QUOTE
"One poster asks: Can a born again Christian really even fall out of his Grace?"
"Absolutely Not!" ---Savannah
The Holy Bible says:
Gal 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Yes! The Holy Bible does say in Gal.5:4 those very words.
Gal.5:4 is not to be interpreted to mean,as Trekker and others suppose:
Fallen from grace = loss of salvation
Read this letter very closely and you will quickly see the common theme that runs throughout. According to Paul, there were "false brethren who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage" (Galatians 2:4). Peter himself "began to withdraw and hold himself aloof (from the Gentiles), fearing the party of the circumcision" (Galatians 2:12) and the consequences he might face from them for enjoying his freedom in Christ. This in turn put others back in bondage to law as "the rest of the Jews joined him (Peter) in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy" (Galatians 2:11-13).
The issue at hand continues as Paul writes that "by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified" (Galatians 2:16) and that "if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly" (Galatians 2:21). He goes on to ask several rhetorical questions juxtaposing the works of law against faith in Christ, perhaps for the purpose of waking the Galatians from their foolish state of mind (Galatians 3:1-5). Paul goes on to point out that "those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer" while those who "are of the works of the law are under a curse" (Galatians 3:9-10). Like a tenacious bulldog, Paul presses on with his mission of dispelling any notion that a man can be right with God through his performance. He reminds the people "that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident", that "the law is not of faith", and "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law...so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:11-14).
"Christ is become of no effect unto you whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace."
This whole passage here has to do with the contrast between law and grace. What he's saying in a very general sense is if you try to mix law with grace, you have fallen away from grace as a principle. And he's talking in broad theological terms. The issue is not the security of the believer. That issue's covered in a lot of other passages. That's a very important issue and it's in detail covered in many places in the word of God. Not here. This isn't the issue. What he's saying here is you can't mix law with grace. If you try to mix law with grace you have wiped out grace. Romans 11:6 says,"And if by grace then it is no more of works otherwise grace is no more grace."
In the verses preceeding Paul says, in Gal.5:2,3 "Behold, I Paul say to you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law."
And James says,in James 2:10 "Whosever shall keep the whole law and offend in one point is guilty of all."
And then in 3:10 James says,""As many as are under the works of the law are under the curse."
If you're under the law, you're under the curse. If read in context this should now make more sense to us if we're familiar with Paul's intent in writing this letter. The false brethren or judaizers were attempting to persuade the true brethren to mix law and grace and consequently place them under the curse and in bondage again.
The context is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, not salvation. Galatian's theme is not salvation from the penalty of sin, but an appeal to live in the liberty of grace, instead of law bondage. This teaching by the Judaizers deprived these Galatian Christians of their dependence on the Holy Spirit's work of grace in their lives. This is what is meant by "fallen from grace."
The context is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, not salvation. The cure is to: "walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh." Galatians 5:16. Galatians 5:22,23 describes the result of walking in the Spirit, which is to exhibit the Fruit of the Spirit.
These Galatian Christians had fallen from grace in the sense that they had deprived themselves of the Holy Spirit's ministry of giving them daily grace for daily living. (2 Corinthians 12:9).
"Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobediance received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him." (Hebrews 2:1-3).
We cannot neglect our salvation until it is ours. This is speaking of Christians who neglect their salvation. A man may be married and neglect his wife, but she is still his wife. Christians do not lose their salvation by neglecting it, but they do lose their joy and fellowship with the Lord. They are also chastened in this life by God.