Antinomianism

Antinomianism—from the Greek anti—against—and nomos—law–is a term that was coined during the time of the Protestant Reformation by Martin Luther. In his context, it was a label for those who were arguing that the Gospel had rendered the moral commands of the law null and void. In other words, it applied to those who believed the Law to be intrinsically “bad,” unnecessary, or even nonexistent. In secular terms, the best approximation would be ‘libertine.’

Martin Luther once made a remarkable comment about antinomianism. He called it a drama put on in an empty theater. What he meant essentially was that antinomianism doesn’t really exist. That is, sure you can say you are an antinomian, and you can have behavior to match, but no one can ever really be free of the Law like that. It is built into the world, built into our lives. No one can outrun every ‘ought,’ however much they might like to, not even the most libertine of us all. This is why antinomianism has been called an ‘impossible heresy’.