“Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:5-6).
“But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God” (Romans 2:29).
In these verses we see the contrast between the “Spirit” and the “letter.” This topic comes up in discussions with liberal brethren regarding their departure from the New Testament pattern. Those brethren use these verses to justify their practices and condemn so-called “legalism.”
Legalism: Definition & Connotation
The American Heritage Dictionary defines legalism as “strict, literal adherence to the law or a particular code, as of religion or morality.” What do the Scriptures say about a “strict, literal adherence” to God’s word? Jesus told His apostles to make disciples of all nations, “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). Paul said we are to be “careful to engage in good deeds” (Titus 3:8). James stated the principle that if we violate one part of God’s law, regardless of what it is, we “become guilty of all” (James 2:10). These passages give us the idea of what God expects of us – to be careful to observe all that He has instructed us without ignoring any part of His law. Sounds like “strict, literal adherence,” doesn’t it?
We see a slightly different definition from Princeton University’s WordNet – a lexical database for the English language. This source defines legalism as “strict conformity to the letter of the law rather than its spirit.” The connotation people have is found in this definition. The idea is that the law itself (in our study here, the word of God) and the purpose behind it sometimes conflict. Therefore, we can only really follow one or the other. We must choose to follow the spirit of the law or the letter of the law.
Reading the Connotation into the Passages
With the connotation of legalism in our mind, let us look again at the two passages cited at the beginning. We will attempt to read the connotation into the passages to show how these passages can be used to promote a liberal interpretation of God’s word.
“But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God” (Romans 2:29). Generally, the Jews tried so hard to be justified by the works of the Law. This would not work (cf. Galatians 2:16) Now insert the connotation: The “letter” refers to strict obedience. The “Spirit” refers to the purpose. The Jews missed the point of the law they were given. They were focusing on the strict adherence to the Law rather than looking at the purpose of the commandments. [The Jews did miss the point, but not in this sense. They did so by following the traditions of men (Matthew 15:3) and rejecting Christ (Galatians 3:24). Nowhere were they condemned for strict obedience.]
“Who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). The previous passage (Romans 2:29) addressed the Jews. This one speaks more directly to us as Christians. Insert the connotation: Following the letter of the law – “legalism” – produces death. Following the spirit, or purpose, of the law gives life.
This is how one can use these passages to condemn what has been branded as “legalism.” Instead of strictly following the word of God, we just need to be sure we are fulfilling the purpose for which the law was given.
Consequences of the Hermeneutic Approach
Interpreting these passages this way forces us to accept certain ideas. First, the New Testament becomes (or is) a guide, not a law. This loosens the teachings of Scripture. If the New Testament just a guide and not a law, then there is no need to be very careful in our interpretation and application of it. The problem with this idea is that the New Testament is specifically referred to as a law by inspired writers. In speaking of the new covenant, the Hebrew writer quoted the prophet Jeremiah: “I will put my laws into their minds, and I will write them on their hearts” (Hebrews 8:10). Paul spoke of being “under the law of Christ” (1 Corinthians 9:21). The New Testament, new covenant, gospel, is a law. It is not merely a guide.
The second consequence of this approach is that details become irrelevant. It relinquishes the need for carefulness in our use of Scripture. But we referenced Titus 3:8 earlier that says we are to be “careful to engage in good deeds.” In Matthew 22, Jesus showed how careful we are to be in handling the word of God. The Sadduccees came to Jesus to question Him about the resurrection (Matthew 22:23ff). When Jesus used the Scriptures to show that the resurrection was a reality, He made His argument based on the tense of a verb (“I Am”). The word of God is important, even the details like verb tenses. We need to be careful in our handling of it.
Another consequence of this approach is the idea that the instruction of Scripture can be set aside as long as what we perceive as the purpose of the instruction is still carried out. This is the concept of the spirit of the law over the letter of the law. But what indication do we have that some of God’s commands or instructions are optional? Actually, what this does is exalt human wisdom. Whatever we deem to be the purpose behind the command is what we do. But we cannot fully know the purpose behind one of God’s commands unless He has revealed it to us (1 Corinthians 2:10-11). If He has revealed the purpose, we follow that. If He has revealed the only the precept, we follow that. If He has revealed both, we follow both.
Finally, another consequence is the idea that we must simply appeal to a higher purpose. Usually, this is said to be love. Basically, what this amounts to is situation ethics. Right is determined by the situation. Whatever is determined to be the loving thing to do in a particular situation must be right. As with the last point, this exalts human wisdom. What it also does is use love as an excuse to disobey the word of God. But Jesus said our obedience to His word is proof of our love (John 14:15; cf. 1 John 5:3).
Purpose Over Precept
This concept that we are to follow the spirit of the law rather than the letter of the law can be summarized this way – purpose over precept. As long as we fulfill the purpose behind a command, we do not necessarily have to follow the command itself. If there is another way of fulfilling the purpose, we are at liberty to do it some other way. This is the basic point of this concept.
When we look at God’s word we see this is a tactic of Satan. He uses this idea to lead people into sin. This was what he did when he tempted Eve, which resulted in sin entering the world. Eve understood God’s command regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – “You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die” (Genesis 3:3). How did Satan deceive her and lead her to eat of the tree she knew she should not eat? One thing he did was explain the reason for the command. His explanation was a lie. But he convinced Eve of his reasoning. Now that she supposedly understood the purpose behind God’s command, she had justification to disobey. The idea is that if we understand the purpose of a command, we can find a reason to disobey. Many have this idea today. If we know why God requires something of us, we can surely find a loophole. After all, we are to follow the spirit of the law rather than the letter.
Let us notice some examples of how this reasoning is used today. In each of these, we will look at what we have been commanded to do and the reason why we are to do such. As I mentioned earlier, sometimes people assume they know the purpose for a command. Sometimes the purpose is clearly given. Here, we will simply look at commands that have the purpose behind them specifically revealed in God’s word. We will not look at every reason given for a specific command. We can see the point by looking at one reason for each of these. After noticing the command and the reason behind it, we will see how the “purpose over precept” concept is used to justify certain things that we have no authority for.
Music in worship
PRECEPT – We are to sing (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16).
PURPOSE – One reason why we sing is to teach and admonish one another (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16).
PURPOSE OVER PRECEPT – We can add instruments of music as long as we are still teaching. [In this and the following examples, we see that people are looking for a “better” way to fulfill the purpose. The precept or instruction is not good enough.]
Evangelism
PRECEPT – We are to “preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15).
PURPOSE – We preach in order to “make disciples” (Matthew 28:19).
PURPOSE OVER PRECEPT – We can use other means than just the gospel, such as food, fun, and social programs, as long as we make disciples. The purpose is growth. Whatever means are helpful in causing growth can be used.
Lord’s Supper
PRECEPT – We are to take the Lord’s Supper “on the first day of the week” (Acts 20:7), and not make it into a common meal (1 Corinthians 11:22).
PURPOSE – We observe the Lord’s Supper to remember Christ and proclaim His death (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
PURPOSE OVER PRECEPT – We can take the Lord’s Supper anytime, even make it into a common meal, as long as we remember Christ and His death. In fact, if these things help us remember His death even better than a simple memorial on the first day of the week, then we not only can do this, but we should.
In the end, anything can be done as long as we can justify it in our own minds. We will no longer seek for authority given by God in His word. Why? Because we have found a better way to fulfill the will of God. This should not be our attitude. Instead, we need to be humble enough to realize that God’s way is best and we cannot improve upon it.
Explaining the Passages
Interpreting the passages we considered at the beginning in this way causes an apparent contradiction with other passages. We noticed Matthew 28:20 (“observe all that I commanded”), Titus 3:8 (“be careful to engage in good deeds”), and James 2:10 (“whoever…stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all”). These passages seem plain. Have we misunderstood them for so long?
Remember the principle of John 10:35 – “The Scripture cannot be broken.” That is to say, the word of God does not contradict itself. That is the point Jesus is making in the context. If this concept is correct (purpose over precept), we have to find another way of interpreting these other verses (Matthew 28:20, Titus 3:8, James 2:10). But do the ones who promote this view ever stop to think that they are the ones misapplying Scripture? They reinterpret plain passages based on a twisting of others.
Let us look then at the real meaning of these passages (2 Corinthians 3:6; Romans 2:29). First of all, notice that neither passage uses the phrases “spirit of the law” or “letter of the law.” That being said, let us see what these verses are actually talking about.
“Who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). The key to this passage is the term “new covenant.” This is a contrast between the old and new covenants – the Law of Moses and the gospel of Christ. This is explained further in the next verse. Since “the letter kills,” it is described as the “ministry of death” (2 Corinthians 3:7). The verse speaks of this being “engraved on stones” and delivered by Moses. The “letter” is the old law. The “spirit” is the new law – the gospel.
“But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God” (Romans 2:29). In context, Paul was talking about the acceptance of both Jews and Gentiles under the gospel (cf. Romans 3:19-30). We are not justified by the Law of Moses (Romans 3:20), but by the law of faith (Romans 3:27). Therefore, the true people of God are those who have been circumcised in heart – “by the Spirit, not by the letter” (Romans 2:29; cf. Colossians 2:11-12).
The “spirit of the law vs. letter of the law” concept is deceptive. These terms are not found in Scripture. As we have seen, the concept is not either. We can be justified by being obedient to the law of faith (Romans 3:27). As we seek to be justified before God, let us be diligent to “observe all that [He] commanded” and be “careful” to be sure we are doing only those things that are pleasing to Him (Matthew 28:20; Titus 3:8).
Very good article, Andy. God has not revealed everything; Deut.29:29; nor has He given man free reign to invent a “purpose” for doing that which he has not revealed!