PERFECTIONISM & ANTINOMIANISM
____________________________________
Sin Is Just An Illusion
If “Spirit is the only reality,” and sin is just an illusion, there need be no concern about dealing with sinfulness. “Sin is nothing,” to be defined merely as the logical deprivation of perfection, and therefore denied in the Christian’s life, and to be eliminated from Christian consciousness. The “inner” union with God’s perfection is the only truth of significance, and the “outer” manifestations are irrelevant.
As justification for their perfectionistic perspective
, they often quote II Corinthians 4:18, “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but things which are not seen are eternal.” Taking the verse out of its context of comparing physical and glorified bodies, the spiritualist advocates advise Christians to “look above the line” by constant affirmation of the reality of their union-identity with Christ, while refusing to consider “below the line” actualities in the soul and body. In this manner they gloss over the entrenched selfishness in the behaviors patterns of their soul, refusing to let the Savior do His sanctifying work by His “saving life.”
One way they excuse the avoidance of any consideration of their selfishness is by misusing Paul’s statement, “The mind set on the flesh is death” (Rom. 8:6). Refusing to allow their conscious minds to dwell on the unreality of fleshliness, they repeat their mantras of essential unity with Christ and essential function “as Christ.” The verse they use to justify their avoidance is taken out of context, for Paul was referring to the unregenerate mind set on selfish patterns of action and reaction as a “slave of sin.” It is improper to use the verse as an excuse for the refusal to consider sin in one’s life.
A particular enigma
for their perfectionism is the passage in Romans 7 where Paul mentions the “sin that indwells me.” How do they get around these words?
They contend that Paul is posing a hypothetical fabrication, an illusory falsehood, a fictional lie that has no basis in fact, but is only a fallacious mental construct. What a convenient way to discount scripture that does not accord with your theories.
This kind of perfectionism
goes far beyond the perfectionism of the holiness theologies. Though both reject the need for progressive sanctification in the Christian life, this union-perfectionism denies sin by refusing to accept its existence.
Antinomianism
Seeking to avoid any trace of law-based religion with its legalistic demands, the Oneness teachers espouse a concept of grace that is not the active function of God in accord with His character, but is simply a reprieve from any expectations of obedience.
Focusing on their alleged freedom
to live “as Christ,” they often flaunt their liberty to the point that it becomes license and libertinism. Since they regard outer conduct of behavior to be irrelevant to their inner spirituality, they tolerate flagrant misrepresentations of the character of Christ in their midst. Setting themselves “above the law,” they become a “law unto themselves.”
Next:
Mysticism & Passivism...
Dr. James Fowler | IOM Staff Writer
*All of the images on this page are live links.
