Antinomianism
1/23/12
The term, “Antinomian”
finds its origins from the Greek language.
It comes from the combination of the two Greek words “antee” and “nomos.” “Anti”, is assigned #473 in the Strong’s
Greek concordance meaning to “be instead of, or the opposite of, or a substitution
for.” In the English language, the term
is strengthened to mean “to be against or to be opposed to, hostile and
defiant”. The term, “nomos,”
is defined In the Strong’s Greek concordance #3551 as “law.” Combining the two
words and we have “antinomos”, meaning “instead of
the law, opposite of the law or even a substitution of the law or in opposition
and against the law to even being in defiant and hostile to the law.” Thus, the term “Antinomian” and “Antinomianism”
comes from the word “antinomos.”
In the New Testament
Scriptures the Greek words “anomos” or “anomia” are
assigned the Strong’s Greek concordance #’s of 458 & 459 respectfully. The scriptural usage of the term “anomos” or “anomia” have the prefix “a”
affixed to the term “nomos” which we have already
seen means the “law.” The prefix “a” is
a negative Greek particle denoting “lack as in privation, meaning to be in want , to lack or to be deprived of or to be without.” By using the prefix “a” before the term “nomos” we have a definition meaning “lack of law, deprived
of law and to be without law.” The
following are the definitions of "anomos"
and "anomia" from the Strong's Greek concordance.
an'-om-os
Strong’s Greek #459 From #1 (as a negative particle) and #3551; lawless, that is, (negatively) not
subject to (the Jewish) law; (by implication a Gentile), or (positively)
wicked: - without law, lawless,
transgressor, unlawful, wicked.
an-om-ee'-ah anomia
Strong’s Greek #458; From #459; illegality, that is, violation of law or (generally) wickedness: - iniquity, transgress (-ion of) the law, unrighteousness.
These two Greek words
carry with it the same meaning as “antinomos” from
which we get “Antinomian” or “Antinomianism.”
So to be an Antinomian, according to the scriptural usage of the terms
"anomos" and "anomia", such a
person or group would be found lacking and without the law of God. They would
be found as lawless and as violators of the law. They would be considered as unrighteous,
wicked and iniquitous. Such a person or
group would then also be against the law of God, but would instead substitute
the commandments of men, man's traditions and rules in place of God’s
laws. (Mark 7:6-9) The term given to
such a belief system is called “Antinomianism.”
Let’s just see a couple of secular dictionary definitions of the term
“Antinomian.”
From the
World English Dictionary and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Antinomian: “One who holds that under the gospel
dispensation of grace the moral law is of no use or obligation because faith
alone is necessary to salvation”
From Word
Origin & History
Antinomianism: “Relating to the doctrine that by faith and
the dispensation of grace a Christian is released from the obligation of
adhering to any moral law”
Antinomian: “A member of a Christian sect holding such a
doctrine”
With the definition before
us now, we can easily conclude that the majority of modern Christianity are of
the sect of the Antinomians and that most are Antinomianism in their beliefs.
We have the two
extremes: Legalism and
Antinomianism. Bluntly said, pure and
strict Legalism is all law and no grace and Antinomianism is all grace and no
law. It is the doctrine of a graceless
law v/s the doctrine of a lawless grace.
Granted, most are adherents of lesser extremes being pulled from one end
of the given spectrum to the other.
Strict biblical legalism
would rarely exist among modern civilized societies,
otherwise we would be stoning individuals for committing adultery. In many societies there still exists a
partial strict legalism, even here in the United States in which some States
enforce capital punishment. If you
murder, you are put to death, but even then there is a grace period as these
individuals have their time on death row while awaiting their execution in
hopes of a stay or even an acquittal and pardon (grace). There are some societies and groups who are
calling for a revival of legalistic punishments such as cutting off the hand of
a thief or removing the tongue of a liar, etc.
Some actually behead those who they consider as infidels to their
beliefs. But these legalistic extremes
are rare in our modern world for right now, especially when we are speaking
biblically of those who observe Christianity.
Even the most legalistic
Christian groups are not extremists in their legalism. We don’t personally know of any
legalistically leaning Christians who don’t manifest at least some grace within
their faith. It must be understood that
Yahweh is a legalist. The wages of sin
(transgression of His law 1st John 3:4) is still death, well after the
sacrifice of Yahshua. (Romans 6:23) So somebody must
still receive the wages of sin. Either
we will die an eternal death one day for our law breaking, or we must trust
and have faith in Messiah that He already received the wages for our breaking
of His law with His death as a sacrifice for sin. The gift of God is eternal life through
Messiah Yahshua our Lord. That’s the grace of Yahweh even in
Legalism. But just because we have faith
in the sacrifice of Messiah for our sins, does this give a person a permission
to disregard Yahweh’s law? The
Antinomians would say yes. But let us
see what the scriptures say.
Rom 6:1,2 “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?”
CONTINUE:
Strong’s Greek #1961 ep-ee-men'-o
From #1909 and #3306 (to dwell in); to stay over, that is, remain (figuratively persevere): - abide (in), continue (in), tarry.
SIN: As defined in the scriptures 1st
John 3:4 “Whosoever
committeth sin transgresseth
also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” Sin=breaking the law.
So the apostle Paul was
stating: Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? GOD FORBID!! Shall we
dwell in a condition of
breaking God’s law that grace may abound?
GOD FORBID!! Shall we remain
in a state of breaking God’s law that grace may abound? GOD FORBID!! Shall we
live an abiding lifestyle of
transgressing God’s law? GOD FORBID!! Shall we
tarry in a way of life of breaking God’s law? GOD FORBID!!!!!!!!
On the contrary, the truth
of the scriptures shows us that the Law of God and faith during the
dispensation of grace are intertwined and inseparable in the new covenant.
Rom 3:31 “Do we then make
VOID the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we ESTABLISH the law.”
There are both negative
and positive terminologies in this verse.
The terms “void” and “establish” are opposites in meaning, one negative
and the other positive as the apostle Paul was attempting at making his point
known.
VOID: #2673 kat-arg-eh'-o From #2596 and
#691; to be (render) entirely idle (useless), literally or figuratively: - abolish, cease, cumber, deliver, destroy, do away, become (make) of no
(none, without) effect, fail, loose,
bring (come) to nought, put away (down), vanish away,
make void.
ESTABLISH: #2476
his'-tay-mee A prolonged form of a primary word στάω staō (of the same
meaning, and used for it in certain tenses); to stand (transitively or
intransitively), used in various applications (literally or figuratively): - abide, appoint, bring, continue, covenant, establish, hold up,
lay, present, set (up), stanch, stand
(by, forth, still, up). Compare #5087.
The negative side of the
verse: Do we then make void the law through faith? GOD FORBID!! Do we make useless the law through faith? GOD FORBID!! Do we abolish the law through
faith? GOD FORBID!! Do we destroy
the law through faith? GOD FORBID!! Do we make the law of none effect through faith?
GOD FORBID!! Do we loosen
the law through faith? GOD FORBID!!!!!!!!
The positive aspect of the
verse: We establish the law through faith! We abide
by the law through faith! We continue in the law through
faith! We keep the covenant (by obedience to the law) through faith! We hold up the law through
faith! We stand by the law through faith! (the law of Yahweh is
upheld and supported by faith!)
The prevailing extreme
most common among modern Christianity is in the direction of Antinomianism; the
doctrine of a lawless grace.
The following are a few
scriptures in which anomia or anomos are being
used. By using Antinomian or
Antinomianism in place of terms such as iniquity or lawlessness or
unrighteousness, etc, which are the English
translated words from the Greek “anomos" and
"anomia” we put a face on who the Antinomians are. If you are an Antinomian, these verses
describe you and your doctrine of belief.
Don’t remember what an Antinomian means?
Go back and read the secular definition and then read the biblical
definition of “anomos and anomia.”
Matthew
7:21-23 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will
say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and
in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I
never knew you: depart from me, ye that practice Antinomianism.” (iniquity=anomia=lawlessness)
Mat 13:41 The Son of man
shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all
things that offend, and them which practice Antinomianism.” (iniquity=anomia=lawlessness)
Mat 24:12 “And because
Antinomianism (iniquity=anomia=lawlessness) shall abound, the love of many
shall wax cold.”
2Co 6:14 “Be ye not
unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath
righteousness with Antinomianism? (unrighteousness=anomia=lawlessness) and what
communion hath light with darkness?”
2Th 2:7 “For the mystery
of Antinomiansism (iniquity=anomia=lawlessness) doth
already work: only he who now letteth will let, until
he be taken out of the way.”
Tit 2:14 “Who gave
himself for us, that he might redeem us from all Antinomianism,
(iniquity=anomia=lawlessness=SIN) and purify unto himself a peculiar people,
zealous of good works.”
The doctrine of
Antinomianism is the taking of the grace of God further than Yahweh ever
intended to the point that they are essentially saying: "We are delivered to do all
these abominations" (Jer. 7:10).
The Antinomians were
already infiltrating the Church even during biblical times. The Nicolaitans of
Revelation chapter 2 could have possibly been Antinomians and the originator of
many of the false doctrines that we see in the modern Church. Messiah said that He hated the doctrine of the
Nicolaitans.
If the Nicolaitans were Antinomians, then
Messiah also then hates the doctrine of the Antinomians! He hates Antinomianism!
Jude 1:4 “For there are certain men crept in unawares,
who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the
grace of our God into LASCIVIOUSNESS, and DENYING the only Lord God, and our
Lord Jesus Christ.”
Jude speaks of men who
were infiltrating the Church of his day who were perverting the grace of God
into lasciviousness and by so doing they were denying God by their actions and
false doctrine.
LASCIVIOUSNESS
#766 meaning licentiousness (the belief that grace gives a believer a license
or a permit to continue in sin, the transgression of the law and remain in a
right standing with Yahweh, which is at the heart of Antinomianism.)
DENYING #720
to contradict, disavow, reject, abnegate, deny, refuse
So the Antinomian
infiltrators would teach that the grace of God gives us a permit to disregard
the law of God, but such is a Messiah rejecting doctrine. This is the prevailing doctrine of the modern
apostate Church. The
doctrine of a lawless grace.
The Old
Paths Restoration Ministry
PO Box 247
Marengo, IN 47140