In studying the Scriptures it is important to recognize the principle of antinomy. Failure to do so results in warped and one-sided conclusions that have not taken into consideration the total teaching of God’s word regarding a matter. The sovereignty of God and the free will of man, God’s grace and man’s obedience to the gospel, and God’s keeping of the saved and the possibility of apostasy are but three areas (among many) in which antinomy must be recognized.
“Antinomy” means: “1. Opposition; contradiction. 2. Contradiction between inferences or principles that seem equally necessary and reasonable.” (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language). There are many passages that speak of the sovereignty of God. "For He says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.' So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy" (Romans 9:15-16). To read such a passage alone could lead one to falsely assume that man has no will or choice of his own. Those Scriptures which speak of God’s work have led some to conclude that man is totally passive insofar as his salvation is concerned. Yet just three chapters earlier Paul had written: "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves servants to obey, you are that one's servant whom you obey, whether of sin to death or obedience to righteousness" (Romans 6: 16)? Humans have the power to choose whether they will serve Satan or God! All are invited to come to Christ, and the invitation can be accepted or rejected (Matthew 11:28-30).
In the same vein, those passages which speak of the grace of God have led some to erroneously conclude that salvation is unconditional. Yet, we need to read further. With reference to the sins of one who has not yet become a Christian we might examine the case of Saul of Tarsus. When Christ appeared to him on theDamascus road, Saul asked: “Lord, what do you want me to do” (Acts 9:6). Christ did not respond by saying: “Nothing, Saul; there is not anything you can do to be saved.” Rather, the Lord said: “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Unless the Bible communicates a contradictory message (which it does not), it is very clear that the sinner must do something to be saved!
As to the security of the believer, Christians can bask in the promise of Christ: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who gave them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29). Yet, the child of God must “beware lest anyone take you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8). Christians are exhorted: "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God" (Hebrews 3:12). One cannot depart from God if he has never been in fellowship with God.
What we see at work in all of these passages is the principle of antinomy. Some statements of Scripture give emphasis to God’s side of a matter, with no intent or purpose of saying anything about man’s side. Other passages speak of the human side of that same matter with nothing being said about God’s involvement in the situation. Separating them and stressing one to the exclusion of the other creates a warped and unbalanced view of the matter, leading to confusion. Looking at the complete array of Biblical teaching on the subject shows both sides to be valid, reasonable, and necessary.
Antinomy is like the two sides of a single coin. Look at one side and you see one thing; look at the other side and you see something else. Yet the two sides are all one coin. So it is with the things of God. Some passages speak of God's gracious activity in salvation; others speak of the conditions with which humans must comply in order to receive that salvation. For a sinner to repent and be baptized "for" (eis = in order to) the remission of sins (Acts 2:38) in no wise nullifies the fact that one is saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Understanding and basking in God’s wondrous activities is the antidote to any and all legalistic and Pharisaic attitudes among the people of God. Recognizing the conditional nature of a right relationship with God serves as a needed reminder that Christ is "the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him" (Hebrews 5:9).
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