What is the meaning of Galatians 5:4? You who are trying to be justified by the law Paul speaks directly to believers flirting with the idea that obedience to the Mosaic code—especially circumcision (v. 2)—could establish their righteousness before God. • Romans 3:20 reminds us, “Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law.” • Galatians 2:16 already settled the matter: “A man is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ.” • Philippians 3:9 shows Paul’s own testimony: he abandoned law-based righteousness “that comes from the law” in favor of “the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ.” By turning back to rules, these Galatians were saying, in effect, “Christ plus my performance equals acceptance,” a formula Scripture repeatedly overturns. have been severed from Christ “Severed” pictures a branch cut off from a tree—no flow of life, no fruit (cf. John 15:4-6). It is not Christ who moves away; people relocate themselves by choosing self-reliance. • Colossians 2:6 calls us to continue in Christ “just as you received Him”—by faith, not law. • 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation”; stepping outside that sphere forfeits the new-creation experience. • Hebrews 7:25 celebrates that Jesus “is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him,” highlighting how essential continual dependence on Him is. The warning is serious: embrace law-based living and you place yourself outside the day-to-day benefits of Christ’s saving life. you have fallen away from grace “Fallen away” describes leaving the platform of grace for the slippery slope of works. It does not deny the possibility of repentance, but it exposes how incompatible the two systems are. • Romans 11:6 makes the contrast plain: “If it is by grace, it is no longer by works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” • Hebrews 12:15 cautions against “falling short of the grace of God,” a similar idea of missing out on grace’s power. • 2 Peter 3:17 warns believers not to “fall from your own steadfastness,” echoing Paul’s concern. Grace is God’s undeserved favor expressed through Christ’s finished work. Opting for law-keeping is stepping off that solid ground into quicksand. summary Galatians 5:4 declares that anyone who tries to earn justification by the law has, for all practical purposes, cut himself off from the life and freedom found in Christ and placed himself outside the operative realm of grace. Scripture affirms again and again that righteousness is a gift received through faith alone. Staying rooted in that grace keeps us connected to Christ and free to live by the Spirit’s power. |
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