and ran down between the blocks. To get this gold the temple was torn down, the foundations ripped out, and later the site was ploughed, fulfilling.
Micah 3:12

And that's what FALLING FROM GRACE really is ...
Stitching the veil back up, returning to a redundant dispensation,
Some only extract items from the Law which suits the present religious system e.g. the tithe - which to me resembles the melted gold of the temple.
It's the only part of the redundant Law that many modern preachers desire to retain – the rest can go – the animal sacrifices, circumcision, Sabbath keeping, etc are happily discarded – but the gold - ah ha – the walls are still being torn down to get it.

Thought ... Why isn't John the Baptist and his lifestyle held up as a role model more often instead ?

So FALLING FROM GRACE biblically, isn't about immorality at all, but about returning to being under the LAW, and thus becoming estranged from Christ – how sad.

We proceed from a finished work, not towards one !

K I S S Keep It Simple Saints

And Let G R A C E abound 2 Corinthians 9 : 8