This episode focuses on the second possible interpretation of Galatians 5:4, which contends that believers can lose the grace of salvation. Commonly referred to as the Arminian option, this interpretation largely depends on the meaning of "grace." If grace here means forgiveness of sins, coupled with the imputed righteousness of Christ, then this verse does suggest that believers can lose their salvation. "Grace" however is multifaceted in Scripture, and many places use grace in the sense of the power of God, the unmerited gift of God to live and godly and holy life. Paul uses grace in this sense in the opening salutations when he prays that "grace and peace" be with the Galatians. He is evidently not praying for grace in the sense of forgiveness of sins. Rather, he prays that the Galatian believers be blessed with divine power, together with peace, to live a godly life. The episode also mentions Romans 8:30 in which justification and even glorification is a past act from God's perspective. Paul evidently believed in eternal security, so the grace spoken of in Galatians 5:4 is best understood as the grace of sanctification, not the grace of justification. Troublesome verses like Galatians 5:4 illustrate the broader hermeneutical principle that difficult passages shouldn't be interpreted apart from easier passages, particularly from the same author. Scripture interprets Scripture, and much faulty interpretation is avoided when the principle is applied to difficult texts.
The Weakest Interpretation of Galatians 5:4
This episode focuses on the weakest interpretation of Galatians 5:4. "You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law, you have fallen from grace." Interpretations typically follow one of the following: 1)this passage refers to unbelievers 2)this passage refers to believers who lose their salvation 3) the passage refers to believers who don't lose their salvation, but experience loss. The entire book of Galatians presumes its recipients have in fact received Christ. Galatians are called "brethren" and "children" by Paul. (Gal. 1:11)(Gal 4:19) They are described as "sons of God" who were "baptized into Christ." (Gal 3:26-27) And Paul affirms that they began "by the Spirit." (Gal. 3:3) Finally and crucially, the immediate context of Galatians 5:4 concedes that the Galatians "were running well." (Galatians 5:7) Arguing that Galatians 5:4 refers to unbelievers is untenable, based on both the immediate context and the entire book of Galatians.
Justified AND Sanctified by Faith in Christ
This episode adds more context to Galatians 5:4, a verse that COULD be interpreted as losing one's salvation. Building on the previous episode, in which Paul categorically rejects all forms of legalism as the basis of justification, Paul also rejects legalism as the basis of sanctification. The central issue of the book of Galatians is subsequent appeal to the Law for righteousness AFTER one is saved. Paul contends that Galatian believers were saved by faith in Christ, they began "by the Spirit." (Galatians 3:3) So the larger context of sanctification must be the lens by which we evaluate the troublesome verse of Galatians 5:4.
By the Works of the Law no Flesh will be Justified
This episode defines legalism in the context of the Galatian heresy. Legalism posits that one is justified or made righteous by keeping either the moral or ceremonial law. While all New Testament authors held that Christians should keep the moral law, they emphatically rejected that obedience to the moral law was the basis of salvation. As James would put it, "I will show you my faith by my works." (James 2:18) Concerning the ceremonial law, the Council of Jerusalem, held just prior to the writing of Galatians, maintained that Gentile converts were not bound to keep the Jewish ceremonial law. Circumcision was the primary issue among Christian legalists who insisted that Gentile converts keep the ceremonial law in order to be saved. Paul rejected legalism of all forms, maintaining that keeping the moral and ceremonial law could never be the grounds of justification, "by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified." (Gal. 2:16)
Navigating the Obligations to the Visible and Invisible Church
This episode provides practical application on how to navigate obligations made to the invisible church upon conversion and those derived from participation in the visible assembly. The believer's ultimate identity is Christ Himself, He Himself declaring that He is the Rock upon which the church is built. (Matthew 16:18) He is the foundation upon which we build, incurring the responsibilities and obligations binding on all believers present throughout Scripture, and one of them is participation in the local assembly (Hebrews 10:25). The episode warns against 2 extremes. Some Christians subsume their individual calling by Christ (His Invisible church) into the visible church, so conflating the two that a falling out with an assembly results in refusal to participate in other churches. Visible churches and saints undergoing sanctification inevitably disappoint, and disagreement often highlights our predominant identity, either Christ or the visible church. Those with a healthy identity in Christ may part ways with a local assembly, but their devotion to Christ results in them serving Him in another location, for their responsibilities and obligations to Christ remain, irrespective of disagreement with a visible church. The episode also addresses the other extreme, where participation in a visible church is largely subject to our individual calling by Christ, colored by the lens of OUR gifts and preferences. Those subject to this extreme tend to participate in the visible church based on their myopic agenda without respecting leadership oversight in promoting that church's vision, where "every joint supplies." (Eph. 4:16) All saints should ideally live out of their fundamental identity in Christ, but be willing to submit their giftings and natural abilities to Christ's overseers.
Saints Strive to be Saintly
In the context of enumerating the advantages of addressing believers as "saints" without reference to "church," this episode brings home the evidence of professed sainthood: works and growth in Christ. The episode cites the parable of the dragnet (Mt 13:47-50), which claims that many "bad fish" would associate themselves with the visible church, without actually being saints. And Christ said as much in Matthew 7:22-23, where association with Christ without conversion would be commonplace among nominal believers at the judgment. One of the common features that Scripture cites as evidence of saving faith is works. While believers are not saved by works, the natural manifestation of saving faith is subsequent good works. He who abides in Christ naturally bears fruit. (John 15:5) Those who merely associate with Christ in the visible church "practice lawlessness." (Mt 7:23) Peter held that Christians should grow spiritually. Failure to progress minimally indicates "blindness" or "short-sightedness" and MIGHT indicate that one has not received the calling as a saint. Peter admonishes believers "to make certain about his calling and choosing." The Biblical expectation of sainthood is therefore demonstrable fruit and works.
“Sainthood,” the Essence of Christian Identity
This episode continues to describe the inherent advantages of Paul's addressing believers in churches as "saints" as opposed to addressing his letters to a "church." Paul's last 4 letters don't even mention the word "church" in the intro. The main advantage of the word "saint" is that it invokes a significant amount of Christian theology. A "saint" is one who is accounted righteous based on the righteousness of Christ. Christ's merit alone, made available through His sacrificial death and resurrection, is the ground of sainthood. Additionally, sainthood connotes one who is set aside for God's purposes. The word "church" COULD be interpreted as the outward visible church without reference to the Biblical basis of participation in that church. Many note that nominal believers often point to their participation in the visible church without reference to the necessity of repentance and faith in Christ. The episode finally notes that Paul experienced firsthand working with "false brethren," so-called believers who were never saints to begin with. They identified with the visible church but were NOT saints. Nominal believers and tares hide behind denominational banners, identification with a visible church, but are not yet part of the church that Christ is building.
“Paul and ‘Established’ Religion”
Review of the salutations to churches in chronological order revealed that the omission of "saints" in the intro to Galatians is consistent with the stylistic development in Paul's epistles. This episode addresses a natural follow-up question: why did Paul fail to mention "church" in his salutations in his last 4 letters? Was his address to "saints" an intentional swipe at established churches in preference to the more personal and individual address to "saints?" In Augustinian terms, was Paul preferring the "invisible church" ["saints"] over against the established "visible church?" No evidence in the Pauline corpus indicates a demotion in Paul's mind of the visible church, for Paul seems to presume that visible churches are mostly comprised of genuine saints. And the visible church is the primary means of Christian growth. The five-fold ministry of Christians leadership mentioned in Ephesians 4:11-13 is indispensable for Christian growth. So Paul's omission of "church" in his salutations of his last 4 church letters should NOT be interpreted as Paul's "developing theology" in which the visible church matters less than maverick saints.
The Chronological Explanation of the ‘saint’ Omission in the Book of Galatians
This episode provides the answer to the question, demonstrating that Paul's omission of the word "saints" in his intro to the Galatians is best explained by analyzing Paul's letters chronologically. The earliest letters Galatians (49) and 1 and 2 Thessalonians (50 and 51) omit the "word" saints in the intro, though the Thessalonian correspondence uses it in the body of the letters. Paul directed these 3 letters to "churches." 1 and 2 Corinthians, written next (55 and 56), are addressed both to "churches" and "saints." The last 4 letters (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Romans, written 57-62) are not addressed to churches at all, but just to saints. The best explanation of the omission of the word "saints" in Galatians is therefore stylistic: the omission is consistent with the omissions to the Thessalonians written at the same time and Paul's last 4 letters don't use the word "church" at all in the intro. Paul nevertheless considered the gatherings of saints as "churches," though he chose not to specifically address "churches" in the intro.