Love is a Much Higher Standard than the Letter of the Law - Michael Edwards Christians are no longer under the letter of the law or qualified to minister by the letter. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Rom 6:14 NAS
But we are called to walk by and qualified to minister, the Spirit of the law.
And He has qualified us as 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 BSB
The Spirit of a law is the authors intent or reason for writing the law in the first place. Romans 13:8-10 and Gal 5:14 both tell us the Ten Commandments and all of Gods laws can only be fulfilled by “love.”
Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Rom 13:8-10 NAS
These verses reveal to us that the Spirit of all of Gods law is “love.” God wrote the letter of the law out of love. The letter of the law is designed to protect us from each other’s fallen nature and show us our need for the Savior. You can see the radical difference in the two in Jesus encounters with the Pharisee’s. The Pharisee’s always wanted to enforce the letter of the law. The good Samaritan, the woman caught in adultery, Jesus healing on the Sabbath, etc. The Pharisee’s hardness of heart broke Jesus' heart and ultimately led them to use the letter of the law to crucify the author of the law.
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