Galatians 5:4

4 Some of you are trying to be made right with God by obeying the law. You have been separated from Christ. You have fallen away from God's grace.

Galatians 5:4 Meaning and Commentary

Galatians 5:4

Christ is become of no effect unto you
Or "ye are abolished from Christ"; or as others by an "hypallage" read the words, "Christ is abolished unto you"; for by their seeking for justification by their own works, it was all one to them as if there was no Christ, and no righteousness in him, and no salvation by him; they had nothing to do with him, nor he with them:

whosoever of you are justified by the law;
that is, who sought to be justified by their obedience to the law, or who thought they were, and trusted in themselves that they were righteous; for otherwise, by the deeds of the law, no flesh living can be justified:

ye are fallen from grace;
that is, either from that grace which they professed to have; for there might be some in these churches, as in others, who were only nominal Christians, and formal professors; who had declared they saw themselves lost and undone sinners, destitute of a righteousness, and professed to believe in Christ alone for righteousness and strength, but now trusted in themselves, and in the works of the law: or from the scheme of grace in the whole of man's salvation, which will admit of no mixture of works; either it is one or the other, it cannot be both; wherefore by their taking on the side of works, they showed that they had entirely dropped the scheme of grace: or else from the Gospel of the grace of God, from whence they were removed, through the influence of false teachers; particularly the doctrine of free justification by the grace of God, through the righteousness of Christ; which was entirely set aside by their seeking to be instilled by the works of the law; and from this they might be said to be fallen, who were on such a bottom.

Galatians 5:4 In-Context

2 Here is what I, Paul, say to you. Don't let yourselves be circumcised. If you do, Christ won't be of any value to you.

3 I say it again. Every man who lets himself be circumcised must obey the whole law.

4 Some of you are trying to be made right with God by obeying the law. You have been separated from Christ. You have fallen away from God's grace.

5 But we expect to be made completely holy because of our faith in Christ. Through the Holy Spirit we wait in hope.

6 Circumcision and uncircumcision aren't worth anything to those who believe in Christ Jesus. The only thing that really counts is faith that shows itself through love.