It is Possible to Fall From Grace
Apr 17, 2007
When people lose their good standing, we often describe them as having “fallen from grace.” An example might be when the teacher’s pet stops doing homework and loses his or her status as the teacher’s favorite. In religion, someone who has fallen from grace has fallen out of good standing with God. A Christian who was on the path to Heaven has done something to lose that status. It seems that many people today say this isn’t possible, but the Bible says differently. According to God’s word, it is possible to fall from grace. If it wasn’t, there would be very little motivation to live a righteous life. God does not want Christians to lose their good status, but neither does he take away our free will and force us to obey.
It is certainly possible to fall from grace because the very expression comes from the Bible’s description of those who were doing so. It says, in no uncertain terms, “you have fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4). Those who are living righteous lives and pleasing God can just as easily displease God by turning to wicked lives (Ezekiel 18:24). This is a concept that can be found repeatedly in the Word of God. James 5:19+20 describes a person who has wandered from the truth. It says that the one who “turns him back…will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” If it was not possible to fall from grace, then what need would there be to save this person? There are many examples of those who have fallen out of God’s favor, such as the Israelites described in Hebrews 3:16-19. The same book of the Bible even warns us to “be diligent to enter that rest, lest [we] fall according to the same example of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:11). It is possible to fall.
If we could become saved with no chance of losing salvation, then it would be easy to take advantage of God. We would only need to obey Him for a very short time before going back to a selfish and sinful lifestyle. Those who believe they can take advantage of God in this way are deceiving themselves, and we are even warned: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked” (Galatians 6:7). God will not be taken advantage of. He provided us with a way to be saved from our sins through the death of His Son. If we choose to “sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth,” then all we have left is “a certain fearful expectation of judgment” (Hebrews 10:26+27).
God will punish those who stop obeying Him, even those who once did obey Him. However, this is not what God wants. According to 1st Timothy 2:4, God “desires all men to be saved.” If He wanted to punish us, then He would not have sent His own Son to save us (John 3:16+17). God has said that he has “no pleasure in the death of one who dies” (Ezekiel 18:32). He does not want to punish us, but He demands obedience. Temporary obedience is not good enough because we can fall from grace, so let’s all resolve to obey God for the entirety of our lives.
It is certainly possible to fall from grace because the very expression comes from the Bible’s description of those who were doing so. It says, in no uncertain terms, “you have fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4). Those who are living righteous lives and pleasing God can just as easily displease God by turning to wicked lives (Ezekiel 18:24). This is a concept that can be found repeatedly in the Word of God. James 5:19+20 describes a person who has wandered from the truth. It says that the one who “turns him back…will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” If it was not possible to fall from grace, then what need would there be to save this person? There are many examples of those who have fallen out of God’s favor, such as the Israelites described in Hebrews 3:16-19. The same book of the Bible even warns us to “be diligent to enter that rest, lest [we] fall according to the same example of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:11). It is possible to fall.
If we could become saved with no chance of losing salvation, then it would be easy to take advantage of God. We would only need to obey Him for a very short time before going back to a selfish and sinful lifestyle. Those who believe they can take advantage of God in this way are deceiving themselves, and we are even warned: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked” (Galatians 6:7). God will not be taken advantage of. He provided us with a way to be saved from our sins through the death of His Son. If we choose to “sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth,” then all we have left is “a certain fearful expectation of judgment” (Hebrews 10:26+27).
God will punish those who stop obeying Him, even those who once did obey Him. However, this is not what God wants. According to 1st Timothy 2:4, God “desires all men to be saved.” If He wanted to punish us, then He would not have sent His own Son to save us (John 3:16+17). God has said that he has “no pleasure in the death of one who dies” (Ezekiel 18:32). He does not want to punish us, but He demands obedience. Temporary obedience is not good enough because we can fall from grace, so let’s all resolve to obey God for the entirety of our lives.