Why did people leave Paul's doctrine of faith plus nothing and go back to legalism?
Their faith grew weak. They had lost sight of what God had instructed and were blinded by a lack of faith, so they returned to legalism instead of Paul's premise of faith plus nothing. This same departure pattern appears in the Ephesian letters, where spiritual comprehension depends on faith.
Les teaches that the doctrine, reproof, and correction writings were all based on Paul's premise of faith plus nothing. The people were reproved because they had lost sight of what God had instructed; they had been blinded by a lack of faith, and thus went back into legalism. Their faith grew weak. Les then applies this to the Ephesian letters: understanding that believers are already seated in the heavenlies comes by faith, not feeling. He illustrates sitting on a tractor in 110-degree heat and still knowing by faith that he is in the heavenlies. Faith is what does that.