📖 Biblical Definition
Scripture teaches that universal categories are grounded in the mind and nature of God, not in human convention. Justice is real because God is just. Goodness is real because God is good. Truth is real because God is truth (John 14:6). When God says "Let us make man in our image" (Genesis 1:26), He establishes a real universal -- "humanness" -- grounded in His creative decree. Nominalism ultimately leads to moral relativism: if "justice" is just a name we assign, then it has no binding authority. The Bible grounds universals in the unchanging character of God. Things are not good because we call them good -- they are good because they reflect the nature of the God who is goodness itself.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
The doctrine of nominalists, who maintain that words and not things are the objects of dialectics.
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NOM'INALISM, n. The doctrines or tenets of the nominalists. The nominalists were a medieval school of philosophy that held that universal terms (genus, species) are mere names without corresponding realities, as opposed to the realists who held that universals have real existence. Note: The nominalist-realist debate has profound theological implications. If universals are mere names, then "human nature," "sin nature," and even "the image of God" become arbitrary labels rather than real categories established by the Creator.
📖 Key Scripture
• John 14:6 — "I am the way, and the truth, and the life."
• Genesis 1:26 — "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness."
• Romans 2:14-15 — "The work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness."
• Malachi 3:6 — "I the LORD do not change."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Nominalism is the hidden engine behind moral relativism and the rejection of fixed human nature.
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Nominalism has profoundly shaped modern thought, though few recognize it by name. If there is no real universal "human nature," then gender, sexuality, and identity are social constructs to be redefined at will. If "justice" is merely a name, then each generation can fill it with whatever content it chooses. If "marriage" has no fixed essence, then it can be redefined by legislation. Nominalism is the philosophical root of the constructivist worldview that now dominates the academy and increasingly the church. The biblical response is that God defines categories, establishes natures, and grounds moral terms in His own unchanging character. "Marriage" is what God says it is, not what a culture decides to call it.
Usage
• "Nominalism says 'justice' is just a word we invented -- Scripture says justice is grounded in the unchanging character of God."
• "The claim that gender is a social construct is nominalism applied to human nature: if there is no real essence, everything is fluid."
• "God did not merely name things -- He created real categories, real natures, and real moral standards that reflect His character."