What is antinomianism?
The word “antinomianism” simply means “against the law.” “Anti” means against, and “nomos” means law. An antinomian is anyone who denies that God’s law is the standard or rule of conduct in the life of the believer. Antinomians don’t believe God’s law has any role except to expose sin and point the believer to Christ for forgiveness and justification. They might say that the Spirit makes believers holy, but the believer doesn’t have anything to do with the law. An extreme form of antinomianism would deny that Christians necessarily experience any process of being made holy at all. Extreme antinomianism denies that there is any change in a believer’s heart or life that would distinguish the believer from the world around them.
But if we think about it carefully, we will see that antinomianism has the same root as legalism. Antinomianism and legalism are really two sides of the same error. They both doubt the goodness and grace of God. Sinclair Ferguson expresses this really well in his book, The Whole Christ, which I highly recommend on this subject. The core problem with both legalism and antinomianism has to do with its view of God.
Legalists doubt the goodness of God. Legalists cannot believe that God would be so abundantly gracious toward them as to save them by free grace. And they think of God’s law as terribly harsh and miserable. So, all legalists relax God’s law, or soften God’s law to make it easy enough for them to keep. In that sense, all legalists are antinomians because they relax God’s law. Now some legalists are very successful at keeping their own soft modified laws. They are trusting themselves and their own efforts to obey the law. They feel proud and righteous that they are good people and that God will accept them because they are good. But other legalists never get the sense that they’re even keeping a watered-down version of the law. Their consciences still bother them. And they feel depressed and despondent. They aren’t sure that God loves or accepts them since they’re so bad at keeping God’s law. These legalists are depressed because they are also proudly trusting themselves and their works, but they aren’t performing as well as their triumphalistic legalistic companions. And so the central problem with legalists is that they doubt the goodness and grace of God.
That’s exactly the same problem that we see in antinomianism. Antinomians are legalists who are tired of trying to work for God’s acceptance and favor. They’re just tired of all the feelings of guilt and shame of trying to work for acceptance. And so they come to believe that Christ died so that they don’t need to worry about keeping God’s law, and they can safely stay in their sins against God’s law. To antinomians, the cross means that they can live their lives without measuring themselves against God’s law anymore. To an antinomian, God’s law is harsh, terrifying, and almost cruel.
But if antinomians really believed in the true goodness and grace of God, then they would believe that God’s law is also good and gracious. Where does God’s law come from? It comes from God! And if God’s law comes from God then it must be good. In Psalm 119:97 David says, “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.”
But antinomians don’t trust that God’s law is good because in their hearts, they don’t trust God. Antinomians tend to see God as harsh, authoritarian, and even cruel. And they somehow think that Christ’s work on the cross frees them from the law of such a harsh and cruel God. But their central mistake is thinking of God as harsh in the first place. God is purely good. He is absolutely gracious. And if we really understand how good and gracious God is, then we will be convinced that God’s law is good and gracious because God’s law comes from God. And we will believe God’s law is for our good, and we should seek to be conformed to it.
“So, the main mistake in antinomianism is doubting the goodness and graciousness of God. Both legalists and antinomians make this mistake of separating the law of God from the good and gracious character of God.”
– Tom Hicks
There’s another way that legalists and antinomians are similar. Legalists relax God’s law to feel good about themselves, to feel that God accepts them, and to feel righteous in themselves. Antinomians make up their own laws. It’s not as though Antinomians deny that there is any law at all. It’s impossible to live in this world without some kind of standard or moral code. And while antinomians insist that they are free from God’s law, they actually create their own law. The main practical difference between an antinomian and a legalist is that antinomians follow the soft law of their own hearts rather than the soft law of a legalistic religious community.
And the result of antinomianism is often a very authoritarian, censorious, and condemning spirit toward anyone who disagrees with the standards that antinomians have made up for themselves. They tend to demand that everyone accept their standards, and they feel righteous for living according to their own code. Antinomians are not gentle, meek, loving souls, who believe in freedom and universal acceptance. They are very harsh and rigid with their own personal standards.
Here are some examples of the laws of today’s antinomians: Justice means that everyone ought to have the same outcome in life. Being your true self means you ought to indulge your sexual preferences, and you should receive acceptance from others. No one has the right to force a pregnant woman to give birth to an unwanted child.
Antinomians have the same spirit as the legalists because the two errors are really identical at the core.
What are some of the theological justifications for antinomianism?
Mark Jones wrote a book titled Antinomianism, where he says that the core theological justification for antinomianism comes from a misunderstanding of Christ. And I agree with him about that. I would argue that Antinomians misunderstand both Christ’s work and His person.
Consider how Antinomians misunderstand Christ’s work. They will often say that Christ died for our sins so we are free from the law. Believers have nothing to do with the law anymore because Christ died to remove the law in every respect. If believers look to the law as their standard in life, then they’re putting themselves back under the law and rejecting the work of Christ for them. So, antinomians use the work of Christ to justify their attitude toward the law.
But that’s a misunderstanding of Christ’s work. The Bible does teach that Christ lived a righteous life and died for our sins to free us from the law as a covenant of eternal life. Christ died to free us from the law as the way to obtain our justification. Christ died to free us from the law as the way to obtain the right and title to eternal life. Christ died to free us from the guilt and condemnation of the law. Christ’s death means that our sins no longer make us liable to punishment. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 2:21 says, “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if justification were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” Antinomians and the orthodox agree on all of that.
But the antinomians misunderstand Christ’s work in this sense. The Bible also teaches that Christ not only died to free us from the guilt and condemnation of our sins. Rather, Christ also died to free us from the actual pollution of our sins. Christ not only died for us, He died to purchase the work of the Spirit in us. Titus 2:14 says that Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” That’s a really important text because it shows that Christ gave Himself to redeem us from lawlessness. His death buys us out of slavery to lawlessness. His death purchases our lawfulness.
Another important passage is Romans 8:3-4, which says, “By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh 4. in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” So, here we see that Christ died “in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us.” That phrase “in order that” gives us one of the purposes of Christ’s death. And one of the purposes is that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us. Notice that it doesn’t say that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled for us. That is true. But it’s not what this says. This says that Christ died that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, “who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (v. 4). In other words, if we walk according to the Spirit, then we will fulfill more and more the righteous requirement of the law. So, even though antinomians try to justify their doctrine on the basis of Christ’s work, they can only do so by misunderstanding Christ’s work. Christ didn’t only die to justify us. He also died to sanctify us, to make us more holy and more conformed to the standard of His law.
But antinomians not only fail to understand the work of Christ, they also fail to understand the person of Christ. Antinomians will often say that Christ took on a human nature so that He could die for our sins and free us from the law. They speak as though the whole reason for the incarnation was to be our substitute, to bear our sins, and to free us from the law. Christ was made under the law according to His human nature so that we can be freed from the law in their view.
But the antinomians only understand half of the reason for the incarnation. Certainly, Christ took on human flesh in order to identify with us and be our substitute to secure our justification. But Christ also took on a human nature to be our example. Christ was truly human, yet without sin. Hebrews 5:8 says that Jesus had to “learn obedience through what He suffered.” Jesus had to grow in wisdom and favor with God and with men. And what was Christ-like, according to His human nature? He was perfectly lawful. Christ fulfilled all righteousness.
And Jesus is our example of how to live. If we want to know the best way to live in wisdom and holiness, we must look at Christ. The Bible teaches us to look to Christ as our example. 1 John 2:6 says, “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” 1 Peter 2:21 says, “For to this you have been called because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might follow in His steps.”
The Bible calls on believers to imitate Christ’s life of lawkeeping. Now, at this point, antinomians cry foul. They say that this sort of teaching would put believers back under the law to try to earn their acceptance before God. But we need to understand that Christ gives us an example to follow in our sanctification on the basis of His free grace in justification. After we come to Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the title to eternal life in justification, freed from the law as a covenant of life, we grow in the grace and the knowledge of Jesus in our sanctification, guided by God’s law as our standard. We are not justified by our sanctification. Our sanctification is not the cause of our justification. But we are sanctified by looking to Christ’s example and with His good law as our guide.
So, the Bible teaches that Christ saves us from two different things. Antinomians are correct that Christ saves us from the guilt and condemnation of our sins. They’re right that Christ frees us from the law as the way to obtain our justification or a right and title to eternal life. But Antinomians are wrong because they deny an important aspect of Christ’s salvation. The Bible teaches that Christ saves us from the power of our sins. He saves us from the pollution of our sins. He saves us from the misery and sorrow of our actual sins. And Christ saves us from our actual sins in two ways. First, His death on the cross purchases the work of the Spirit in us to make us more and more lawful. And second, Christ’s life as a human being gives us a perfectly lawful example to imitate in our sanctification.
So, antinomians try to justify their false teaching with the person and work of Christ. The problem is that they have misunderstood and truncated the person and work of Christ.
How can we avoid antinomianism?
In his book, The Whole Christ, Sinclair Ferguson says, “The only cure for antinomianism is the gospel – nothing short of Jesus Christ.” If the central problem with antinomians is that they don’t see the goodness and grace of God, and so they can’t see the goodness and grace of God’s law, then the only solution is the gospel. The gospel persuades us of God’s good character. If you ever doubt God’s goodness and grace, then look at Jesus. Look at His person. Look at His work. Christ was willing to humble Himself, come into this world, and dwell among sinners who hated and despised Him. He was willing to suffer insults and great sorrow in order to love sinners throughout His ministry. He healed the sick, raised the dead, fed the hungry, cast out demons. He was so patient with His disciples, who often did not understand what He was teaching. He never lost His temper, never became irritated, but always loved with perfect grace.
And if anyone doubts the goodness and grace of God, then look there at the cross of Jesus. Look at the Lord Jesus hanging upon the tree, bearing the wretched sins of His people in His body. Look at His nail-pierced hands and the wound in His side. Consider how He embraced the wrath of God for the sins of His people. And then conquered the grave, and rose from the dead. He did it all willingly, freely, out of love for His people.
And if you are persuaded of the goodness and graciousness of God in Christ, then you will be persuaded of the goodness of God’s gracious law. You’ll be convinced that God sent His Son from a heart of goodness and love; then, it must also be true that God gave His law from a heart of goodness and love. The same heart that gave His Son also gave His good law. And if you look closely at the Son of God, you’ll find that what you love about Him is that He kept God’s good law. Jesus never lied but told the truth. He never stole but always gave. He never murdered but protected and promoted life. He never rebelled against His father but always submitted. He never took advantage of women but always treated them sincerely and kindly. If you know what God is like, you will believe that God could only give a good and gracious law. You’ll begin to see the goodness, beauty, and wisdom of God’s law as you look into the face of Jesus. Not only that, but you’ll begin to be convinced by the promises of the gospel to obey the law.
Now, some people preach the gospel in a legal way to guilt you into obeying the law. They might say, “Look at all Jesus did for you. The least you can do for Him in return is obey Him.” Or, “Christ gave His very life for you, it is too much for Him to ask you to come to church on Sunday?” Or, “Christ suffered so much more than you’ve ever suffered. Stop complaining and coveting and be content.” But that’s turning the gospel into a law and using it as a way to beat people. But if you preach the gospel rightly, it greatly strengthens your motives, reasons, and duties to obey God’s good law. Beloved, Christ died for your sins because He loves you. His loveliness is on display in that He freely and absolutely saves you through His person and work. And knowing His great love and loveliness, how could you not love Him back? Why wouldn’t you love one who is so lovely? See the beauty of His commands, which He gives you for your own good. The beauty of the law is clear from Christ Himself, who kept the law perfectly. Don’t you admire and adore such a great Savior? He commands your obedience in love. He calls you to honor Him for your own good because He loves you and He has already accomplished your total salvation. Won’t you obey His good commandments? So, the way to avoid antinomianism, above all, is to know and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Do Christians have to exert effort in order to obey God’s law, or does it just flow automatically through faith?
The Bible teaches that we must exert effort to grow in obedience to God’s law. 2 Peter 1:5 says, “make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue.” We need to exert effort on the basis of Christ’s free grace to apply ourselves to the means of grace to know more of Christ’s goodness and grace. We should be diligent about the public means of grace, the Word, and the sacrament on the Christian sabbath. And then secondarily, we need to exert effort in meditating on the Word and praying in our private and family lives as well. It also requires effort to repent of our sins in a gospel way. It doesn’t simply flow from faith automatically. Rather, we will only repent when we humble ourselves with godly sorrow and hate and forsake our sins, personally turning to Christ, who bought us with a price. Gospel repentance only happens when we work to repent under grace.
“Antinomians often speak as though none of our good works have any value.”
-Tom Hicks
But the Bible teaches that our good works have value. While our good works can never merit our salvation, nor do they cause or achieve salvation, our good works please God as our Father. I love the illustration of Christian good works as being like a child bringing a drawing to their father. The child’s drawing is a poor piece of art if you’re judging it by strict artistic standards. In other words, that artwork isn’t justified on its own merits. But the father receives the artwork as a father, not as a judge. The father is pleased with the artwork because his child drew it for him, and he is pleased to overlook all its imperfections and see it for what it is: an expression of love. And that’s what our good works are like in Christ. God delights in them. They are not filthy rags to God our Father. Now, when we say that our good works please God, we’re not suggesting that our good works can change God’s internal state. It’s an analogical way of speaking about God. As we do faithful good works, God treats us in a way that displays His pleasure within us and within creation. For example, God rewards our good works with a greater knowledge of Himself and experience of His favor. In John 14:21, Jesus says, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”. That means we get to know Christ and enjoy communion and fellowship with Christ more and more as we grow in obedience to His good law. Thus, we should never say that our good works as believers are simply filthy rags. In terms of their relation to strict justice, they are indeed filthy rags. But in Christ, they are washed and accepted and celebrated. And not only that, but our good works do good to our fellow men and shine forth Christ’s love to them. We glorify God by our good works as we reflect Christ’s character to others.
The last thing to mention is that the believer’s good works precede our glorification in the order in which God gives His gifts. We need to be careful to say that good works do not achieve our glorification, cause our glorification, or merit our glorification. But God dispenses His graces in a certain order. And He gives good works before He gives glorification. And in that sense, good works come before glorification. We must have good works to be glorified. And on Judgment Day, our good works will vindicate our faith before all creation, proving that we are joined to Christ. But on Judgment Day, Christ’s works alone will be the legal ground of our justification before God. See Mk 13:13; Rom 6:22; Gal 6:8-9; Heb 12:14.
