One of my quirks is to wonder about the origin of various idioms. An idiom is "an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements. Such as 'kick the bucket' or 'hang your head'. ( from Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.)

I have been pondering an idiom Pastor Ted Haggard tweeted about last week, He was commenting that he had "Fallen into Grace" during his personal restoration process. Its gotten me to meditate on the common idiom "Fallen From Grace". (That phrase is from the New Testament letter to the Galatians, chapter 5) The phrase "fallen from grace" is commonly used to mean that someone has done something to loose respect or position. It is understood to mean .a return to bad behavior following good behavior. Evangelical Christians commonly understand the phrase to mean that someone has messed up badly enough (or publicly enough) to embarrass themselves or the Church. The phrase usually carries a pejorative tone condemning the persons
behavior as irretrievable or at least worthy of our discipline. The common understanding however, I think, is actually the opposite of what the bible contends. I think to misunderstand this idiom is to
misunderstanding the Bibles idea of Grace. The writer to the Early Church (in Galatians 5) was trying to convey an opposite understanding of grace.

The original "fall from grace" was Adams, when he chose the (tree of the) Knowledge of Good and Evil instead of the Tree of Life (with God). When we experience the "Grace" that the God of the universe offers, we enter into a fully trusting relationship with a Lover. Our Creator is our gracious Lover who entices us to live in the freedom of His forgiveness. When we turn to our Knowledge of Good and Evil, we accept rules and regulations that hold us to the consequences of our actions. Adam (and we) turn from our Lovers ennobling embrace to the Cold arms of a deceiving whore (Knowledge of Good and Evil). The lie that entices us is that we can be or do good, from somewhere inside ourselves. That we can keep ourselves from falling.

I see that Adam truly "Fell from Grace" when he turned away from Gods Grace and accepted the, knowledge of good and evil, in place of relationship (life and forgiveness) with his Lover, God. I think his fall from Grace was when he made his own covering and hid from God. He felt the "need" to redeem himself. When he ate the from the tree he still could have turned to his Lover, God, for Grace. A ''fall from Grace" is not the "act" (or sin) itself but the attempt to redeem by our own actions. Similarly we mistake our role in encouraging others to to do acts of redemption rather then pushing them to embrace their Lover, Redeemer God.

In the letter written to the Church in Galatia, (Galatians 5:4). Paul, Says that we have "...fallen from Grace", when we try to gain Gods approval by adherence to the Old Testament Law. The writing in the Bible is a far different picture than the popular use of the idiom. Instead of being shunned
and punished for our sin, the Biblical picture is running back to a lovers accepting embrace. I have a choice when I mess up. I can try to fix myself and make myself acceptable. Or I can lament my
sin and run back to My Lovers warm and gentle arms. It is in the latter that God, our Lover, weep provides a way to be healed and powerful again.

I do not want fall from Grace by turning to my own redemption. But, I'm with Ted, I would rather Fall into the Grace filled arms of the Lover of my Soul. I would rather be better by the miracle of His healing forgiveness than to walk out my own pride and feeble attempts at self justification. Keeping rules does not define me as good, they point out when I fail need to run to Him to be made Good.