"Damnable Heresies"           

2 Peter 2:1

 

     Let me warn you about three damning forms of heresy to which all people are naturally attracted because they are all appealing to the flesh.

     FREEWILLISM - Freewillism is that doctrine that says, "God loves you, Christ died for you, and the Holy Spirit is calling you; but it will all be vain unless you choose to be saved." Freewillism makes the determining factor in salvation to be the will of man. It makes the work of the Triune God and the grace of God to be impotent without the consent of man's "freewill." Freewill religion is in direct opposition to the gospel of the free grace of God. The Bible declares that salvation is not accomplished, determined by, or dependent upon the will of man, but by the will of God (John 1:12-13; Rom. 9:16). The word "freewill", when used with reference to salvation is a blasphemous obscenity!

     LEGALISM - Legalism is the teaching that sinners are saved (justified, sanctified, and accepted with God) upon the basis of their own works of legal obedience. Legalism is as damning to the souls of men as Hinduism, Mormonism, and atheism! We are not saved by our obedience to the law of God (Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9). We are not sanctified by our obedience to the law of God (Gal. 3:1-3). Our inheritance in heaven is not, to any degree, won or earned by our personal obedience to the law of God (Rev. 7:9, 10, 14, 14). Salvation is, in its entirety, by grace alone. Believers are not, in any sense whatsoever, under the yoke of the law (Rom. 6:14-15; 7:4; 8:1-4; 10:4; Gal. 5:1-4, 18; I Tim. 1:9-11).

     ANTINOMIANISM - Antinomianism is that doctrine that says, "Since we are saved by grace it does not matter how we live. We have no law by which to regulate and govern our lives. Character and conduct are of no importance to the believer." Antinomianism means "lawlessness," or "against the law." I realize that it is impossible to preach salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone without being denounced by legalists as an antinomian. The Pharisees accused our Lord of being an antinomian, and the Judaizers accused Paul of being and antinomian; but anyone who really is an antinomian is as lost and ignorant of God as the freewiller and the legalist (Tit. 1:16).

 

 

Don Fortner