12. The Error of Antinomianism
The Error of Antinomianism A t the opposite extreme stands antinomianism—the belief that because Christ has done everything, there's nothing left for us to do.
On the surface, this seems to uphold the truth that salvation is by grace alone, but it does so in a way that ends up denying the very heart of the gospel.
Yes, Christ has fully accomplished redemption by His life, death, and resurrection. But His work is not finished. He is now exalted and reigning, actively applying the benefits of His saving work to His people through the Holy Spirit. Antinomianism ignores this. It treats salvation as a past event only and forgets that Christ is also the Risen Lord who sanctifies, leads, and teaches His church.
In practice, this view dismisses the role of the Holy Spirit and the process of salvation as it unfolds in the believer's life. It may speak much of grace but ultimately empties grace of power. And like all false teaching, it ends up resembling the very error it opposes. Just as nomism elevates human effort,
antinomianism denies God's ongoing work and drifts into mysticism or spiritual elitism.
Some forms of antinomianism go so far as to deny that Christ's death accomplished atonement at all. They say Jesus didn't bear God's wrath or satisfy divine justice, but only came to reveal God's love. In this view, there's no such thing as God's anger against sin. Humans simply misunderstood God, projected their fear onto Him, and imagined a need for judgment. Redemption, then, is not about forgiveness but about enlightenment—realizing that we were never really separated from God in the first place.
According to this teaching, salvation requires no repentance, no sorrow for sin, no fear of hell, no pursuit of holiness—just the "right" kind of understanding. But this is not the gospel of Scripture. It's a recycled form of Gnosticism and pantheism, where God is essentially one with humanity, and the work of Christ becomes nothing more than moral teaching or spiritual insight. God becomes a vague life-force, not the holy Triune God of the Bible. Grace is redefined as self-discovery. Salvation becomes an inner awakening, not the supernatural work of God in Christ.
The Common Ground of Error Though they seem opposed, nomism and antinomianism ultimately meet in the same place: they both deny the true power and purpose of the gospel. One does it by loading salvation onto human shoulders; the other by hollowing out the work of Christ. One demands law-keeping, the other discards the law altogether. But both reduce Christianity to something we do, either through effort or through insight.
In both cases, Christ is no longer the perfect Savior. He becomes merely a teacher, a guide, or a symbol. The cross is stripped of its meaning, the Holy
Spirit's role is minimized, and the glory of God's grace is lost.
What We Must Hold Fast True Christian faith confesses that:
Christ has done everything for our salvation—nothing more is needed to earn favor with God (Hebrews 10:14).
The Holy Spirit applies this salvation to our lives through regeneration, faith, and sanctification (Titus 3:5).
We are saved by grace, and that grace leads us into obedience, not away from it (Ephesians 2:8–10).
The Christian life is not withdrawal from the world, nor lawless freedom, but grateful service in every sphere of life to the glory of God.
Christ is both Savior and Lord, and the gospel is not just forgiveness, but new life—a life of faith, repentance, holiness, and hope. To stray from that balance is to either fall into self-righteous effort or self-deceiving complacency.