THE GREATLY MISUNDERSTOOD ANTINOMIANS

From Johann Agricola in the 1520s to Old School Baptists in the 1800s, “Antinomians” consistently read1 Timothy 1:8–9as teaching thatthe law is only for the ungodly, not for believers.English Antinomians (1600s)John Eaton: To bring the righteous under the law is to use it unlawfully.Tobias Crisp: The law is good only in its place — for the lawless, not the righteous.Robert Towne: For the righteous, the law has no power nor is it their rule of life.John Saltmarsh: The believer’s rule is Christ, not Moses.Old School Baptists (1800s)Gilbert Beebe: The law was never given as a rule of life to the saints.Samuel Trott: To apply the law to the regenerate is bondage.David Bartley: Preaching law to the church is unlawful; the gospel is the believer’s rule of life.ContinuityLaw is good→ for sinners.Law is not for the righteous→ saints live by Christ and the Spirit.Misusing the law→ produces bondage.In short, across centuries, Antinomians insisted that1 Tim. 1:8–9 excludes believers from the law’s dominion, making Christ alone their rule.Read more