Bible Strands
Galatians 5:4
You who are trying to be justified by the law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The apostle Paul addresses the Galatian congregations, confronting believers who are adopting circumcision and Mosaic observances as the basis for their standing before God.
The words — κατηργήθητε (katērgēthēte) literally means “you have been severed” or “rendered inoperative,” denoting the immediate spiritual consequence of seeking justification through legal observance.
The thread — The same law-versus-grace contrast appears in Romans 11:6, which states that if inheritance is by grace, it is no longer by works, and in Romans 9:31, where Israel’s pursuit of a law-based righteousness results in failure to attain it.
Why it lands — The text demands a decisive rejection of self-derived righteousness, requiring readers to abandon legal performance as a ground for acceptance before God and to rest solely in Christ’s finished work.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Cross-references
- Romans 9:31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.
- 2 Peter 2:20 If indeed they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, only to be entangled and overcome by it again, their final condition is worse than it was at first.
- Romans 11:6 And if it is by grace, then it is no longer by works. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.
- Galatians 2:21 I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.
- Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.
- Romans 3:20 Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin.
- Romans 4:4 Now the wages of the worker are not credited as a gift, but as an obligation.
- Galatians 5:2 Take notice: I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.
- Revelation 2:5 Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
- Hebrews 6:4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,