Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
х Kateergeetheete (G2673) apo (G575)] (a word frequent in Paul's letters: only in his companion's gospel (Luke 13:7) besides in the New Testament. Its presence, Hebrews 2:14, supports Paul's authorship). 'Ye became void from Christ' - i:e., your connection with Christ became void (Galatians 5:2). Romans 7:2, the same Greek.
Whosoever of you are justified - `are being justified;' i:e., are thinking to be justified.
By the law - Greek, 'IN the law,' as the element in which justification takes place.
Fallen (Aorist, ye fell, the moment ye sought justification by legalism) from grace - ye no longer 'stood' in it (Romans 5:2). Grace and legal righteousness cannot co exist (Romans 4:4-5; Romans 11:6). Christ, by circumcision (Luke 2:21), undertook to obey all the law, and fulfill all righteousness for us; any, therefore, that now seeks to fulfill it for himself in any degree for justifying righteousness, severs himself from the grace which flows from Christ's fulfillment, and becomes "a debtor to do the whole law" (Galatians 5:3). The decree of the Jerusalem council said nothing so strong as this: it merely decided that Gentile Christians were not bound to legal observances. But the Galatians, while not pretending to be so bound, imagined there was an efficacy in them to merit a higher degree of perfection (Galatians 3:3). This accounts for Paul not referring to the decree. He took higher ground. The natural mind loves outward fetters, and is apt to forge them for itself, to stand in lieu of holiness of heart.