It is evident that most believers are very shallow when it comes to their understanding of the Bible. Because they have trusted Jesus as Savior and received the joy and peace which comes from believing there is a tendency to rest easy and to suppose that they are “saved” and therefore need not concern themselves much with all the many things to be learned from the Word of God. In fact, this tendency has allowed for a whole system of interpretation which makes nearly everything turn upon the subject of the new birth or that first experience of a believer. It is supposed that since one is born again that he is eternally saved, has eternal life, will never lose is salvation, will be resurrected when Jesus returns, will dwell with the Lord forever in eternity, will always have the joy and peace which God gives to those who trust Him.

Only SOME of these things are true, however. The fact of the matter is, most of what the Bible speaks about has to do with some things other than the initial experience of one who yields to the Lord in faith. In fact, there is very little said about the original experience as such. In most instances where it is included the topic goes on to discuss further details of the life of such a believer.

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving” Colossians 2:6

The passage goes on to put emphasis on that “walk” element. The “receive” element is most important, to be sure, but you can only do that one time at some time and place. From then on one is to learn, be established, be taught, abound in thanksgiving, beware of deceptions, traditions, and the rudiments of the world, and grow up unto Christ in all things.

In the Old Testament most of the pages of Truth are devoted to information which would enable a man or a nation to know the true nature of God, His power, love , purposes, and man’s own weakness and helplessness. In fact, most of the Old Testament deals with a special nation which God had separated unto Himself and dealt with patiently so that they would become peculiar and special above all others. This should surely tell us something.

A COVENANT PEOPLE
Abraham’s seed were not like other nations and when they became like others they jeopardized their peculiar position as a people with whom God had made a covenant. In fact, when dispersion failed to bring them back to obedience and humble devotion, and the Messiah’s promises to them did not impress them as One to Whom they should humble themselves as their King, god cut them off and scattered them among the nations. They became “Lo Ammi,” Not my people (see Hosea for this word in the Authorized Version).

Becoming redeemed, being born again, believing in god as Savior, as important and as necessary as these things are, is not the whole of the matter. Nor will it do simply to try to live the best we can. We need to understand that God would have His people enter into a special relationship with Him. It is a sort of “contract relationship.” I call it “covenant relationship.” Before the covenant with Abraham there were saved people in the world. They had trusted the Lord. They knew something of His power to save and the tenderness and goodness of God, for they doubtless felt, as we did, the peace and comfort of His grace. But now there was to be something different about Abraham’s seed.

God had made covenants with men before. It was His will that men recognize Him and submit to Him. The offer was to bring every man into this relationship (Genesis 9:9-12). Further, this covenant was “between [God] and [Noah] and every living creature of all flesh” (vs. 15) and was to be everlasting (vs. 16). In fact, this covenant is still in force, but not a very large portion of the human race is willing to recognize the terms of this covenant.

God is true to His commitment to its terms, and every appearance of a rainbow is His testimony that He is still holding men to its terms. The Noahic covenant provided for civil government and commits to men the power of life and death in matters of life (murder). Since most men are not willing to enter into such and arrangement, God has determined to separate from the rest of humanity those who will. Hence, He separated a man from his father’s house and moved him into a strange land so he could produce in him a spirit of faith. Thus was Abram delivered from the immediate influence of idolatry and led into a special relationship with God, so that he and his seed should be a special people to God above all the other nations. Further covenants with this people affirmed this purpose (Exodus 19:5).

THE NATIONAL PEOPLE FAILED
Because this covenant was with a people who had not all been redeemed or made over (changed in heart) they failed to preserve the terms of the contract. This is why it is said, “They are not all Israel, which are of Israel” (Romans 9:6). The very fact that Ishmael was left out of the covenant should tell us that just being born to Abraham is not enough. The fact that the blessing went to the second born son of Isaac (in whom the seed is called) and did not go to the firstborn son (Esau) should also tell us something. Of the sons of Jacob the blessing passed over the first three sons and rested upon the fourth (Judah) and even he missed out on many of the benefits and thee passed on down to the eleventh son, lodging in Joseph’s two sons.

Then as the years passed we see more and more of the people turning to idols, to their own ways, so God had to discipline them again and again, finally dispersing them into the hands of their enemies. Jeremiah explains that this was to exact of them the price of their covetousness and bring them back to God. But few returned. At last, God sent His Son, saying “they will surely respect him” (Matthew 21:37). But they did not, but crucified Him instead. Thus did God say that the covenant promises of a kingdom should be taken from them and given to a nation bringing forth kingdom fruits (Matthew 21:42, 43).

WHO IS THIS NATION?
Israel had been God’s peculiar people above all nations. Bow God withdraws the promises from that nation and says He will give them to a nation bringing forth the fruits of the kingdom. It becomes important to us, who are not Jews or Israelites, to learn who this might be. Jesus said to His church, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32). Thus it becomes evident that the nation of Israel as a whole was losing out in its claims upon God’s covenant promises, so God was ready to give the kingdom to the few who would indicate through faith and submission that they would serve and obey Him.
At this time in history God had not cut off the rebels in Israel, but it obviously would not be long. God’s great mercy toward His chosen nation is still extended, and even after the crucifixion there is the appeal to any within the nation who would “seek first the kingdom of God…” This continued until some time after the crucifixion and resurrection.

The apostle Paul always first made his appeal in every city to the Jews, going first to the synagogue. He even tells us that the gospel message was “to the Jew first” and that “glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good” was to the Jew first (Romans 2:10). Again, he and Barnabas said, “It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye have put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:46).

Again, he describes this operation of cutting off of the Jew and the grafting in of believing Gentiles in Romans 11:15-25. It is obvious to the un-blinded eye that this was the placing of believing Gentiles into the favored position in which Jews had been before, that is, to partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree (Romans 11:17). The olive is the symbol of the covenant people, Israel, and their advantage was the partaking of the promises to Abraham, the “root.” The “fatness” will surely be construed to be the benefits or provisions of the covenant made with Abraham. Now the “tame olive branches” are being grafted in so they can partake of these covenant provisions.

Please let on one consider that we are seeing a change in God’s willingness to save Gentiles as against Jews. Gentiles could be saved at any time, even in Old Testament days. But Gentiles, as a whole, had no access to “the root and fatness” of the tame olive tree. But now they are being grafted in. The new tree, the engrafted tree, is made up of the remnant which comprised the true Israel in the flesh plus the engrafted Gentiles who believed. We must understand that if Jews were broken off because of unbelief that Gentiles were not grafted onto the tree in unbelief (see vs. 20). Then the engrafted wild olive branches (Gentiles) are warned against an attitude of high-mindedness, of feeling God was a respecter of persons as to Gentiles now, and told that they must “continue in His goodness” (Romans 11:22). If they did not, they too might be cut off from this engrafted position.

THOU SHALT ALSO BE CUT OFF (Romans 11:22)
We have come to the point of this article. We began with a statement about falling from grace. Now we have seen how it can happen. As long as one things only of the two positions of being “saved and lost” and does not realize that among those redeemed or born again there is a “covenant position” then he may feel that if one is high-minded and does not continue in God’s goodness he might lose his salvation and be finally lost. But here we see that what one loses is covenant position. He is “severed from Christ” Who is the Head of the church, the true Israel of God, and no longer partakes of the root and fatness of the olive tree. It happened to Jews; it can happen to believing Gentiles. They never would have been grafted in if they had not been believers. All Gentiles are not grafted in. God did not start saving Gentiles after He quit saving Jews. In fat, He has not quit. They may come to Him yet. They may even become part of “the Israel of God!” Who is this? This book of Galatians which tells us about the circumcision or uncircumcision (keeping the law commandment literally or not) is the important consideration, but “a new creation” (Galatians 6:15).

And then it continues: “As many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16). This is in harmony with Paul’s other statement: “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3).

JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW?
Paul had said in our text (Galatians 5:4) that any such is fallen from grace. Traditionally it is taught that since nobody is justified by the law, then nobody is fallen from grace. This position, however, dodges the import of the passage. The question was that of practicing circumcision after having professed to have been saved — to have received the Spirit “by the hearing if faith” as against “the works of the law” (Galatians 3:5). Circumcision is indeed a work of the law. To resort to this legality after having professed to have been born of the Spirit, is, in Paul’s way of saying it, and effort to be justified by the law. (It should be noted that justification is not simply a one time thing with the believer, but one is justified at any time when he believes God, as did Abraham on more than one occasion.) Our believing God and acting in such a way as proves it, justifies us on the basis of faith. But if we resort to keeping commandments, ordinances, or any outward work apart from personal trust in the Lord, then our dependence is on that work and not on Christ. Such a course severs us from Christ and puts our hope in something else. For example, if we think our joining the church and being baptized after we were born again puts us in the bride of Christ, then our dependence is in something we have done.

True, nobody is justified by law or by works of law or by plans or programs which may or may not be based on what one thinks he reads in the Bible. If we are to please God we must trust Him alone for any advantage and for everything. We must fully and completely commit ourselves to Him. Our church attendance, our giving of money, our carrying out any religious practice, if considered simply as our duties and not approached as a means of honoring the Lord, as required by Him, and according to His will and pleasure, are all in vain. This is a kind of attempt to justify or vindicate ourselves by something other than Christ. This interposes something between Him and us. So are men “fallen from grace.”

Do we not remember how that God remonstrated with Israel over their bringing of offerings, their engaging in solemn assemblies, their observing days, new moons, Sabbaths? He said He was weary with such doings. Even their very prayers were an offense to Him (Isaiah 1:11-18). Unless we make this distinction between doings and doings by faith we are walking a precarious position. Doing as an act of faith, with no dependence upon the action , is right, as long as our hearts are clean through faith. But any such doings apart from right hearts is an abomination. And do not feel that the error is only committed by men who never did trust in the Lord! To be “severed from Christ” (A.V. “Christ is become of no effect unto you”) one must once have had some connection. So the warning is to men who have trusted the Lord for salvation but now suppose that they can be “now made perfect by the flesh” (Galatians 3:13). It will not work!

So what happens to one who has begun in the Spirit (who begins earnestly) but now in the flesh seeks to please God by his own actions, talents, abilities, zeal, etc? He jeopardizes his relationship to Christ. He will not be lost again in the sense of perishing in hell. But he may very well cut himself off from covenant position.

A VERY NARROW, BIGOTED POSITION?
This is a description by others of Missionary Baptists oftentimes. They do not understand, but do we not give them occasion to think this way when our pride in being a Baptist shows and our compassion is lacking? When we set ourselves up as “the people” others may feel that we think that “wisdom will die with us” (Job 12:2). Many even think we believe (though we have often denied it) that nobody will be saved but us. They also think we teach that we can sin all we want to and it makes no difference. But it does make a difference. It will not affect our regeneration, but it does affect our relationship to Christ; our eternal reward, and whether or not we shall even reign with Christ.

I wonder if most Missionary Baptists have not been led to believe that just because they belong to the Lord’s church, have been born again and have scriptural baptism, that this somehow guarantees them a place in the kingdom; especially when (granting that they were truly regenerated when they made their profession of faith) they carelessly attend the services when everything else is out of the way, and make arrangements for their lives according to the pattern of the world! Can they really expect to reign with Christ? I fear many feel they will. Many remain babes in Christ when they could have grown up in Him. Will they inherit the kingdom and reign with Christ? I think not. Some even break up their homes because of their lustful nature, committing adultery. They are not always excluded from their church. Will they be in the Bride of Christ? No!

After naming the “works of the flesh” which so many believers become involved in, the Apostle says, “They which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21). He did not say that this would be because they had not been born again, but because of the works of the flesh in their lives. Again, to the Corinthians he said, “there is utterly a fault among you...Ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.” (They would have no brethren if they were not saved and members of the church). “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor effeminate (homosexuals), nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10). True, some of the Corinthians had been guilty but had been “washed” and supposedly saved (if “washed” they WERE saved), but now he is warning them against allowing these things back into their lives. To do so meant to forfeit the inheriting of the kingdom.

SALVATION WITH ETERNAL GLORY
Paul endured much to bring believers to maturity so that they might partake of the glory of the kingdom (2 Timothy 2:10). Then he goes on to say, “It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: If we deny Him, He also will deny us: If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:11-13). He abides faithful — He goes on believing — even if we stop trusting Him. It is assumed that if one once trusted Jesus he always goes on trusting Him. Not true. Moses was guilty of unbelief one time (Numbers 20:12). How many of us are also? His was a fleeting moment or anger and did not go on at length. Still, he missed entering the land. How many of us go on for days, months, or years in unbelief? Shall we enter the kingdom? I think not!