What does it mean to “fall from grace” (Galatians 5:4)?

Response

Galatians 5:4 and its mention of falling from grace is one of the “warning passages” cited by those who oppose the concept of the believer’s eternal security. However, due to the biblical teaching of the perseverance of the saints, we understand that these warnings are not aimed at genuine followers of Christ because once they have received grace, they cannot lose it.

In Galatians 5:4, Paul warns against blending the law and the Gospel for justification. He tells those who undergo circumcision “Look: I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you.”, (Galatians 5:2) indicating that they are attempting to justify themselves through the law and have thus “fallen away from grace.” It is important to note that there is no mention of salvation or the believer’s security. Paul is cautioning those who opt for circumcision—essentially seeking self-justification through legal rituals—that Christ will not be advantageous to them.

Paul elaborates in verse 3 by stating that “every man who accepts circumcision” is “obligated to keep the whole law.” Why is this significant in relation to Christ being “of no benefit to you”? Consider Paul’s words in Galatians 3:13 regarding Christ’s atonement: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” When viewed in this context, along with a basic grasp of the Greek terms used, we can grasp Paul’s message more clearly.

The key words in Galatians 5:4 are καταργέω (severed) and ἐκπίπτω (fallen). While καταργέω does not necessarily carry the same force as “sever” in English, it should not be disregarded. Considering Paul’s statement in Galatians 5:2 and the meanings of the Greek terms, we can better comprehend his intention.

Paul uses the term in verses such as Romans 3:3, 4:14, and 1 Corinthians 1:28. A good way of understanding the term καταργέω is to “nullify” or “done away with.” While the word ἐκπίπτω can undoubtedly mean to fall away from a previously held position, as those who deny the eternal security of true believers assert, in the context of this verse and how it is used in passages such as Acts 27, a good understanding of the phrase in Galatians 5:4 is that of “estranged” or “separated from.”

Paul warns against setting aside the grace that comes from Christ. Those who have nullified, or run away from, the grace that comes through His blood and attempted instead to justify themselves by the works of the Law. The purpose of Paul’s letter to the Galatians was to warn against the Judaizers because they attempted to lure born-again Christians back to justification through the Law, which is impossible, “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” (Galatians 2:16). He reminds them of the freedom they have in Christ: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1).