Dr. Alan J. Dunn
Antinomianism is a view of the Christian life which minimizes and even disparages the Law of God. “Anti-” means “against” and “nomian” is from the Greek word ‘nomos” which means “law.” Antinomians are inclined to pit “grace” against “law,” to the neglect of law and an over-emphasis on grace.3 We rejoice to see a renewed proclamation of “The Doctrines of Grace” in our day. We rejoice to know that the gospel of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone is being proclaimed. But in our new-found appreciation for God’s sovereign grace, we can be liable to antinomian imbalances.4 Paul had to rectify this imbalance in those who heard him preach the gospel of God’s free grace. Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law (Rom 3:31). What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? (Rom 6:1-2) We cannot be so amazed at God’s amazing grace in giving us the blessings of justification that we end up minimizing our ongoing battle with sin and the necessity of living a life of evangelical obedience.5 Antinomianism over-emphasizes justification, grace, and God’s merciful love, but minimizes the necessity of holiness and practical righteousness in the life of the believer.
If we realize that Antinomianism is an imbalance, we need to be careful not to over-react and fall into the opposite imbalance of legalism. We are liable, when we discover an imbalance, to think that the farther away we get from that extreme, be better we are, when in reality, we cross the point of balance and tilt to the opposite extreme. We do not want to so emphasize the necessity of evangelical obedience to God’s commands that we start to base our relationship with God on our performance of good works. Or even worse, we make up our own rules in order to reinforce God’s commands as the Pharisees did with their many traditions. This is Antinomianism’s opposite error: Legalism. What we need is balance. At any point in time, every one of us is likely tilted toward one side or the other. If we have walked with Christ for any length of time, we can likely look back over our pilgrimage and identify times when we were inclined to antinomianism and times when we tilted into legalism. The Christian life is lived as we move forward atop the straight and narrow way. The only way to obtain balance is to press forward and run this race with our eyes fixed on Christ (Phil 3:13-14; Heb 12:1-2). Although tendencies to imbalances are part of the realism of the Christian life, we need to be careful. A man who tilts too far will eventually fall! Paul warns of those who want to be teachers of the Law, but are actually ignorant of God’s Word. But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully (1 Tim 1:6-11).6
An Antinomian over-emphasizes justification, grace, and the love of God to the place that he becomes careless about matters of personal holiness and moral righteousness. He makes much of his freedoms and liberties in Christ but ignores Scripture’s summons to obey God’s commands. He is averse to the idea of “duty.” The “disciplines” of discipleship and churchmanship look too much like “law” which infringe on his freedoms and liberties in Christ. He prefers his Christianity to spring from his own voluntary initiative, not something demanded or required of him. He looks askance on the idea of being motivated to serve Christ by the prospect of rewards. Such motivation seems “self-serving.” He is confident of his salvation, believing that he has truly believed and is thus justified and forgiven. The law once condemned him, but now that he is forgiven, he need not concern himself with the law. He is disinclined to self-examination, content in his confidence that, having believed, he is forever justified and that is all that matters.
There are aspects of truth in the Antinomian’s thinking. However, when set in the context of all that Scripture tells us about the Christian life, we see that Antinomianism is imbalanced. He fails to give due place to the Bible’s teaching on the necessity and nature of sanctification.
Used with permission.
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