By Steve Higginbotham
“[God] made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians 3:6).
A common application of the above passage goes something like this… “While the “letter of the law” may state one thing, the “spirit of the law” would allow one to do less than what the “letter” demands.
For instance one might say that the “letter of the law” states that one must be baptized in order to receive the remission of sins. However, while the idea of devout, unbaptized saved people falls short of the “letter of the law,” it certainly would fall within the “spirit of the law.”
Such an understanding of God’s word makes all the commandments of God meaningless. With such an understanding, any disobedience can be excused and justified by simply saying, “but it’s in harmony with the spirit of the law.” Just who gets to determine whether an action that falls short of the “letter of the law” is consistent with the “spirit of the law?” By what standard would one determine this?
Actually, the contrast between the “letter” and the “spirit” is a contrast between the Old and New Testaments, not strict and loose obedience. Note the contrasts from 2 Corinthians 3:
Old Covenant ……………………………………….. New Covenant Written on Tablets of Stone……………………. Written on the Heart Ministry of Death ………………………………….. Ministry of the Spirit Ministry of Condemnation……………………… Ministry of Righteousness Glorious ………………………………………………. Much more Glorious The Letter…………………………………………….. The Spirit
Considering the context makes this statement much easier to understand. The contrast between the “Letter” and the “Spirit” is not a contrast between “strictly” obeying God and being “given some slack.” Rather, the contrast is between the covenants; i.e. the Old and New Testaments. The “Letter” is a term used to describe the Old Testament, while the “Spirit” is a term used to describe the New Testament.
Bottom line: There is no passage in Scripture that suggests we can disobey or disregard any of God’s laws. They all are to be obeyed.