[Biblemat] B> Gospel Observer 4/8/07

[tedwards at onemain.com]

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                 THE GOSPEL OBSERVER
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"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching
them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you
always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20).
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                    April 8, 2007
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               The Letter and the Spirit
               by Edward O. Bragwell, Sr.

    Earl Irvin West, in Volume 2 of his The Search For The Ancient 
Order (p. 250), introduces a chapter called "Prophets of 
Liberalism," with an astute observation about what he calls "seeds 
of liberalism":

    "Whether in the halcyon days of the restoration there could be 
found the seeds of the later liberalism that swept the brotherhood, 
may be doubted. Certainly, however, it can never be questioned that 
these seeds are discovered buried deep in human nature. There are 
always those who believe they sense something in the 'spirit' of a 
thing contrary to what may be found in its 'letter,' or, who, 
reacting against what they consider a radical extreme of 
isolationism devote their energies to popularizing a movement. The 
restoration period came to know these individuals following the war 
between the states. The church appeared to them to be too narrow 
and restricted, and their ambition therefore was to lift the 
brotherhood to a 'dignified church' in a world of 
denominationalism, commanding at least some respect from these 
religious bodies."

    I believe West correctly assesses the beginnings of liberalism. 
It is thinking that interpreting and/or applying law to the 
"letter" is unnecessarily restrictive, exclusive, or even harsh. 
So, the liberal thinker turns to something called the "spirit of 
the law" to relax the restrictions and harshness imposed by the 
"letter." He may freely admit that the actual wording of the sacred 
text, strictly applied, would demand a certain thing. However, he 
appeals to a higher (?) court called "the spirit of the law" for a 
broader application than the actual wording would permit. Having 
dismissed the objective "letter," in favor of the more subjective 
"spirit," he can now freely adjust to the situation at hand. In 
reality, his so called "spirit of the law" is nothing more than his 
subjective view of what the law should be.

    If God's word does not mean exactly what it says; and if we do 
not need to follow it exactly, then we are free to believe and do 
as we jolly well please, which is what a true liberal does, 
convincing himself that he is justified because he is within the 
flexible boundaries of the "spirit of the law" -- which boundaries 
he and his liberal cohorts define and redefine as the situation 
warrants.

    It is not unusual for these, "Prophets of Liberalism" to appeal 
to the Lord and his word to defend their stance. They see our Lord 
as one more interested in the "spirit" while the Pharisees insisted 
on the "letter." They are not at all bashful about comparing modern 
day "conservatives," who insist on doing exactly what the text says 
on every subject, to the Pharisees.

    To me, it is the height of absurdity to suggest, as I recently 
heard one preacher do, that the Pharisees were the "conservative 
church" of that day who really wanted to do just what the law said. 
They were no such thing. They demanded that others do exactly what 
their traditions said, while they themselves would not take their 
own medicine (cf. Matt. 23:4). Where is the passage where Jesus 
ever criticized a Pharisee for being hung up on "the letter of the 
law"? He criticized their hypocrisy, their inconsistency (Matt. 23) 
and their making void the commandment of God by their tradition 
(Matt. 15:1-7), but never their strict application of the law 
itself.

    Jesus' rejection of the Pharisees' sabbath traditions is freely 
used to illustrate Jesus' rejection of the "letter" in favor of the 
"spirit." The truth is that the "letter" of the Old Testament did 
not forbid the kind of things that Jesus and his apostles did on 
the sabbath. It was the "traditions of the elders" (which were 
often inconsistently and hypocritically applied) that forbade such 
things.

    Jesus expresses his attitude toward keeping the law to his 
disciples in the Sermon On The Mount. He not only insisted on 
personally fulfilling the law down to the smallest letter (jot) and 
the smallest marking (tittle) (Matt. 5:18), he warned his disciples 
that by breaking the "least of these commandments" and teaching men 
so, they would forfeit their entrance into the kingdom of God 
(Matt. 5:19).

    The Bible really says nothing about obeying either the "spirit 
of law" or "letter of law." It simply speaks of obedience. Some 
think they have found a distinction between the "letter of the law" 
and the "spirit of the law" in 2 Corinthians 3. However, a close 
look at the chapter should make it clear that two laws are being 
contrasted rather than two methods of interpreting and/or applying 
law. Notice verses 6, 7 and 8:

    "Who also made us sufficient ministers of the new covenant; not 
of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter kills, but the 
spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death, written and 
engraved in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel 
could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory 
of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the 
ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?"

    The contrast is between the two Testaments -- the Old (v. 14) 
which was written on stones (the letter) and the New written by the 
Spirit on the hearts of the apostles. The Old Testament (letter) 
was ushered in by the letters written and engraved on tablets of 
stone. The New Testament (spirit) was ushered in by the outpouring 
of the Spirit, engraving the New Testament on the apostles' hearts.

    The "ministry of the new covenant" (v. 6) or "ministry of the 
Spirit" (v. 8) or "ministry of righteousness" (v. 9) is contrasted 
to "the ministry of death" (v. 7) or "ministry of condemnation" (v. 
9) or "Old Testament" (v. 14). "The letter" that kills is the same 
as the "ministry of death" (vv. 6-17), while "the spirit" that 
gives life is the same as the "ministry of the new covenant 
(testament)."

    The rest of 2 Corinthians 3 is given to a contrast between the 
two covenants or testaments. The contrast is not between two 
methods or manners of interpreting and/or applying either 
testament, but a contrast between the two testaments themselves.

    The Jew under the old system had to obey its requirements -- 
those that applied both to his outward and inward conduct. The 
Pharisee often meticulously, to "the letter," if you please, 
applied those commands that affected outward conduct without doing 
the same with those commands that governed his inward conduct.

    Jesus said that he did what he should have done with the former 
without leaving the latter undone. 

     We, under the new system, must "observe all things" commanded 
(Matt. 28:18), down to the last letter (cf. Matt. 5:19), that apply 
to both our inward and outward behavior.

    That there are times when we will "miss the mark" (a meaning of 
the word translated "sin") and have to ask forgiveness, is admitted 
by all. We may even at times have to be patient and gentle with 
others who miss the mark. But that is a far cry from blurring the 
mark by invoking something called "the spirit of the law" that 
assumes that we have the liberty to loosely apply what the Book 
actually says.

    Again, I maintain that the idea of "the spirit of the law" is 
not only not found in the New Testament, it is nothing more than a 
device to set aside what the Bible really says in favor of each man 
subjectively deciding what the law should say.

    The liberal mind may even convince himself he has as much 
respect for God's law as anyone, but it is just that he emphasizes 
the "spirit" rather than the "letter." But, the New Testament is 
given in words taught by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:12,13). We are 
to live by "every word of God" (Luke 4:4). If we are not to live by 
the very wording of the Bible, the "letter of the law," if you 
please, then why not just toss the whole thing aside? Then we could 
decide, from scratch, for ourselves what God's will should be, 
without having to search through the "letter of the law" and then 
dismissing what we find in favor of the "spirit of the law" as we 
see it.

    -- Via Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 3, pp. 67-68, February 2, 1989
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          MYRTLE STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST
                 1022 Myrtle Street
              Denham Springs, LA  70726
                   (225) 664-8208
         Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM
                 Wednesday: 7:00 PM
    evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520
            e-mail: tedwards at onemain.com      
    web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go
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