There is only one heresy, and that
is Antinomianism.
—John Duncan(1796-1870)
The debate centered around how
best to magnify the grace of God.
Christian ethics is not a matter
of finding a middle ground between legalism and license. "such and
approach could end up by being only what it was from the start, an oscillation
between two sub-Christian forms of life"
—Donovan
. . . Legalism and Antinomianism
are Christological errors.
Historically, when a glorious
truth is discovered, or even rediscovered, a number of half-truths or complete
untruths are also birthed along with it.
The writings of any figure in
church figure in church history must be historically located.
When one falls into error on one
point of theology, other points necessarily follow.
Unguarded phrases, wither wrongly
worded or wrongly understood, often lead to further unguarded ways of
theologizing.
The answer depends on the right
questions being asked. Christology will always prove to be decisive in debates
on antinomianism.
Resurrected errors require
resurrected answers that build on and clarify Reformed orthodoxy.
THE FIRST
ANTINOMIANS
Romans 5
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have obtained our
introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope
of the glory of God.
3 And not only this, but we also exult in our
tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
4 and perseverance, proven character; and
proven character, hope;
5 and hope does not disappoint, because the
love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who
was given to us.
6 For while we were still helpless, at the
right time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man;
though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us,
in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by
His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
10 For if while we were enemies we were
reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been
reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only this, but we also exult in God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the
reconciliation.
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin
entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men,
because all sinned—
13 for until the Law sin was in the world, but
sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until
Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of
Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
15 But the free gift is not like the
transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more
did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ,
abound to the many.
16 The gift is not like that which came through
the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one
transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift
arose from many transgressions resulting in justification.
17 For if by the transgression of the one,
death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of
grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One,
Jesus Christ.
18 So then as through one transgression there
resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness
there resulted justification of life to all men.
19 For as through the one man’s disobedience
the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many
will be made righteous.
20 The Law came in so that the transgression
would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
21 so that, as sin reigned in death, even so
grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord.
Genesis 3:1-6
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any
beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman,
“Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the
fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;
3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in
the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it,
or you will die.’ ”
4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely
will not die!
5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from
it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for
food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to
make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her
husband with her, and he ate.
1 John 3:4
4 Everyone who
practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
Matthew 23
1 Then Jesus spoke
to the crowds and to His disciples,
2 saying: “The
scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses;
3 therefore all that they tell you, do and
observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not
do them.
4 “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on
men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as
a finger.
5 “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by
men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their
garments.
6 “They love the place of honor at banquets and
the chief seats in the synagogues,
7 and respectful greetings in the market
places, and being called Rabbi by men.
8 “But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your
Teacher, and you are all brothers.
9 “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for
One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
10 “Do not be called leaders; for One is your
Leader, that is, Christ.
11 “But the greatest among you shall be your
servant.
12 “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled;
and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do
not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
14 [“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long
prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.]
15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte;
and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as
yourselves.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever
swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the
temple is obligated.’
17 “You fools and blind men! Which is more
important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold?
18 “And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is
nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.’
19 “You blind men, which is more important, the
offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering?
20 “Therefore, whoever swears by the altar,
swears both by the altar and by everything on it.
21 “And whoever swears by the temple, swears
both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it.
22 “And whoever swears by heaven, swears both
by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the
weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these
are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.
24 “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and
swallow a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside
they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.
26 “You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside
of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear
beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
28 “So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to
men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of
the righteous,
30 and say, ‘If we had been living in the days
of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood
of the prophets.’
31 “So you testify against yourselves, that you
are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
32 “Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of
your fathers.
33 “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will
you escape the sentence of hell?
34 “Therefore, behold, I am sending you
prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and
some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to
city,
35 so that upon you may fall the guilt of all
the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the
blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple
and the altar.
36 “Truly I say to you, all these things will
come upon this generation.
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the
prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather
your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and
you were unwilling.
38 “Behold, your house is being left to you
desolate!
39 “For I say to you, from now on you will not
see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”
Mark 7:8
8 “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold
to the tradition of men.”
John 12:43
43 for they loved the approval of men rather
than the approval of God.
Acts 2:23
23 this Man, delivered over by the
predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands
of godless men and put Him to death.
