The Whole Christ

Order of Service

• Sermon
• Prayer

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Sermon Title: The Whole Christ — Faces of Antinomianism

Scripture: No single passage designated

I. Introduction: The Marrow Controversy and Its Background

A. The series context: an ancient controversy beginning in Scotland over The Marrow of Modern Divinity B. The Marrow men helped gospel ministers preach freely and wrestle with legalism and antinomianism C. By nature, all children of Adam are legalists, but may respond in two directions:

1. More legalism — working harder to earn God's favor
2. Antinomianism — reacting against the law altogether D. Eve in the garden was both legalist and antinomian

II. Antinomianism Illustrated: Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress

A. Faithful is lured by Adam the First in the City of Deceit B. A figure (representing Moses and the law) beats Faithful for his secret inclining toward Adam the First, saying "I know not how to show mercy" C. The Lord of the Hill (Christ, recognized by nail piercings) rescues Faithful D. This illustrates the experience Paul describes in Romans 7:14-25 — "O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me?" E. The danger: seeking deliverance from the law's condemnation by denying the law any place in the Christian life

III. Historical Background of Antinomianism

A. Jesus was accused of antinomianism; so was Paul (cf. Romans 3) B. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: if you are never accused of antinomianism, something may be wrong with your gospel preaching C. The term arose formally at the Reformation

1. Luther viewed the law as the instrument that crushed him; tended early on to see the law as enemy
2. Johann Agricola, Luther's disciple, pressed this to the conclusion that the law has nothing to do with the Christian believer
3. Luther grew uneasy and his theology became more biblical D. The controversy continued into the 17th century; the Westminster Assembly devoted more time to Chapter 19 (the law of God) than to any other chapter in the Confession

IV. Four Faces of Antinomianism

A. The Doctrinal or Theological Face

1. Appeared in 17th-century figures who were otherwise model Christians but had been deep-seated legalists
2. Their solution: Paul's teaching that we are free from the law means freedom from the law in its totality
3. Argued that Jeremiah's promise of the indwelling Spirit means Christians are guided by the Spirit alone, not the commandments
4. The problem: the New Testament still applies the commandments to believers — e.g., Paul in Ephesians 6:2 cites the fifth commandment ("honor father and mother, the first commandment with promise") as binding on Christian children
5. God in Christ does not abolish the condemning law but transforms it from enemy to friend

B. The Exegetical Face

1. Many New Testament scholars argue the Ten Commandments were important under the old covenant but are no longer significant under the new
2. They treat the law as a single unit: if the law of Moses has gone, it has all gone
3. The Westminster tradition distinguishes three dimensions of the law:
   • Ceremonial law — fulfilled in Christ; no longer observed
   • Civil law — given for a particular people; abrogated, though its principles remain instructive
   • Moral law (Ten Commandments) — continues, given as God's design for human life
4. In practice, scholars holding this view rarely want to abandon the Ten Commandments when pressed
5. The deeper problem: the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 reflect the moral law God wrote into the hearts of Adam and Eve at creation
6. Jesus in Matthew 5:17 to the end of the chapter does not set aside the Old Testament law but expounds its true depth: "You have heard that it was said… but I say to you"

C. The Experiential Face

1. Common among Christians in everyday life — e.g., dismissing civil speed limits with "we're free from the law"
2. Christians who live loosely with the law of the land likely live loosely with the law of God
3. The "decision card" mentality: a past profession of faith treated as a permanent license regardless of subsequent life
4. This misunderstands both law and gospel — Romans 8:3-4: God condemned sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk according to the Spirit
5. The New Testament teaches a beautiful harmony between the law of God and the grace of God in Jesus Christ

D. The "God Loves Me the Way I Am" Face

1. The claim: because God is full of grace and loves me as I am, I need not change
2. First error: God loves us despite the way we are, not because of the way we are — love is measured by the distance and contrast between lover and beloved
3. Second error: genuine love never leaves the beloved unchanged; it seeks the beloved's transformation
4. Illustration: an adopted child — the new family loves the child in order to integrate and transform, not to leave the child estranged
5. God's everlasting love draws us into His family and works to make us more and more like Himself
6. This error is a triple misunderstanding: of law, of gospel, and of love itself

V. Conclusion: The Proper Relationship Between Law, Gospel, and Spirit

A. The law is the train tracks on which the Christian life runs B. The Holy Spirit is the engine that drives the train forward to God's glory C. Seeing this relationship delivers us from both legalism and antinomianism