Let's examine Paul's words carefullyDoug wrote:I'd originally intended to talk about Judaizers of the 1st Century Temple, but you bring up an interesting point. If the term can be applied to contemporary adherents of Torah then what do we make of Paul saying that they are fallen from grace?
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. (Galatians 5:1-5 NKJV)
The final sentence indicates that the hope of righteousness will ultimately become reality, and will become reality through faith. Paul knew and taught that God requires righteousness, and thus it is necessary. We can become righteous by faith in the fact that God's enabling grace (Titus 2) becomes available to us through the sacrifice of Christ, and is appropriated by faith.
Thus Jewish people who trust their Messiah Jesus (and Gentile Judaizers also) have been set free from the burden on the Mosaic Law which can never render anyone righteous by the self-effort of trying to follow these Mosaic injunctions.
The word translated as "justify" does not mean "counted righteous", but rather sometimes means "shown to be righteous" and often means "rendered righteous." These Galatians could never become "justified" or rendered righteous through trying to keep the Mosaic Law unless they succeeded in keeping the whole Law in every detail. Furthermore, if they regard Law keeping as the road to righteousness, they are estranged from Christ who, by his death, provided the REAL way to become righteous.
In the expression translated "you have fallen from grace" (in the AV and in the NKJV), there is no word "from" in the Greek. Rather the word for "grace" is in the genitive case, and the word translated as "fallen" often means "failed" according to most lexicons, and it is so translated by virtually all translators in I Cor. 13:8 (Love never fails) and also in Romans 9:16. With this in mind, let's consider the translation, "You being righteous by Law have failed of grace." In other words, as long as one attempts to be righteous through striving to keep the Mosaic law, he will never avail himself of the enabling grace made available through Christ, which will facilitate righteous living.