Galatians 5:4
You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
Truth to Learn
You cannot be justified by keeping the law, and you cannot lose your salvation by falling from grace.
Behind the Words
The word translated “estranged” is katargeō, made up of kata, used here as an intensifier, and argeō, which means “to be idle.” Hence, katargeō means “to make something inactive, idle, useless, or ineffective.” This verb is expressed in the aorist tense (past, non-continuous action) and in the passive voice (action done to the subject which is “you, plural”).
Some consider the opening phrase of this verse to be what grammatically is called a hypallage, which is where the subject and object are reversed, in spite of the form of the verb. Hence, some translate this as “Christ has become of no effect unto you.” Others would see an implied verb before “from Christ” and would express it thus: “You were brought to nothing, separated from Christ.” Whichever is correct, it is a hypothetical situation, anyway, as we will see.
The words “you have fallen” are translated from a form of the Greek verb ekpiptō, which is made up of ek, meaning “out” or “out of” and piptō, which means “to fall.” Hence, it literally means “to fall out.” In Classical Greek writings this word is used to describe seaman thrown ashore, banishment from a country, someone kicked-out of an office, or of an actor being hissed off the stage.
Meaning Explained
There are those who claim that this verse demonstrates that Paul believed a Christian can lose his or her salvation as the result of willful sinning. Nothing could be farther from the truth. First of all, the people Paul is talking about are those who are committed to keeping the Law of Moses. Christ was committed to keeping the Law of Moses, yet He was without sin. So Paul is not talking about willful sin. He’s talking about people who think they have to earn their righteousness.
Secondly, notice that the two words “attempt to” are italicized. This is because they have been added by the translators. They do not appear in the Greek text. Instead, it literally reads, “you who are being justified by law …” So, now we have to ask ourselves, “Who is justified by the law?” To answer that, we need go no further than the book of Romans where Paul said:
Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20)
The answer is “No one!” Since no one is justified by law, no one has fallen from grace. Therefore, in effect, what Paul is saying is, “You who claim to be justified by law, if you could be justified by law then you would be a cast-off from grace because you can’t have both. It’s one or the other.”
Application
Rest assured, if you have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior through faith in his atoning sacrifice, then your soul is eternally saved and there is nothing that you or anyone else can do to take that away from you. But, neither can you add to your salvation by obeying a set of church rules or laws.
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2008 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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