Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Parallel translations
- WEB You are alienated from Christ, you who desire to be justified by the law. You have fallen away from grace.
- BSB You who are trying to be justified by the law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
- NKJV You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
- NASB You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by the Law; you have fallen from grace.
- NLT For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Those seeking to be justified by the law are severed from Christ and have fallen from grace. Relying on works for salvation forfeits the benefits of Christ's grace.
Overview
Paul issues a stark warning: to seek justification by law-keeping is to cut oneself off from Christ and abandon the realm of grace. This describes the spiritual disaster of trusting works rather than Christ; it does not teach that a truly saved person loses salvation, but warns against the deadly error of legalism. The two ways, law and grace, are mutually exclusive as grounds of acceptance.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Rom 9:31–32But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
- 2 Pet 2:20–22For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
- Gal 2:21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
- Rom 11:6And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
- Heb 12:15Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
- Rom 3:20Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
- Rom 4:4–5Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
- Rev 2:5Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
- Gal 5:2Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
- Heb 6:4–6For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
- Gal 1:6–9I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
- Rom 10:3–5For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
- Heb 10:38–39Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
- 2 Pet 3:17–18Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Christ became a curse for us to redeem us from the law's curse, that we might receive the Spirit and be sons — justified by faith in him, not by works.
How Galatians 5:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.