The Spirit vs. the Letter (One gives life and the other kills)
"for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." 2 Cor. 3:6
What Paul referred to in this passage as "The letter" is none other than God's covenant with the nation of Israel, which he summarized and engraved into stone in ten commandments; "But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance…" 2 Cor. 3:7, whereas "the Spirit" referred to by Paul is a clear reference to the covenant of Jesus Christ which was given through His apostles and prophets by inspiration of the Holy Spirit and confirmed/authenticated through miracles, signs and wonders all wrought by the Holy Spirit Heb. 2:3-4/Mk. 16:20.
"Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit" Eph. 3:4-5
False ideas concerning the phrase above from 2 Cor. 3 have been promoted good and acceptable before Godat obedience to law is negative, while the attention to the nature or intent of the for some time now and widely accepted. One of those erroneous notions is that keeping the "spirit of the law" of God is somehow acceptable to God or more God's intent than to keep the "letter of the law" of God, which many consider legalistic. However, it has NEVER been the case throughout Bible history that God did not mean what He actually said, or that perhaps the actual meaning or intent of His words were somehow more important than His actual words themselves. Eve was trapped by such thinking, when she was told what was understood as God's intent for the law as opposed to God's actual words (or "letter") of the law Gen. 3:4-5. Although there are many such examples in scripture. Nevertheless, the point is that God is NO LESS concerned with our keeping of the words in His than His is with our keeping the very purpose or intent of His law. In fact, He is highly concerned, not only with the words, there meaning and spelling thereof, but also with the punctuation and grammar of His words. For example, Jesus forthrightly affirmed that not even one of the smallest and seemingly insignificant character marks of the law of Moses (e.g. the dotting of an "i" or the crossing of a "t") would by no means pass before the totality, the point the goal of it were fulfilled Matt. 5:17-18, and when the Sadducees quizzed Jesus over the resurrection of the dead and life after death, He, with precision referred to the very tense of the words which God used in Exodus 3:3, telling Moses "I AM the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob", explaining to them that therefore, "God is not the God of the dead, but of the living" Matt. 22:32. Again, the inspired apostle pointed to the very number of the noun which God used in giving His promise to the patriarch Abraham saying; "He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ" Gal. 3:16. Hence, the honest Bible reader is compelled to conclude that God is just as much concerned with the keeping of the very "letter" or words of His law as He is with the keeping of its intent or "spirit".
The other false idea regarding this passage of scripture is that it means that obedience to law is negative and unnecessary, while ONLY attention to the nature or intent of the law is right, good and acceptable before God. This is a CLEAR example of what the apostle Peter said of those who are unlearned that "wrest" (i.e. twist, distort and disfigure) certain passages of scripture written by Paul 2 pet. 3:15-16 and lifting scriptures from their proper context in order to bolster one's own theory or opinion. It is clear in the passage that the inspired apostle has set forth a dichotomy between the law of Moses and the doctrine of Christ; in that, the law of Moses which was inferior the that of Christ, was never meant to give "life" or to make man righteous Rom. 8:3-4/Gal. 3:21, it was exclusive to only one nation of people and it was temporary and "passing away" at its induction. And most of all, violating the law of Moses meant death Heb. 10:28. Whereas the doctrine of Jesus Christ, which is superior to that of Moses DOES give life Jn. 6:63, 68/20:30-31 and does make man righteous Rom. 5:19/2 Cor. 5:21, it goes out to ALL men or every nation Mk. 16:15/Jn. 3:16-17/Titus 2:11-12 and is eternal in duration Matt. 24:35/1 Pet. 1:23-25.
Therefore, there exists no controversy between the law of Moses and the Covenant of Jesus Christ. When the covenant which God made with Israel through Moses, its mediator was fulfilled in Christ Jesus, it was thereby succeeded by the Covenant of Jesus Christ which now and forever abides, providing salvation from sin and the hope of eternal life Rom. 8:24-25.
kevin_wright1@hotmail.com
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