There is a huge contrast between falling from grace versus law/legalism. You want to fall from the law, Gal. 3:25.
Gal. 5:4, “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.”
The word fallen in the Greek means to fall like:
- Flowers withering in the course of nature
- A ship out of control
The word literally means “to fall out of.”
In the two examples above, the flower is “falling” because it is withering. It is dying. No life it is left in it. So, it withers and falls.
The ship example reminds me of Paul metaphorically speaking of a ship being tossed to and fro in Eph. 4:14. The captain of our hearts, Jesus, Heb 2:10 (KJV), is the captain of the ship of our lives. If I am not under His grace my life will be tossed back and forth away from stability and peace.
In a previous blog, There is no exit here, I mentioned at one point in my life I would rebel against God, but was really rebelling against a dead religion.
If I fall from grace then I am not falling from religion I am falling from grace back into dead religion, self-imposed law or legalism.
In the past, when I rebelled, I actually felt free from something, but I couldn’t put my finger on it because I loved God and knew He loved me, but in my perception of truth I thought I was in the wrong. Yes, I was doing things I did not need to be doing, but in an odd way I was free from something.
I know now what was happening. This was the course of events. I would go to church, fast, pray, read the word, participate in some ministry, and so on. I was a young believer and still had areas in my soul and heart that were not dealt with. The sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit was what I needed, but was not getting it even though I was at church? Periodically, the old nature and enemy would manifest these unhealthy areas again in my life, but why? I was doing the things I thought were the right things to do. Exactly… Read Gal. 3:12 (NIV).
My walk was not based on revelation and grace, but my own doing. I say sometimes I was tap dancing for God. As I walked under the law, which will always judge you by the way, I grew so spiritually tired, bored, unfulfilled, and confused. I knew this was not what Jesus died for me to have. I thought, “You’ve got to be kidding.” I always knew there was more and there is.
So, I’d get tired. Vain thoughts would come my way. Old thinking patterns came. Also, under the law, old thinking is empowered. Law empowers sin, 1 Cor. 15:55-56, Rom. 7:11. The old thinking according to the fallen nature is death, Rom. 8:6. Then I would begin to believe these accusatory thoughts. I would agree with these thoughts on the basis of self-imposed law, but knew Christ was my savior. This doesn’t harmonize. How could I be a sinner, but a new creation in Christ? Gal. 2:18 (NLT) says, “Rather, I make myself guilty if I rebuild the old system I already tore down.” The old is supposed to be gone, 2 Cor. 5:17, but the ‘old’ was right in my face!
Paul says in Gal. 5:1, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
I believe I rebelled out of law into grace, but used grace as an occasion to the flesh. I believe millions of Christians do this today and are frustrated just like I was.
So, what happened? Gal. 1:16. God revealed and unveiled His Son in me! Jesus was born under the law, Gal. 4:4, but knew no sin, 2 Cor. 5:21. This same Jesus lives in me “who knew no sin.” What I know is His sacrifice for me which makes me righteous and injudicable.
Now, I just am. I don’t try to do. I just am. According to Gal. 5:5, the hope and great expectation of righteousness dwells in me. My desire now is to fall from the law everyday. Now, revelation is daily, healing happens, divine appointments are almost routine, gifts of the Spirit occur, I perceive His presence much stronger, and most of all He reveals Himself. This is what He died for. This is what I desired. To know my Creator and to know who I am and my purpose.
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