Avoiding Newton's 3rd law (of bad theology)

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction - Newton's 3rd law

We're familiar with this law in the physical world, but I believe it holds true for the metaphysical and in particular, theology. In other words, "for every faulty belief there is an equal and opposite faulty belief." Does this sound familiar? It may not for you, but I can point to several instances in my own life.

Have a bad experience with church leadership? Leave the local church and be a lone ranger. See people you know fall for the prosperity gospel? Make a certain level of remorse and repentance a necessary requirement for salvation? See people misuse the love of God as a license to sin? Make God's love parsimonious and conditional on behavior.

Probably the two primary opposite categories in which many of the previous examples fall are antinomianism versus legalism. But unfortunately, we have a propensity to over-correct. Or as my wise daughter says, if we're afraid of becoming antinomian, we're so focused on not becoming that that we end up becoming legalists. And vice versa.

This is why I am looking forward to this weekend's theology conference with Dr. Bill VanDoodewaard from Puritan Theological Seminary. He will be speaking on the Marrow Controversy in Scotland and the issues surrounding it that are pertinent for us today - legalism, antinomianism, and assurance.

I might be jumping the gun, but I think the answer for one bad theological belief isn't becoming that belief's antithesis. The answer is seeing Christ as presented in the gospel and our union with Him. I don't think you can go wrong with that.