Antinomianism

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /æntiˈnoʊmi.ənɪzəm/

Definitions

1. The doctrine that Christians are freed from obeying moral laws because of grace and faith alone
2. A theological position holding that moral rules do not govern the behavior of believers under the new covenant
3. The belief that obedience to moral laws is unnecessary for salvation, emphasizing faith over legalistic requirements

Etymology: Martin Luther coined the Greek-derived term "antinomian" in the 1530s, and the word we now use for the belief was built from it. Luther's own quarrel was with a group of followers who argued that Christians, having been saved by grace, were freed from the obligation to keep the moral law. He attacked them in his 1539 treatise "Against the Antinomians," and the label stuck. The building blocks are Greek. "Anti-" means "against," and "nomos" means "law," so "antinomian" literally means "against law." Adding the suffix "-ism" turns the adjective into a noun for a doctrine or system of belief, which is how "antinomianism" names the position itself rather than the people who held it.