Letter Kills – Spirit Gives Life
Michael Edwards
…who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor 3:6 ESV).
All laws have a spirit, the intent of the author, upon which they rest. Most legitimate laws have as their spirit the protection of all parties involved. For example, the spirit/intent of a speed-limit law is to protect life. The spirit is the sole reason for the existence of the letter—the written law.
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law (Rom 13: 8-10 ESV).
The fact that Love is the intent and Spirit of God's law, tells us that God's laws were never meant to harm us or be used against us. God's law was made for man, not man for the law. "And he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath’" (Mark 2:27).
If man could love as God loves, there would be no need for the letter of the law. However, due to our inherited Adamic nature, we cannot (Rom 5:12 -21). Therefore, God gave us the letter to guard us against each other's fallen nature, reveal our fallen inherited nature to us and thus lead us to Jesus (Gal 3:23-25).
God's written law is perfect, holy and just. Yet problems occur. We cannot keep the law, and when dealing with others we often ignore the spirit the law is founded upon.
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