3 – Count on the Holy Spirit to help youThe letter of the Law is really about doing everything. The Spirit of the Law is about God doing everything through you. If you want to embody the Spirit of the Law, give the Holy Spirit more space to work both in you and through you. If you do, you will find that you will be able to love God and love people better. This will lead you to continue in the spirit of the law and not fall into the trap of the letter of the law. The Pharisees were looking for the gotcha moment. They tried to trap Jesus. They were more concerned with whether it was permissible to heal on the Sabbath than with man`s needs and well-being. They followed the letter of the law. Jesus saw the stubborn hearts of the Pharisees. He also recognized the man`s condition and distress and knew that he had the power to heal him. He decided to do good and heal man.
He followed the spirit of the law. This requires wisdom and spiritual balance that we can only achieve when we are led by the Spirit of God. Those who do not have the Spirit of God simply do not have this distinction. Instead, they are naturally “hostile” to God`s laws (Romans 8:7) and perceive them as “foolishness” (1 Corinthians 2:14). They do not see it as God`s wisdom to be properly recognized and “properly managed” (2 Timothy 2:15). “Law” originally referred to a legislative law, but can refer to any type of rule in the idiom. It is possible to follow the letter of the law, but not the spirit, by exploiting the technical details, the gaps and the ambiguous language. The mother changes the statement by telling the child to do his homework before watching cartoons. This time, the child bypasses while watching baseball. Once again, he had obeyed the letter of the law, but not the spirit of the law as his mother had intended. Here`s what he says on Wikipedia, about “the letter of the law.” The letter of the law against the spirit of the law is an idiomatic antithesis.
(I`ll tell you what that means in a moment) Obey the letter of the law but not the spirit, obey the literal interpretation of the words of the law, but not necessarily the intention of those who wrote the law. Well, the same goes for the spirit of love. What is the point of pretending to have the spirit of the law but not doing exactly what that law requires of you? It`s useless, this kind of ghost is dead! It is impossible to have the spirit of the law without also obeying the letter of the law. So the opposite of “the letter of the law” is to distort the law and not respect the law and disobey the law. And disobedience to the law is a sin, isn`t it? At least, that`s what the Bible says. “Sin is anarchy,” 1 John 3:4. Some people accept and teach that we don`t have to keep God`s law because Jesus “fulfilled” it. But they fundamentally misunderstand the clear words of Christ. The word translated “to accomplish” in this passage means “to fill, to fill full” (Vine`s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1985). The same word is used to fill the fish nets (Matthew 13:48).
Just as a fisherman fills his nets with fish, Jesus completely “fulfilled” God`s law. He kept the Ten Commandments perfect, including the spiritual intent of God`s laws and how we should apply them. Referring to Christ`s law of marriage, divorce, and adultery, Jesus said in Matthew 5:27 and 28; “You`ve heard him say; You shall not commit adultery, but I tell you that whoever looks at a woman desiring her has already committed adultery with her, in his heart. This statement of Jesus is proof that the Spirit of the law comes from the heart. And that spirit is love! William Shakespeare wrote many plays dealing with the antithesis letter against spirit, almost always falling on the side of the “spirit” and often forcing the bad guys (who have always sided with the letter) to make concessions and remedy the situation. In one of the most famous examples, The Merchant of Venice, he presents the quarrel as a plot to save both the spirit and the letter of the law. The lender Shylock has made a deal with Antonio that if he can`t repay a loan, he`ll get a pound of meat from him. When the debt is not repaid on time, Portia first asks for mercy in a famous speech: “The quality of mercy is not tense, it falls like the gentle rain of heaven at the place below. She is blessed twice: she blesses the giver and the receiver. (IV, i, 185).
When Shylock refuses, she finally saves Antonio by pointing out that Shylock`s agreement with him does not mention blood and therefore Shylock can only have his pound of flesh if he does not shed blood. St. Paul`s letter to the 1st century Corinthians (especially 2 Corinthians 3:6) refers to the spirit and letter of the Law. Although not quoted directly, the principle is applied with the words “spirit” and “letter” in the context of the legalistic view of the Hebrew Bible. This is the first recorded use of print. It begins with the following statement: “The spirit of the law is often opposed to the `letter of the law.` I still believe that the truths you learn in the scriptures have no real impact on your life until you apply them. Let us do it with this truth. Here are three simple ways to make sure you live by the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law.
Jesus has already mentioned two. Following the letter of the law means exactly what it says. You must follow and obey all the principles of the law to be accepted in God`s eyes. I know it sounds like a daunting task and that`s because it is. The problem with the letter of the law is that no one has been able to fully follow it. There are 613 commandments or laws in the Old Testament that had to be obeyed. To be honest, keeping the Ten Commandments is hard enough, how are you going to manage to follow 613? If it is not enough pressure, we add it to the mixture. Listen carefully; If you have the “spirit of the law,” then you will obey “the letter of the law.” There is simply no other way. It is impossible to have the “spirit of the law” without also obeying “the letter of the law.” When you have the spirit of the law, you love the law. Psalm 119:97 says; “How I love Your law! It`s my meditation, all day.
Here`s a quick example. Galatians 6:2; “Bear one another`s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.” What is the spirit of this law? Love is the spirit of this law. What is the purpose of this legislation? Love your neighbor as yourself and satisfy your needs. You cannot have the spirit of this law without obeying the letter of this law. James sums it up perfectly, in James 2:15 and 16; “If a brother or sister is unclothed and needs food every day, and one of you says to him; Go in peace, let yourself be warm and full, and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what is the point? You may be wondering, “Rick, how can you become spiritual with a dinosaur on a t-shirt? How did Jesus expand the law and show His fuller and deeper spiritual purpose? Notice an example in Matthew 5:27–28: “You have heard the elders say, `You shall not commit adultery.` But I tell you, whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Do you want proof of that? Here is the proof; According to God, the two greatest commandments ever given, mentioned in Matthew 22:37-40, are the commandment to love God and the commandment to love our neighbor.