The saying “fall from grace” means losing favor with someone, possibly originating from a biblical reference. It can refer to a change in a relationship between two people, often due to one person’s actions, but can also apply to entities like charities.
Generally, the English saying “fall from grace” means that a person or group of people has lost favor with another person or group of people. This saying may date back to biblical times, when it was used to describe a rift in the relationship between Jesus Christ and his followers, or non-followers, but it is often used today to describe a change in the relationship between ordinary people. Usually, when a person or group has fallen out of favour, it means that the person or group has done something to lose favor with others.
Like many idioms, the saying “fallen from grace” can be traced back to an original time, place, or usage, even if the origin is somewhat fuzzy. For example, the idiom “fallen from grace” is believed to have originated in Biblical times. In Galatians 5:4 of the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Paul of Tarsus tells the Galatians: “Christ has become useless to you, whoever of you is justified by the law; you have fallen from grace.” This quote is from the King James Bible, and the exact wording of the verse in other instances varies depending on which version of the Bible a reader is referring to. However, each instance of the verse includes a version of the expression.
These days, “fallen from grace” might be used in a religious sense, but it is perhaps more commonly used to explain that a person has fallen out of favor with another person. Usually, it describes a change in the relationship between two people, and often one person holds a higher position or office than the other person. For example, relationship change might be between parent and child, employer and employee, or teacher and student. Often, the person in the “lower” position has done something to displease, disappoint, or dissatisfy the person in the “higher” position. If a teacher discovers that his star student cheated on a test or plagiarized a research paper, that student could fall from grace.
Not all situations that apply to the phrase “fallen from grace” need to occur between two individuals. Nor should situations arise between a person of high office and a person of low office. Other types of people or entities may fall out of favour. For example, a friend might lie to another friend, disgracing himself in the eyes of his former friend. Similarly, a once respected charity may fall out of favor in the public eye if it is found that the organization has mishandled donations.
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