ANTINOMIANS DISGUISED AS VICTIMS

A growing number of individuals and groups seem to be appearing on social media commiserating with one another and claiming the status of victimhood — ostensibly, the abused and hurting victims of churches, ministries, etc. or of Christianity in general. Some of these claims are based on fact. There are, and always have been rogues, scoundrels, charlatans, who have deceived, abused and otherwise made merchandise of people under the cloak of religion. Predatory people have preyed on other people within the context of politics, religion, the workplace, etc., etc. throughout history and will continue to do it till Jesus comes and brings them to Judgment.

The most shameful, rotten and damnable kind of abuse is that done under the cloak of Christian ministry, and no one in his or her right mind would deny that this has happened and is happening. It happens where people, for whatever reason, fail to study and adhere to the plain teaching of Scripture and instead let others interpret Scripture for them. Nevertheless, the abuse happens; it’s real; it should be exposed, its perpetrators punished; genuine victims of it deserve sympathy and help.

But all self-proclaimed victims of abuse by Christian churches and/or ministries aren’t legitimate victims. Many or them are simply thinly disguised antinomians (See my previous post); guilty, if not guiltier, of the same sins of which they accuse others. Their unforgiving, judgmental, bitter, hateful, slanderous and hypocritical spirits are all too obvious. And, one has to wonder why these ultra-selfrighteous people, presumably holding a monopoly on what constitutes “real” Christianity, would be so quick and careless in going on the world wide web to castigate Christianity and paint it with a broad black brush of condemnation, creating a stumbling block for sincere seekers and giving “great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme” (2 Sam. 12:14).

Again, there are real victims of wolves in sheep’s clothing, and these wolves need to be identified, warned against and kept away from the “flock of God” (Ezek. 34:31; 1 Pet. 5:2). But watch out for antinomians in sheep’s clothing whose real problem is that they have wanted to sin and be unrestrained from influencing others to sin — antinomians, to whom what Paul said to Elymas might be, and probably is, applicable: “O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:10).

“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:28-31).