FAQ - Galatians 5:4 – Is Observing God’s Law Falling From Grace?

Is the "law of God" opposed to His own grace? What did Paul mean when he accused the Galatians of
falling from grace? What did they do? How does our Savior become of no effect?

Ga 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen
from grace.

Since Galatians is a letter with context instead of a single verse we should extract and apply the established
context:

Galatians were being falsely taught to keep God’s law for salvation.

False teachers (“Circumcision Party” - Ga 2:7-12; 5:12 and “Works of Law” - Ga 2:16;3:2;3:5;3:10) began
promoting their doctrine (“oral law”) that required Gentiles to be circumcised in a certain way to be
justified for salvation (saved).

Ga 2:16 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.

This theme continues throughout Galatians: (i.e. Ga 2:21; 3:2; 3:3; 3:5; 3:11; 5:4)

“Works of Law”
Qumran document 4QMMT (4Q394-5) gives us some insight to a Jewish sect in the first century called
“Works of Law” The Jewish sect of Works of Law believed many things in their doctrine that were
contrary to God’s law and also taught that Gentiles could not be saved. They were, in effect, not living
God’s law in faith but in fact living their own invented law-which was a twisted form of God’s law (similar
practice of the 6 sects of the Pharisees). Their doctrine was very similar to those of the “Circumcision
Group. This would be why Galatians 6:13 states that this group that is supposedly teaching God’s law for
salvation does not even keep God’s law themselves”

“Circumcision Party”
The Jewish sect of the “Circumcision Party” appears in Acts 10:45;11:2; 15; Ga 2:7-12 Ga 5:12; Eph. 2:11;
Titus 1:10.

Thus this verse becomes more clear:

Ga 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen
from grace.

Trying to be justified by the law is the same as falling from grace. We are justified into salvation by grace
through faith, not by obedience to the "law of God."

Does that mean we are to not be obedient to the "law of God" in our faith?

No, of course not. Paul also wrote:

Ro 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Ro 7:12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

Ro 7:22 For I delight in the "law of God" after the inward man:
Ro 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into
captivity to the "law of sin" which is in my members.

Y'shua (Jesus) even said:

Mt 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I do not come to destroy, but to
fulfill (with meaning).

Mt 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass
from the law, till all (law and prophets) be fulfilled.

Mt 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he
shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be
called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Y'shua (Jesus) stated Himself that not one of God’s commandments was to be “abolished” or “put an end
to” until all of the Law and Prophets are fulfilled and Heaven and Earth passes away.

Heaven and Earth passing away by being made new is the last prophetic event foretold in scripture.

Isaiah 65:17 "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be
remembered, nor will they come to mind.

Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had
passed away,

Please note that this event has clearly not yet happened.

Y'shua (Jesus) states that all of God’s law will exist at LEAST UNTIL the day that the Lord states:

Revelation 21:5-6 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said,
"Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and
the Omega, the Beginning and the End.

Christ’s work on the cross for our salvation is finished (John 19:30), but the Lord is not yet finished with
what has been said in all of His Law and Prophets until He says “it is done” which is signaled by the new
Heaven and New Earth.

So if this scripture is true, then what scriptural gymnastics do some teachers employ to avoid such a
conclusion?

Well, if they touch the verse at all, it creates quite an embarrassing mess.

Some teach that in Matthew 5:17 fulfill means “to put and end to” or to “finish.” This is done by their own
admission to avoid the clear teaching of Jesus that not one of God’s commandments are to pass away from
the law and to preserve their misinterpretations of Paul’s letters.

If this interpretation is indeed true, we should be able to apply such teaching to scripture and it should make
logical sense as God is not the author of confusion. We are commanded to test all things and only hold on
to what is good (1 Thes. 5:20) Let’s test the teaching that “fulfill” means “to put and end to” or “finish”
instead of “fulfill” simply meaning to “fill up the whole and complete meaning” of God’s law, evidenced
by Y'shua (Jesus) walking out the true interpretation (not Pharisaical) of God’s law.

Can “fulfill” in Mt 5:17 mean “to put an end to?

Mt 5:17 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I do not come to destroy (the law),
but to “put and end (to the law")

Huh?

Mt 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass
from the law, till all (law and prophets) be fulfilled.

Double huh?

Mt 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments (that I just put an end to), and
shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach
them (even though I put an end to them), the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Triple huh?

There are only two possible interpretations of “fulfill” in Matthew 5:17.

1) One is that Y'shua (Jesus) came to “fulfill the real meaning of God’s law” which the Pharisees polluted
through their oral law. This makes sense because this was the complete point and purpose of every teaching
of Y'shua (Jesus) when He was in proximity to the Pharisees. This is to correctly instruct us in the way God
wants us to walk in His law and not the way men want us to walk in God’s law.

2) Or “fulfill” in Matthew 5:17 means to “complete, finish, or put an end to.” All one has to do is insert that
definition into the context of the scripture to witness how such an interpretation is illogical and absurd.

Technically based on a literal rendering of the Greek, either interpretation is acceptable:

G4137 pleroo play-ro'-o from G4134;

to make replete, i.e. (literally) to cram (a net), level up (a hollow), or (figuratively) to furnish (or imbue,
diffuse, influence), satisfy, execute (an office), finish (a period or task), verify (or coincide with a
prediction), etc.:--accomplish, X after, (be) complete, end, expire, fill (up), fulfil, (be, make) full(come),
fully preach, perfect, supply. (Strong's)

The only interpretation of “fulfill” that fits the context and avoids logical absurdities is to understand Jesus
is teaching that He will make full or fully preach God’s law.

Y'shua (Jesus) came to fully preach God’s law. He taught us the full meaning of God’s law.

The Galatians made the mistake of applying the false doctrine of the false teachers that taught that they
must be circumcised for salvation. This is legalism, not simple obedience.

1Ti 1:8 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;

We know that they were not using the "law of God" lawfully, but incorrectly.

We are to keep the "law of God" to love God back, not to try to earn salvation.

John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

John 14:21 “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth
me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

John 14:23-24 “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my
Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loves me not
keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.”
John 15:10 “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's
commandments, and abide in his love.”

1st John 2:4-5 “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not
in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we
are in him.”

1st John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not
grievous.”

2nd John 1:6 “And this is love, that we walk after his commandments.”

We are to be obedient to the "law of God" because of our salvation not for our salvation.

1Jn 4:19 We love him (obedience), because he first loved us (grace).

Obedience is simply the evidence of our faith (James 2:26).

Paul was simply trying to bring the Galatians back into His grace through faith and teach against the error
of using the "law of God" for salvation. Nowhere in all of Galatians does Paul teach that we should not
keep the "law of God" in obedience. If he did, he would be contradicting himself, Y'shua (Jesus), and
countless other verses in Scripture.

Ask yourself the hard questions. Ask others. Ask the Word. Test your faith. Challenge yourself. Test
everything.

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