The Spirit, Not The Letter

Paul could go through what he did because he knew that it was not in vain; he knew that it was to bring others to Christ. When a man has the conviction that what is happening to him is happening literally for Christ’s sake, he can face anything. Paul was a brilliant and well-educated man; yet he did not depend on his own adequacy and gave all the glory to God and not himself. Paul’s opponents were legalists who told the people that if they obeyed the law, they would become spiritual. This legalistic type of minis­try dulled the eyes of the people and made them think they were sufficient in themselves. 

Paul goes on to draw a contrast between the covenant of the law granted to Moses and the covenant of the gospel established by Christ. While both the law and the gospel were glorious, they differed radically from each other. Paul did not deny the glory of the Old Testament law, but he makes it plain that the New Testament of grace is far superior, and he gives the following reasons:

1.   Because it brings spiritual life and not death (vv. 7-8). The best the law could do was condemn the sinner, but the spirit gives life.

2. Because it produces changed lives and not just condemnation (vv. 9-10). The law was not given for the purpose of salvation but was like a mirror to help man see his sinful condition. 

3.     Because it is permanent and not temporary (v. 11). When the Veil in the temple was rest as Christ died on the cross, the law and the Jewish religious system ended (vv. 13-16).