"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." - Galatians 5:1
"Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" - 3:3
The Galations were saved by grace through faith, as all born again believers are, but false teachers, probably Jews in the religious sense, brought them to ignore, even deny salvation by grace through faith, and to trust in the keeping of the law to bring them salvation. These Galations are true Christians: "the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ," "For ye are the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" (3:24,26). But, possibly in addition to their salvation, they have burdened themselves with the law that is dead to them, and they to it. "Are ye so foolish?" he replies. Are we so foolish? Why do fundamental Baptists have the reputation of being legalists? Sure we (in general) are more conservative by conviction, but sometimes we make up our own convictions, thereby burdening ourselves with a "yoke of bondage," and we then see ourselves as "spiritual." Oftentimes we forget the "unmerited favor" part of grace and try to be closer to God by intensifying our standards. "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." The best I understand "fallen from grace," it states that one has transferred his dependance from Christ onto his own works, transferred his avenue of strength to please God from Himself to himself. Since we cannot lose our salvation, this transfer robs God of sweet fellowship with His children and His glory is not seen by other people, or us. I could be wrong, but that's my observation. Who leads us in life? Why do our standards exist? Do we try to work out sanctification through vain standards that are not wrong, but lack a heart for God? "But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Completely rely on God for sanctification, for we have no power over the spirit, to draw it unto God. "Grace upon Grace." Christ is our Standard, our shield from the enemy. Standards help in some instances, but to replace Christ with standards is to leave a well manned fort to hide behind a tree.