Free At Last, Free At Last…
…Or possibly a bigtime copout…
an·ti·no·mi·an Pronunciation[an-ti-noh-mee-uhn]
–noun
1. A person who maintains that Christians are freed from the moral law by virtue of grace as set forth in the gospel.
2. An adherent of antinomianism.
-adj.
1. Of or relating to the doctrine of antinomianism.
2. Opposed to or denying the fixed meaning or universal applicability of moral law.
[Origin: 1635–45; < ML Antinom(ī) name of sect (pl. of Antinomus opponent of (the moral) law < Gk antí anti- + nómos law) + -ian]
Have you ever know anyone like that? Someone who felt free from moral law. Someone who used their god as a shield. Someone who feels knows that they are so blessed by the grace of god that they can do whatever the hell they please. After all, there is no firm meaning of moral law, only what they want it to be at any given moment. One of my peers many years ago got born again. He sat in my office and told me face to face that he no longer had to be concerned about making mistakes because he could not make mistakes. He had put everything into the hands of the lord who guided his every move, every decision. He assumed no responsibility for his own life. He tried, unsuccessfully, to recruit me and save my soul. I invited him to go talk it through over a pitcher of beer. Incensed, he stalked out of my office, muttering to himself that he had met the devil face to face, or something.
That is a very dangerous person. Especially if such afflicted person was also in a very important and powerful job, like head dude of a country or something. Of course, that would never happen…
I do not know if that is proper application and usage of the word antinomian, but it seems to fit.
Thanks to Delights for the Ingenious for leaving this word, new to me, lying out in plain view where I could find it.
11 Comments so far
Interesting word and at the risk of turning this into a Sunday school lesson, I will comment on the thinking. First the guy who thinks he can no longer make a mistake after turning his life over to God must not have read about David or maybe he thinks that divine guidance got clearer after Jesus. At any rate, that might be how GW thinks and we can see how well that is turning out.
Second and here comes the Sunday school lesson part. I believe in that kind of grace. If Jesus did anything when he died on the cross, if what the Bible says about all of that is true, then grace is total– where it comes to God. But it does nothing to help us avoid the consequences of bad living– hence hangovers of all sorts. So in my way of thinking the moral code in terms of God’s punishment is taken care of by grace but the earthly and soul consequences of living selfishly, meanly, dishonestly, etc etc. They are still right there waiting and give us plenty of reason to try and live lives by the codes that help others and do not harm ourselves… And my thinking on grace is a bit radical to the Christians I used to talk to. One pastor told me I should start my own denomination
Hey, I was going to say what Rain has said, but he/she said it much better!
Strangely enough, when I was in prison on Sunday the lad who was with us, and doing the ‘talky’ bit, mentioned this thing about being free from the slavery of sin. But he went on to say that Paul says that doesn’t mean we can do anything we like. The theory is that with God in our lives we start to change and don’t want to do those things. But even Paul acknowledges that he won’t be perfect until he gets to heaven and that he does the things he doesn’t want to do and doesn’t do those things he should do.
We can and certainly do make mistakes but we can also be forgiven.
Another interesting word, Winston.
And, incidentally, I’m not very keen on Paul. He is a little bit too good to be true. I don’t think I would have liked him in real life. I much prefer Peter who continually made a mess of things!
I agree — Peter is so much more real. But then, some of the things that Paul claimed, like the source of his Roman citizenship, were not true. He claimed the higher status but actually had the lower status. Doesn’t engender trust in me.
And certainly GW is one who is using his faith as a substitute for good works and common sense.
I want to believe in that “kind of grace.”
However, it bothers me that it tends to be selective in this day and age.
I think it’s getting better, but then, sometimes, not so much.
We live in such a confusing time.
I have known people like that. In fact, I think we have an elected official who is much like that!
You’ve been tagged with an award.
Hey, that’d be the same Jesus who ordered his followers to kill anyone who opposed him (Luke 19:27)?
Yup. The original antinomian!
Haha.
The secular view (mine) is that your born again friend needs a little wee shakedown on what responsibility means!
It’s interesting that Dr Stu picks on one verse that appears to have Jesus threatening death to the opposition rather than the hundreds of verses that speak of love, forgiveness, compassion and hope!
Ah, dear Liz, surely your Xian faith requires you believe everything He said? Else you are a disbeliever, in which case Luke 19:27 applies, and the other fundamental Xians are required to kill you. Self preservation thus makes you accept the contradiction;-)
Now read Galatians 4:16
Forgive me for teasing? That too is required behaviour, for you, not 4 me 