SOMEONE ASKED: “WHAT IS ANTINOMIANISM?”

Antinomianism comes from two Greek words: “Anti” – against and “Nomos” – law. It is a concept and teaching that begins with, revolves around and glories in the principle that law has been abolished in every practical way for Christians. It’s true that Old Testament dietary and hygienic laws given to and observed by the Hebrews have been abolished (1 Cor. 8:8; Col. 2:14), but the moral Law embodied in the Ten Commandments and elaborated on in the Sermon on the Mount has never been abolished (Matt. 5:17-19; Rom. 7:7-14; Gal. 3:24), and are intended to influence and direct Christian life today.

Antinomians scoff and denounce the idea that laws, rules standards, etc. have any place in Christian thinking or bearing on how Christians live, calling this “legalism.” A legalist by definition is someone who believes that salvation is earned by doing good works, keeping laws, etc. and has nothing to do with the godly, unconfirmed-to-the-world lifestyle a Christian is called to live after they have been saved by grace, born again, etc. (See Rom. 12:1, 2; Eph. 1:4; 4:23, 24; 1 Pet. 1:13-16).

Antinomians contend that God’s grace is sufficient to cover every sin, and they are right about this (the big hook of error is always baited with a little truth), but they go on in essence to say, “Therefore let us go on sinning without a care, because the more we sin, the more opportunity we give God’s grace to operate and be magnified,” and here they are guilty of a sick and satanically inspired “wresting” of Scripture (2 Pet. 3:16). Antinomians pervert the grace of God (Jude 4) because they want to justify their desire to sin and the worldly lifestyle that they want to continue to embrace.

The teaching and spirit of antinomianism has almost overwhelmed and corrupted, in terms of faith and practice, American Christianity. The early church had to deal with it. Paul wrote: “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? … Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid” (Rom. 6:1, 2, 12-15). Read the entirety of Romans 6 as well as Gal. 1:6, 7, Titus 22:11-15, 1 Pet. 2:9-22 and Jude 4).