Antinomianism Encyclopedia

Antinomianism means “against law”, and the term has been used both rightly and wrongly. It has been used rightly to describe someone that uses “liberty for a cloke of maliciousness” (1 Pet. 2:16), “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness” (Jude 4). In other words, it is rightly used to accuse someone who is practicing lawlessness under the banner of grace; “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” (Rom. 6:15). The term ‘antinomianism’ is used wrongly to accuse someone who is established in grace and has rightly forsaken the principle of law-keeping for justification, or for practical holiness. To hold sola gracia (salvation by grace alone) is NOT antinomianism; “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8).