The Antithesis
Ronald Hanko explains the Reformed doctrine of the antithesis—the spiritual separation between believers and unbelievers rooted in God's saving grace—and argues that the doctrine of common grace undermines this necessary antithesis by suggesting shared ground between God's people and the reprobate. The article clarifies that the antithesis requires spiritual rather than physical separation, supporting the position taken in the 1924 Common Grace Controversy that opposed the Three Points affirming common grace.
Ronald Hanko Occasionally some Reformed theologians will write of the “antithesis.” In such cases they are referring to the separation and opposition between darkness and light, believer and unbeliever, church and world. This antithesis is the result of God’s saving grace and is often referred to in Scripture, though the word itself is not used. The clearest passage that refers to the antithesis is II Corinthians 6:14-18. There the Word not only describes the antithesis, but it also tells us...