“Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.” Galatians 5:4
Back then, man’s religions insisted on salvation conditional on works, using the works of the Old Testament system of which all were familiar. Since then, the works and ordinances of the New Testament are more familiar, so man’s religions insist on a salvation conditional on these. Thus, the application is like this, “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by baptism, good works, etc., ye are fallen from grace.”
To make baptism, or good works, or both, as the conditional factors whereby one is saved, kept saved, or will be saved, is to divert one’s faith for salvation from what Christ did to save us, unto what man does to save himself. Thus, even though one claims to believe in Christ as Saviour, their belief in Christ is of no effect for the salvation of their soul, because their trust for salvation is in their baptism and their good works. They will even confess that their faith in Christ will not save them without their baptism and their good works. Thus, their faith in Christ is of no effect for salvation, and they have fallen from grace, having put their trust in baptism and their works as the means of obtaining eternal life.
Thus, an evil use has been made of baptism, due to the false place it has been given in the belief systems of man’s religions. The efficacy, which belongs only to the blood of Christ, has been attributed to water baptism. The regenerating work of the Holy Spirit has been transferred to water baptism. Thus, the figure of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection has been put in the place of the substance.
The ordinance of baptism is only valuable so long as it conveys Christ. But if it, in the smallest degree, comes between the heart and the actual work of redemption of the Saviour for one’s salvation, is ceases to be an ordinance of Christ, becoming a diversion from faith in Christ, and thus an instrument of the Devil to make one’s faith in Christ for salvation of no effect.
In the teaching, where ordinances are being added to Christ and the work of Christ, the sinner no longer believes he is saved by faith in Christ, but he believes Christ is obligated to save him because of his faith in the ordinances. Thus, it is no longer salvation by grace through faith, but salvation merited by works, thus, “ye are fallen from grace.”
The devil persuades men they are honoring Christ when they elevate His ordinances to the means of acquiring salvation. Whereas, he is merely leading them to set Christ aside and deify the ordinances themselves. Be not deceived!
SHARING
