The belief that Christians are freed from moral law by divine grace and therefore not bound by ethical rules or commandments. This doctrine suggests that faith alone, not good works, determines salvation.
From Greek 'anti' (against) and 'nomos' (law), literally meaning 'against law.' The term was coined by Martin Luther to criticize his follower Johannes Agricola, who taught that moral law was irrelevant for Christians under grace.
This doctrine created Christianity's ultimate paradox: if you're saved by grace alone, why not sin freely? Some antinomians literally argued that sinning more showed greater faith in God's forgiveness—leading to wild accusations of orgies and moral chaos in Puritan New England!
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