Would Paul disqualify the "sainthood" of a believer who reverts to adherence to the law as the source of justification? This episode addresses that question, tying together the principal theme of Galatians with Galatians 5:4. While Paul would not disqualify a believer for reverting to the law to justify or sanctify him, he clearly states that spiritual loss abounds for any Christian who seeks "to be perfected by the flesh." (Gal. 3:3) The work of sanctification stalls when believers rely on their works instead of Christ. Paul contends that Christ would be of no benefit to the Galatians if they received circumcision. (Gal. 5:2) Reliance on works of the law are tantamount to "dead works," and the author of Hebrews maintained that "repentance from dead works" was foundational to the Christian faith. (Hebrews 6:1) The ongoing repudiation of the works of the flesh (works of the law) makes room for the Spirit of grace to cultivate truly good works that naturally flow from abiding in Christ. If a believer loses his grasp on grace (the literal meaning of "fallen from grace") because he chooses to revert to works of the law as the means of sanctification, then he inevitably cuts himself off of the perfecting grace available to him. Peter sums up the potential transforming effect of grace, "God's divine power has given to us everything pertaining to life and godliness." (2 Pet. 1:3) So while the legalistic believer hasn't lost his salvation, his stubborn refusal to access the divine power (grace), preferring his own work, seriously limits his growth in sanctification.
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.
Obey the Law through the Power of Christ
This episode takes many of themes of psalm 119 and applies them to Christian living. "The law is given as a tutor to lead us to Christ." (Gal. 3:24) While Christians should always rely on Christ and His merit as the basis for justification, they should nevertheless seek to honor God by fulfilling the Law, which is summed up in the Great Commandments. And, just as faith in Christ is the basis of our justification, faith in Christ is also the basis for all subsequent sanctification. Christ aids us in fulfilling the Law, while He delivers us from the power of sin. In essence, Christians are to keep the moral law THROUGH the power and grace of Christ. Many of the themes of dependence on God's grace are sprinkled throughout Psalm 119, the psalmist noting that he need God's grace to keep the Law. The episode is a needful reminder to the Christian Church to reject the Marcionite false dichotomy of our day which bogusly asserts that the Old Testament was all law and the New Testament all grace.
“Work Smart, Get a Vision”
This episode reemphasizes the absolute necessity of spending time with God in prayer and gaining His perspective on how we should invest our lives this year. Col. 3:1-2 tells us to "set our minds on things that are above where Christ is seated, NOT on things below.." Many Christians live reactive and aimless lives because they lack the tailor-made vision for their lives. Prioritizing the divine perspective over the lusts of men, ours and others', is the only way to lead an intentional life that pleases God. The episode closes with Nehemiah as an example of seeking God's will despite having sin issues. So no Christian can legitimately claim that God can't use them.
Faith in God Culminates with Seeing God
This initial episode defines the beatific vision as the direct apprehension of God Himself. While believers cannot have it in this life, believers are called to fix all of their hope in God. Very interestingly, the passage that most explicitly describes the beatific vision, 1 John 3:2-3, strongly suggests that the prerequisite for seeing God face to face, is looking like Him. Anticipating that many would lose hope based on their present condition, Christians are nevertheless exhorted to place all their hope on Christ and His transforming power. The episode notes the difference between our position in Christ (perfection) and our condition. We aren't only justified by faith in Christ, we are also sanctified by faith in Christ.