Antinomianism
is the theological doctrine that maintains that Christians are freed from both
moral and ethical law by God’s gift of grace. (Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)
:
Sadly,
this is the belief of many church societies, as well as individuals today, if
not in word then most assuredly in deed. But be warned, this dogma is totally contrary
to everything the Bible teaches. God requires us to live a life of morality,
integrity, and love. It is a great and wonderful truth that Jesus Christ freed
us from the burdensome commands of the Old Testament services of the law; such
as daily sacrifices, daily washings, etc. However, God’s original commandments
were never negated, for at the same time He freed us from these, He introduced the
new covenant of grace, which still carries the same moral and ethical requirements
that lie within the original commandments of God. We have never in any case
been given any license to sin.
The Apostle Paul dealt with the issue of antinomianism throughout
his ministry. In his letter to the church at Rome (5:20), he writes “Moreover
the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound:, He knew the reply
that would be coming from the antinomians, so in the next chapter (6:1-2) he addresses the question before it is even asked by them, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue
in sin, that grace may abound? God
forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”
The
most frequent and ungodly attack on the doctrine of “salvation by grace alone”
is the terrible lie that it encourages sin. Yes, there are some who may think
within themselves, “Since I am saved by grace and since I am eternally secure,
why not live as “I” like and do what
“I” want. Notice the “I”s here. This is the epitome of
selfishness is it not? In essence what is being said is that it doesn’t matter
what I do. If I want to party, have a
few social drinks; tell a few dirty jokes, dress in a manner that is not only
embarrassing to myself but also to those around me, or even completely forsake
the church, when all is said and done, I’m still going to heaven. That way of thinking is NOT the result of
true conversion, because TRUE conversion creates a GREATER desire to obey
Christ not a lesser one. God’s desire and our desire, when we are truly
regenerated by His Spirit, is that we strive NOT to sin.
Paul
graces us with these words in Titus
2:11-12, “For the grace of God that
bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously,
and Godly, in this present world”. This doesn’t sound as if Apostle Paul
is giving any leniency to commit sin, or could I possibly be reading this in
the wrong context? I think not!
Our
response to the gospel message concerning the work that has been fully
accomplished in Jesus Christ should be to consecrate our lives to Him out of
love, worship, reverence and gratitude.
Antinomianism is
completely unbiblical because it totally misrepresents the meaning of God’s
gracious favor.
It should
be our greatest desire to strive to overcome sin and cultivate righteousness,
while fully depending and relying on the Holy Spirit to guide us. The fact that
we are graciously freed from the demands of the Old Testament law services
should result in our living our lives in obedience to the law of Christ. I John 2:3-6 declares very avidly:
“And hereby we do know that we know
him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him and keepeth not His
commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His
word, in him verily is the love of God perfected; hereby know we that we are in
Him. He that saith he abideth in Him
ought himself also to walk even as He (or Christ) walked.
Another reason that
antinomianism is totally unbiblical is that there is a moral law that God
expects us to obey.
I John 5:3 tells us, “For
this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments
are not grievous.” If we somehow find the law of Christ to be
grievous or burdensome, again, we have yet to be truly converted and have yet
to come to Christ in true repentance; neither have we come to know Him on a
personal level.
What is this law God expects us to obey? It is the law of Christ –Matthew 22:37-40 states “Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest
commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the
Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments”
We have never been exempted from the original law of God. It is
true that Jesus Christ fulfilled the law in the body of His flesh, however we
are still bound to the law though our faith in Christ. The law has not changed.
It is always
as it has been; a law of love. If we
love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we will do nothing to displease Him. If we love
our neighbors as ourselves, we will
do nothing to harm them. Obeying the law of
Christ is not a requirement to earn or maintain salvation. It is not legalistic. The law of Christ is what God expects of a person who claims the
name of His dear Son.
Some
may assert that to be bound to any law is legalism. Others may say; we have
been freed from bondage; that we are now living in the day of grace and are now
walking by faith. If one claims to be walking by faith and is therefore exempt
from the works of the law, please allow me to refer him or her to Romans 3:31 “Do we then make void the law through faith?
God forbid: yea, we establish the law”.
The Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ bought
us, that He owns us and that he commands that we follow Him in love and keep
His Commandments Remember I John 5:3
If we believe this to be legalistic then we must say that the Bible with all
its content is also legalistic.
Let us look to Romans 12:1-2
I beseech you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but
be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will
of God
In each and every
case where we find that we have been freed from the bonds of the old law
covenant, we will also find that we have been bound to the law by love of
Christ.
The answer
to all the questions of how we are to live our lives points to our emulation of
the life of Christ as much as it is humanly possible.
We understand that in our quest to please our
Lord, we are still prone to sin, prone to wander and that we are prone to leave
the God we love; but let us rejoice in the assurance we find in I John Chapter 2
Verse 1 states; “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin
not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our
sins”. Then in Verse 12 we find: “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are
forgiven you for his name's sake”.
Anyone
who has truly come to know Christ could
never have an antinomian attitude, for anyone who has truly come to know Christ will have a great desire to live as He
lived; to pattern their lives after Him; to desire to please Him in and above
all things.
In
closing I would like to mention the story of brother who believed and cherished
the doctrine of “salvation by Grace alone”. He was approached one day by a
gentleman who told him that by believing the doctrine of salvation by grace, he
was giving himself the license to sin as much as he wanted. The brother’s reply
was very simple yet powerful in its message.
His
Answer.... “Dear friend, I sin much more
than I want”.
Sam
