Antinomianism - Part 2
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May 15, 2022
If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him (John 14:23).
In the devotional for Saturday, April 30, 2022, we introduced the subject of ‘antinomianism’ and defined it as referring to ‘a person who maintains that Christians, by virtue of divine grace, are freed not only from biblical law and church-prescribed behavioral norms, but also from all moral law’. Such a person is also called a ‘libertine’ - an immoral, freethinking, unrestrained person.
From the devotional yesterday, a person might conclude that a genuine Christian can only be concerned about the spiritual desire of the heart with no regard for the spiritual discipline of the life. That is not true. Even the Apostles Paul, Peter, and John disagreed with such heresy. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:27); Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live (Romans 8:12-13); Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry (Colossians 3:5).
Where there is genuine love for the Lord there is also bitter sorrow over the sins of the flesh that we yield to, sins that truly grieve the Holy Spirit in our life. That genuine love for the Lord will cause the spirit of the sinning Christian to grieve to the point of confession of sin, followed by true repentance of that sin, and the re-commitment of the life to holiness and righteousness. And make no mistake, this sorrow in the heart of the sinning Christian is not a sorrow precipitated by exposure of the sin by, or to others (which is nothing more than regret for getting caught), it is a godly sorrow that irresistibly leads to genuine repentance. Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter (2 Corinthians 7:9-11).
What is heartbreaking and deplorable in the ‘church’ today is the clear absence of such godly sorrow for sin among ‘Christians’ who resist even the mention of sin and repentance of sin in their worship of holy God. The liberal theology of the day has perpetuated an attitude of antinomianism that is crippling, even destroying the Gospel in the church. God help us to repent of such heresy, to turn from the word of man, and to return to the Word of God that is able to save us! Amen.
Pastor