Sinclair Ferguson opened his talk, “Cures for Antinomianism” by noting that legalism is a common problem in the Christian life. It was initially injected by the serpent into the relationship between God and Eve in the garden of Eden. The serpent “very subtly turns her into a legalist.” He did this by distorting the commandments of God, and giving Eve the sense that God was not a gracious God, giving them commandments for their benefit. Rather, He is a jealous God, one who doesn’t want any joy or happiness, who wants to restrict their lives. And the reaction that set in was that of antinomianism—going against the law.
Throughout the history of the Christian church, a number of teachers of the spiritual life have recognized that from the time of Adam and Eve antinomians were never fully and finally delivered from legalism. “Only the grace of God in the gospel can deliver us from legalism.” Ferguson pointed out the problem was not just that we don’t understand the gospel, we also don’t understand the law. “So, how should we understand the relationship that a Christian believer has to the law of God?”
In 1 Corinthians 9:20-21, Paul said he became “as a Jew,” that is he lived as though he was required to obey the Mosaic law, when he worked with Jews in order to win them to Christ. When ministering to Jews, Paul lived like a Jew even though he knew the ceremonial regulations were not binding or essential. When ministering to those “outside the law” (in other words to Gentiles or non-Jews), he lived as if he too were outside the law. Paul clarified that when he said he lived “outside the law” he was not saying he lived as an antinomian or without any law at all. Rather, he did it for the sake of the gospel, meaning he lived under the law of Christ (1 Corinthians 9:23).
“We are not directly related to the law as though in order to be saved we needed to keep the law, because Christ has kept the law for us.” But as Paul said in Romans 7:4, like a married woman whose husband died, we also have died to the law through the body of Christ. This was so that we may belong “to him who has been raised from the dead.” Through faith, we are united to Christ by the ministry of the Spirit. As Ferguson said, “We are married to Christ” and “the law becomes our in-law.”
We can’t say to Christ, “I want You, but I don’t want Your Father’s commandments. I never really liked your Father’s commandments and they always condemned me.” And He says, “Marry me, and I will have borne all the judgment of God against your breach of the commandments, but marry Me and you will become the in-law of the law. The law and you through Me, will be related to one another.”
What Paul said in Romans 8:3-4 begins to become true. In Christ’s flesh, the law was fulfilled. Its penalties were fully paid in order that now, married to Christ through the Spirit, the requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us “who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” The law and the gospel are harmonized in the person of Jesus Christ. This points us in the direction of the gospel cure for antinomianism. “The gospel cure for our antinomianism is our union with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, who in that bond leads us to love the law, and to be obedient to the law.”
At this point, Christians sometimes have difficulties. When you read through the New Testament, particularly in Paul’s letters and the letter to the Hebrews, there seems to be some negative things said about the law. The difficulty is that we need to think of New Testament Christians who had gone through the barrier between the old covenant and the new covenant as being like underaged children, as Paul did. “The law was our guardian until Christ came” (Galatians 3:24). We were heirs, but under guardians and managers. “None of the inheritance was actually coming to us” until the fullness of time when God sent forth his Son to redeem those who were under the law (Galatians 4:2-5).
“We are to understand that when the New Testament seems to speak critically of the law, it’s not an absolute statement. It’s really saying, now, look at how the law worked.” The commandments of God were surrounded by civil regulations and liturgical guidelines, so that you were restricted as children are restricted. God was saying, “It’s for your own good that I don’t just let you loose.” Now, when you look back on the Mosaic administration, the law in that sense, looks “as though they were the shadowlands, and now you’re beginning to live in the sunshine.”
And there is yet more to come. “We may be enjoying the Christian life now, but it’s little compared to the glory that is to be revealed.” Given that antinomians misunderstand the law of God, Ferguson thought it would be helpful to work through a series of stages in biblical theology that should help us appreciate why God gave the law, and how it functions. He began at Romans 2:14-15.
Ferguson said that in the creation of man, God wrote His law into our nature. Thinking about New Testament times, Paul said Gentiles may by nature do what the law requires, even though they do not have the law. “They are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.” He is saying you can see non-Jews, Gentiles, who live according to the commandments of God. “They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts.”
Instinctively we did what pleased God. Paul is saying that the image of God was not destroyed by the fall. However, it has been seriously marred by the fall. “But it shouldn’t surprise us that in every culture there will be echoes of those laws that God built into our constitution.” The Marrow of Modern Divinity put it this way: “Adam heard as much of the law in the garden as Israel did at Sinai, but only in fewer words and without thunder.”
The next stage is fallen man. “His mind is darkened; his heart is twisted.” Because he is the image of God, the law has been written into his life, but now it’s distorted. “It’s as though the mirror is smashed and broken, and the law of God is no longer clear.” No matter how damaged they may seem to be, the works of the law are still written on the human heart.
So, what happens at Mount Sinai is that what was written on the heart and has now become unclear, is now made clear by God by writing it on tablets of stone. So that we can be in no doubt what the law of God that was originally written in our hearts was meant to say.
But we don’t live in the days of the old covenant. We live in the days of the new covenant and the gift of the Holy Spirit. We might then ask what was the promise of this covenant and what does the Holy Spirit do? “The promise of the new covenant is that when the Spirit of Christ comes and indwells believers … He writes the law of God into our hearts.” This law is the same law of God that was written for Israel and placed in the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:16). “What the Spirit does, is transform us into the likeness of Jesus Christ that we may be restored to the likeness of the heavenly Father.”
This article has been based on “Cures for Antinomianism,” the ninth video in Sinclair Ferguson’s teaching series, The Whole Christ, from Ligonier Connect. Here is a link to Ligonier Connect. The video series is itself based upon his book of the same name. You can review summaries of the Marrow Controversy here and here. If the topic interests you, look for more of my ruminations under the link, The Whole Christ.
