Luther: Extreme “Faith Alone” Antinomian?

Antinomianism is the view that Christians are not bound to follow the moral law contained in the Ten Commandments and that faith alone guarantees eternal security in heaven regardless of what one does. Critics rightly call this view a license to sin or cheap grace. Is this the outlook of Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism? It is not. In fact, Luther is said to have coined the term as he opposed the views of Johannes Agricola, the key figure in the revival of this serious heresy in 1525. And in 1539, Luther wrote a treatise called Against the Antinomians, found in the 55-volume Luther’s Works, Volume 47, on pages 107 to 119. To his credit, Agricola repented of his errors as a result. Luther is often greatly misunderstood on this point and his faith alone view is often not properly comprehended in its fine points and nuances.

He believed that works do not save us, and this is perfectly harmonious with Catholic teaching, over against the heresy of Pelagianism or works salvation. It doesn’t follow, however, that he did or ever would deny the necessity of works in the Christian life. In fact, he thought that they were an inevitable manifestation of an authentic and genuine faith. This view was also held by John Calvin, and is mainstream Protestant opinion. Catholics and Protestants agree that faith is absolutely necessary for salvation, and that we are clearly commanded by God to do good works. Many on either side think that the other side denies one of these principles. In fact, however, at the level of creeds and doctrinal statements, both sides completely concur.

We mustn’t minimize theological divisions, but we also ought not exaggerate or mischaracterize them. Honesty and charity demand no less. It’s wrong and unethical to unfairly characterize, caricature, or distort the viewpoints of those who differ from us or use cynically selective citations taken out of context, in order to do so, as happens all too often in Catholic circles when dealing with Luther. We must tell the truth. Bearing false witness or lying about others is a serious, grave sin. Luther’s words in particular also need to be very carefully interpreted, and those who want to criticize him must do four things:

#1: Examine the historical context of his statements if at all possible.

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#2: Determine the purpose of any given writing.

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#3: Understand, if able to do so through various scholarly resources, his overall teaching on the subject at hand.

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#4: Realize that Luther often utilized extreme sarcasm and hyperbole and often toyed with adversaries, etc.