THE GREATLY MISUNDERSTOOD ANTINOMIANS

From Johann Agricola in the 1520s to Old School Baptists in the 1800s, “Antinomians” consistently read 1 Timothy 1:8–9 as teaching that the law is only for the ungodly, not for believers.

English Antinomians (1600s)

• John Eaton: To bring the righteous under the law is to use it unlawfully.

• Tobias Crisp: The law is good only in its place — for the lawless, not the righteous.

• Robert Towne: For the righteous, the law has no power nor is it their rule of life.

• John Saltmarsh: The believer’s rule is Christ, not Moses.

Old School Baptists (1800s)

• Gilbert Beebe: The law was never given as a rule of life to the saints.

• Samuel Trott: To apply the law to the regenerate is bondage.

• David Bartley: Preaching law to the church is unlawful; the gospel is the believer’s rule of life.

Continuity

• Law is good → for sinners.

• Law is not for the righteous → saints live by Christ and the Spirit.

• Misusing the law → produces bondage.

In short, across centuries, Antinomians insisted that 1 Tim. 1:8–9 excludes believers from the law’s dominion, making Christ alone their rule.