Severed from Christ

 “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by the Law; you have fallen from grace.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

Severed is such a strong term! It invokes, for me, the image of a decapitated person because of the context. Christ is the head of the church (see Ephesians 1:22-23), so to be severed from Christ is to be headless, decapitated, dead.

This text is taken from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia. The apostle spent a lot of time in his letters to the churches explaining to new Christians, particularly the non-Jewish ones, the fundamentals of the gospel. This letter was no different. Apparently, the Galatians were influenced to adopt what the apostle called a distorted view of the gospel. They felt compelled to follow the law given by God to the descendants of Israel at Mount Sinai as a part of their Christian obligation. These young Christians just wanted to do the right thing and please God. They understood that to please God meant to live a life that God approves of and up until Christ’s death pleasing God meant keeping the commandments given by God at Mount Sinai. The Apostle Paul not only says they don’t have to but also warns that if they do, they are severing themselves from Christ and have fallen from grace.

In our times, this seems like a minor doctrinal disagreement, so why did Apostle Paul use such strong language over a mere misunderstanding of doctrine? The Apostle Paul apparently doesn’t think it is as simple as that. For him the issue strikes at the fundamental message of the gospel.

At Mount Sinai, God and the descendants of Israel entered into a covenant sealed with blood (See Exodus‬ ‭19‬:‭5‬-‭8‬). However, the descendants of Israel were not able to keep their end of the covenant (See Hebrews 8:9). God terminated the covenant by allowing God’s and Abraham’s heir to the agreement to die. The death of Christ put an end to the obligation under the covenant established at Mount Sinai.

The death of Christ also ushered in a new covenant. This is the good news or the gospel. The blood of Christ sealed a new covenant that God promised to the descendants of Israel years before through the prophets.

“'For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,' declares the Lord: “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, 'for I will forgive their wrongdoing, and their sin I will no longer remember.'”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31‬:‭33‬-‭34‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

The terms of the new covenant are much easier for humanity to follow. God will be their God and they will be God’s people under these terms.

If you enter into the covenant with God:

• God’s law will be placed inside of you.
• God’s law will be written on your heart. 
• You will be recognized as God’s people.
• You will not need to be taught what God wants from you because you will already know.
• God would forgive your wrongdoings.
• God will not remember your sins.

Whereas the old covenant required individuals to abide by certain laws and penalties to remain in the good graces of God, the new covenant merely asks that you exercise faith that Christ’s death indeed put an end to the old covenant, and his blood sealed the new. As a result, you are under no obligation to do anything but act on faith that God will uphold God’s promise concerning the new covenant, forgive your wrongdoings, and not remember your sins, even when you haven’t done a thing to earn such treatment.

For those who have lived a life dedicated to living right according to the old covenant, particularly the formerly devout Jewish believers, accepting such a simple covenant was difficult. They could not risk leaving their old religious practices. Where under the old system it was clear to them what things they needed to do to please God, under the new covenant they had to live by faith that God would somehow inform them of the right thing in any given situation. It is uncomfortable. That is why this statement may be one of Apostle Paul's strongest on this point: the believer's reliance on the old covenant demonstrates a lack of trust and faith not only in what Jesus Christ is said to have accomplished but also in God's ability to abide by the terms of the new covenant.

Living by the terms of the old covenant is saying that you don’t trust God to honor the new covenant. They seek to please God and be found righteous by God, or justified, by fulfilling the terms of the old covenant. The only reason for a person to do this is if they doubt the effectiveness of the new covenant. They are living as if they do not believe the old one was terminated, and if they don’t believe the old covenant was terminated, they are saying that they don’t believe Christ’s death was enough to accomplish its termination.

This is why it is so troubling to the apostle. This is why he says people are severing themselves from Christ and have fallen from grace. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” - Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬.