Good works do not cancel out Gods grace.
The good works we do is IN Gods grace.
Gods grace instructs us to do good works.
Yes, the natural consequence of being indwelt by the Holy Spirit is the manifestation of his "fruit" (Ga. 5:22-23) in our living. But what is natural is not, therefore, necessary. I will naturally do what God commands me to do as the Spirit is in control of me and enables me to work out his work in me (Phil. 2:12-13). But I may, for a variety of reasons, not live under the control of the Holy Spirit in the conscious, explicit way I ought to do as a Christian and so the Spirit does not work in me such that I am able to work it out. This doesn't mean I'm not saved, though, as the believers at Corinth, Rome, in the province of Galatia, and the churches of Sardis and Laodicea demonstrate.
We are only saved when our sins are covered by Gods grace.
Disobeying God with no intention of repenting, leaves us seperated from Gods grace,
Titus 2:11-12,
- for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
teaching us(Gods grace teaches us to work the commandments of God)
- teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present age
What does it mean that our sins are covered by God's grace? Does God extend and withdraw His grace to us, back-and-forth, like the head of a turtle popping out and then retreating into its shell? As I understand it, God expresses His grace to us in the Person of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins on the cross, perfectly satisfying God's justice, so that "where sin abounded God's grace did much more abound" (Ro. 5:20).
Romans 3:21-24
21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
By faith, not by works, I obtain the righteousness of Jesus. I "put on Christ" (Ro. 13:14; Ga. 3:27) by faith and am "in him," as a result (2 Co. 5:17; Eph. 1:1-13). And being in Christ, I am fully redeemed, justified and sanctified (1 Co. 1:30). This is what Paul, in the passage above, calls being "justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus." I don't, of course, earn a gift, or act to deserve it, I simply receive it - in the case of my salvation, by faith. But if the gracious gift of salvation is extended to me on the basis of what Jesus has done for me, on the basis of his perfectly satisfying atonement on the cross for me, I have nothing to contribute to that gift; it's been entirely paid for by Christ.
Anyway, I agree that unrepentant disobedience to God keeps a lost person from knowing and walking with Him as His born-again child. I don't see, though, what this has to do with the person who is already born-again.
Gods grace teaches us how we must live.
By not following the teachings found in Gods grace we are no longer under grace!!!
Galatians 5:4,
- Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye have fallen from grace
These Jewish converts to Christ have fallen from Grace because they are not following the new testament law teachings(doctrine) of Christ. Instead they have left the faith attempting to be justified by going back into keeping the old testament law of Moses.
But what Paul wrote in the passage you've cited above was written within the context of Judaizers pressing already-saved believers in the province of Galatia to take up Old Covenant law-keeping. Doing so, Paul wrote, would be to return to a way of dealing with God that the Jews had shown was unworkable, the law only revealing that the Jews could not ever keep it perfectly. If the believers in Galatia wanted to take up the Old Covenant way of doing things, they'd have to do so perfectly (Matt. 5:48) which no one (save Jesus) can do (Ro. 3:1-23. Eph. 2:1-3). The Old Covenant approach to God is not grace-based, you see, as the New Covenant is. And so, Paul wrote to the Galatians,
Galatians 3:10
10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them."
God's grace, though, is not extended to us on the basis of our works, but in consequence of the atoning work of Jesus on the cross. If we receive, by faith, Christ's redeeming work for us, God, for Christ's sake, graciously accepts us as "joint-heirs with Christ" (Ro. 8:17). All of this rests upon Christ, not us. And so, Scripture rules out our works as a basis for being saved.
What did Paul mean, then, when he wrote about "falling from grace"? Only that the benefits of being "in Christ," of having received the grace of God extended to sinners in Jesus, cannot be enjoyed by those who intend to deal with God on an Old Covenant, law-keeping basis.
Galatians 3:2-3
2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
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