Loving One Another

From Christian Perfection — John Wesley

3. The Danger of Antinomianism, or Lawlessness

Third, I caution you to beware of antinomianism, which is the belief that there is no need for laws in the life of the believer. That great truth that “Christ is the end of the law” may betray us into this belief if we do not consider that Christ himself adopted every point of the moral law! Beware of thinking, “Because I have the love of God I do not need holiness,” or “Since I pray all the time I have no need for set times of private prayer,” or “Because I am spiritual I have no need for self-examination.”

Instead, let this be our thought: “I prize thy commandments above gold or precious stones. O, what love I have found in your laws! All the day long I will study in it.” We must beware of self-indulgence, or of mocking self-denial, fasting, or abstinence. We cannot cry out, “Only believe, believe!” and call others “legalists” who are trying to live as Scripture teaches. We must remember that “by works our faith is made perfect.”