If you seek to be justified and declared righteous and to be given a right standing with God through the Law, you are brought to nothing and so separated (severed) from Christ. You have fallen away from grace (from God’s gracious favour and unmerited blessing).

Galatians 5:4 (Amplified)

Justification means all who trust Jesus are not only not guilty, but innocent.  Sanctification means all who trust Jesus wants to be like Him—yet never by their own efforts, but through His presence and power working within them. In short, justification happens to you, and sanctification happens in you.

A mixed gospel message, however, put sanctification before justification. This is when we want to make ourselves worthy of God’s grace and love, and not recognising God has already given us worth, even before the foundation of the earth. Mixing sanctification before justification breeds a religious spirit. It is taking pride in carrying your own yoke of spirituality, and not learning from Jesus how to carry His yoke—which is easy and light. Such spiritual pride will eventually result in a fall from grace.

To fall from grace is not about committing some serious sins and refusing to repent. Instead, it is when a believer subscribes to a version of righteousness when their justification depends on their sanctification. That is a heresy and one of the main reasons why many Christians are merely religious people and not truly living abundantly in Christ. Because of this, their lives are marked by busyness, burnout, and bitterness instead of love, fruitfulness, and truth.

You cannot live the Christian life apart from Christ.

Jesus should be at the beginning, middle, and end of the gospel that we uphold and cherish. This means that if I understand the gospel correctly, my right standing with God will result in right living with Him. I desire to honour God in my thoughts and deeds because He loves me and accepts me, and because His Spirit works in and through me to do so.