By Doug Bell
Galatians 5:
4 "You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace."
*****
"...you have fallen away from Grace." What a terrifying prospect for any true believer! And, if it were true, would lead a believer to live in a perpetual state in fear of losing his salvation. But, a careful look at the context should be able to alleviate all fear of that.
Note the sentence before our verse: "you who would be justified by the law;" Paul is not telling his readers that they can lose their salvation. No, he is saying, 'if anyone wants to earn their salvation through keeping the Law, you are separating yourself from Christ's' salvation that is offered to you by grace, and you are to receive through faith' (See: Ephesians 2:8-9). Our mutual salvation comes to all who receive it as a gift! And any attempt to add any kind of our works to the free gift, nullifies it, and makes it untenable!
There are those denominations that teach that it is possible to loose your salvation. But, that isn't what the Bible teaches. We'll look at just a few verses to prove our point:
"27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
30 I and the Father are one.” (John 10)
And what if a person "could" fall from Grace?
Hebrews 6:
4 "For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt."
NOTE: It says, "It is Impossible..." to loose your salvation, and then to restore them to repentance. In other words, if you "could" loose your salvation, you can NEVER be saved again. None of this saved/lost/saved nonsense that some religions suppose.
No, Salvation is of the Lord! And He is able to keep His own to the uttermost. "6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Phillipians 1). Why
Romans 8:
30 "And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified." God began it and He will bring it to completion in our Glorification!