Audio Transcript

Steve writes, “Pastor John, can our emphasis on gospel-centered sanctification rooted in our justification lead to Antinomianism?”

In the sinfulness, finiteness, fallibility, and cultural limitations of the human heart, any way of thinking can lead to any other way of thinking. In our sin, we are not rational. Sin is not rational. It is insane. It is irrational. It is suicidal. If it looks like there is no possible path from God-centeredness and justification to a lawless life, look again.

All Roads Lead Everywhere

There is a path from anywhere to anywhere in the mind of the flesh. In the darkness of sin, two plus two is five. Gospel plus justification is Antinomianism. But that is probably not what Steve is asking. He probably knows this. He wants to know how it might lead there. Let me just think out loud for a minute.

Let’s start with a robust affirmation for gospel-centered life. Yes, that is absolutely a good thing. What else would you want your life to be centered on but the gospel? Let’s also start with a robust affirmation of justification-rooted sanctification. Where else would you want to root your justification but in the fact that God has declared you righteous before him already? There certainly is no sanctification for the unjustified. So, yes, yes, yes! Gospel-centered life. Justification-rooted life.

Devilish Details

But the question is this: How does the gospel work at the center? How does calling it central give it effectiveness in our lives? Until we explain how the centrality of the gospel brings about justification or brings about sanctification we are probably just sloganeering. And how does justification work as the root of sanctification? How does the declaration of righteousness bring about the fruit of righteousness?

Paul prays in Philippians 1:11 that believers would be “filled with the fruit of righteousness.” How does justification help that happen? That is where we can go off the rails. I have found that when we start talking about this, the devil is in the definitions, or the absence of definitions. The common saying is: “The devil is in the details.” Well, that’s right. Broad, sweeping generalizations are hard to disagree with, because they don’t say anything clear and specific. The devil is in the detailed definitions, the truth is in the detailed definitions, and we can’t recognize the one from the other until we get to those detailed definitions.

Need for Clarity

On this issue of justification and sanctification, the term Antinomianism is often not defined enough for me to know what to say. I am not sure what people are referring to when they talk about it. It contains the word law in -nomian. Anti means against or in the place of. So, it can mean a person is against the law as a way of salvation. But what do they have in mind with the word law here? All imperatives? Mosaic Law? The whole Old Testament? Ceremonial law? Ethnic Jewish markers? And what is meant by the word way in way of salvation? Do they mean law-keeping as a way of earning salvation? Or do they mean way in the sense of path so that they are saying, “We don’t even walk in the path of love,” which is a fulfillment of all the law?

So, I just want to scream sometimes and say, “Oh, for definitions, please, definitions!” Does Antinomian mean anti-godliness, anti-holiness of life, anti-fruit of the Holy Spirit, anti-obedience of faith? It would be a lot clearer if people said what they precisely mean when they accuse somebody of being Antinomian or distance themselves from Antinomianism. I constantly cry out for definitions and freedom from ambiguities in the absence of these kinds of failed or absent definitions.

Key Questions

This is what I would ask a person who exults in God-centeredness and justification in relation to sanctification: Does your view mean the obedience of faith (or the “work of faith,” as it is called in 2 Thessalonians 1:11)? Or does it mean the fruit of the Spirit (or “the fruit of righteousness,” as it is called in Philippians 1:11 — practical holiness and purity of life)? Does your view mean any of these are unimportant or nonessential in the Christian life?

Then I would say, How important or how essential are they? Then I would say, How does the gospel at the center and justification at the root bring these about? The answers to those questions will reveal whether gospel-centeredness and justification-rootedness have begun to undermine a life of holiness or not.