Good examples of the "letter of the law" rather than the "spirit and intent of the law"
Letter of the Law, as Paul used the phrase, will always come down to love/seeing how the Spirit of God is what redeems us (
2 Corinthians 3:5-7 /
2 Corinthians 3 ) - and thankful for how other Jewish believers throughout history have noted that reality which makes a world of difference when seeing what the Lord accomplished for us.
I think most people would be better off in staying in line with what the Messianic Jewish movement has always said on the issue--as seen in
The Messianic Jewish Movement.
As said in
MJAA Statement of Faith - Messianic Jewish Alliance of America:
In the Tenach, the Spirit of God came upon individuals during the times of our forefathers, like Moses, David (see II Sam. 23:1-3), and the Prophets, for the specific purposes.
In the New Covenant, the Messiah, Yeshua, promised His disciples that "the Comforter" would come to them after He was gone, described as the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17, 26), who was with them and would be in them. Yeshua further declared that the Spirit of Truth, would guide us into all truth and would glorify Him - the Messiah - not Himself (John 16:13-15). He empowers us (Acts 1:8). He seals us [Eph. 1:13; 4:30 (see NIV and Jewish New Testatment versions)]. If we have not the Spirit, we are not His (Rom. 8:9). He leads us and teaches us (Rom. 8:14-17). His indwelling enables us to live a godly life. Acts 2:38 says, "Repent, be immersed, and receive the Holy Spirit."
Many other organizations that echo the same sentiments...but it seems clear enough from the Word that the SPIRIT OF God is a sign of the NEW Covenant...and if anyone denies that at any point, one must question how much of the Lord one knows.
For the Holy Spirit came upon others in the OT and yet the Spirit of God did not necessarily DWELL with others---though it dwelt with Christ.
In John 14:15-30, Jesus made clear that the Holy Spirit WOULD INDWELL Jesus' followers forever, functioning as Jesus' emissary in his physical absence. The Divine presence was promised to Jesus' followers. This does not eman that there was no work of the SPirit of God within believers prior to this time---but rather that the Holy Spirit "will be in you" in a new and more powerful sense after Pentecost.
John 7:39 is exceptionally clear that the Spirit had NOT been given yet...and as it concerns the work of the Holy Spirit in the world prior to Jesus in His resurrection, one can go to Genesis 1:2. For the Spirit was present in the world hovering over the fact of the waters (Genesis 6:3, Genesis 41:38, Exodus 31:3, Numbers 11:25).
Some OT Verses speak of the Spirit of God at work within believers prior to the coming of Christ (Numbers 27:18, Deuteronomy 34:9, Ezekiel 2:2, Ezekiel 3:24, Daniel 4:8-9, Daniel 4:18, Daniel 5:11, Micah 3:8, Luke 1:15, Luke 1:41, Luke 1:67). The verse must be understood that the the Spirit had not been given in a FULL and powerful sense that was promised for the New Covenant AGE (Ezekiel 36:26, Ezekiel 37:14, Joel 2:28-29, John 20:22, Acts 2:1-13).....
John 16:4-15 speaks again on the subject, as it concerns how Jesus made clear that as long as he was on the Earth he could be in only one place at a time...whereas the Holy Spirit would carry on Jesus' ministry over the entire world at all times. In addition, in God's sovereign plan for the unfolding of History, the Holy Spirit would not come in new covenant power and fulness until Jesus returned to Heaven (John 15:16)....and the Helper coming refers back to the anticipatiopn of the pouring out of the Spirit and the inauguration of the Kingdom spoken of in OT Prophetic literature (e.g. Isaiah 11:1-10, Isaiah 32:14-18, Isaiah 42:1-4, Isaiah 44:1-5, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 11:17-20, Joel 2:28-32, etc).
The Spirit would come to bring convinction to the Word and the promise of the Spirit has a broader application to all believers as the Holy Spirit leads and guides us (Romans 8:14, Galatians 5:18).
As another said best with II Corinthians 3, it's not that we think that Torah is not wonderful. Rather, it's that "For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!" . In fulfillment of Ezekiel 11:19 and Ezekiel 26:26, Paul contrasts in II Corinthians 3 the old covenant in which God wrote on tablets of stone (Exodus 24:12, Exodus 31:18, Exodus 32:1, Deuteronomy 9:10), with the apostolic ministry of writing on tablets of human hearts.
The Sprit's work was what was the focus now in changing the Corinthians' hearts as a result of Paul's ministry. In II Corinthians 3:6, on being competent in the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34), Pauld made clear that his competence was a result of His call on the Damascus Road, just as Moses was called to be a minister of the Old Covenant at the burning Bush (II Corinthians 2:16-17)....and Paul's role of mediating the Spirit as promised in the new covenant, by which God would create a people who will keep his covenant (As Ezekiel 36:26-27 made clear.
In other words, God would write his law ont heir hearts (Jeremiah 31:33) and forgive their sins (Jeremiahs 31:34, Ezekiel 36:25). The new covenant and its ministry thereforw consists not of the letter but of the Spirit, because the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. On the letter/Spirit contrast, one can see Romans 2:29 and Romans 7:6, the other two NT Occurrences of this contrast. The letter killed because it announced God's will without granting the Power to Keep it---even though it was still beautiful----and as a result of being unable to keep it fully continually, the people were thereby brought under God's Judgement as covenant breakers. The Spirit alone gives life because the Spirt alone can change the heart, thereby enabling God's people to keep his commands.
To support the contrast between the ministries of the Old and New Covenants in vs 3-6, Paul pointed his readers back to the events of the golden calf and the second giving of the Law. He made clear in II Corinthians 3:7-9 that Moses's ministry was described as a ministry of death not because there was something wrong with the law. For in fact, permanent value of the Law is evidenced by the fact that God Himself carved the Ten Commandments in the letters of stone (Deuteronomy 5:22)---but because Israel remained "stiff-necked" under the old covenant (Exodus 32:9, Exodus 34:9), and because the commandments themselves could not give people the POWER to obey them, the effect of the commandments was condemnation (II Cor 3:9).
The giving of the Law was accompanied by so much glory that the Israelites could not gaze (look intently or directly) at Moses's face because of its glory. The light of God's glory shined so brightly from Moses's face ( Exodus 34:29-35) that the people were afraid (Exodus 34:30) to look at Moses.........and Paul's argument seesm to be that even this old covenant, which was temporary and ineffective in changing hearts, still had MUCH Glory...and therefore, the new Covenant ministry of the Spirit had even MORE glory. Indeed, the new covenant must far exceed (the OLD Covenant) in glory for the New Covenant Ministry brings RIGHTEOUSNESS (Right Standing with God) rather than condemnation (II Cor 3:9) ---as well as God's Glorious prescence of God's Power which transforms the believer from "one degree of glory to another" (II Corinthians 3:18).
II Corinthaians 3:13-15 is even more in-depth as to where he stands on the issue. For despite Paul's boldness, Israel's minds, which were hardened in Moses's day (Exodus 32:9, Exodus 33:3, Exodus 34:9), remain so to this day....and Paul's description agrees with Deut 29:4 and Isaiah 29:10, which explain why the majority of Israel contined to reject the Law and the Prophets throughout their history (Nehemiah 9:16-31, Psalm 106:6-39, Ezekiel 20:8-36, Romans 11:7-8, etc). Moses's veil was used by Paul as a symbol for the people's hardened condition that prompted its use uder the old covenant and that now keeps most of Israel from recognizing that the Law of Moses itself points to Jesus as the Messiah.
We look at the whole counsel of the Scriptures through the lens of the New Covenant, the Gospel, the finished work of Jesus Christ, as is appropriate.
Paul expanded upon the same theme in his epistles when it came to discussing the concept of a New Creation...and Paul made clear what a new creation was early on when writing II Corinthians 5:11-17. For the redeemption of a people who now live for Christ by living for others, effeced by the Power of the Spirit and the death of Christ, is the beginning of the new creation that was destined to come admist this evil age (Isaiah 43:18-19, Isaiah 65:17-23, Isaiah 66:22-23). This new creation is also the beginning of Israel's final restoration from God's judgement in the exile....and the ministry of RECONCILLIATION is an expression of God's saving activity in Christ (Romans 5:10-11, Colossians 1:20-22). It is a ministry of forgivness of sins by virtue of Christ's death......and Paul was sent to be God's prophetic minister of the new covenant to announce God's "new peace treaty" (Isaiah 53:5) with those who will trust in Christ o free them fom the penalty and power of sin (Romans 10:15, I Corinthains 15:3, Romans 3:21-26).
Romans 8:6-9 gives more clarity on the subject of what the Torah was able to do and what we have available to us in the New Covenant....and goes along with what was noted in Romans 8:3 concerning the Law..the Mosaic Law, which could NOT solve humanity's problem because sin employs the law for its own purposes...as Romans 7 explained in great detail. God sent His Son as a sacrifice for sin (an idiomatic phrase designating a sin offering) and paid the FULL Penalty for sin in His sacrifice (condemned sin). The phrase "In the Flesh" refes to Christs body..
With Romans 8:4, Paul makes clear that the righteous requirement of the Law was fulfilled....meaning that the requirement is fulfilled in the New Life that Christians live on the basis of Christ's work and the full penalty of the Law met at the Cross. Coming back to Romans 8:6 with the mind being nothing but death if set on the flesh, this is related to one who thinks continually about and constantly desires the things characteristic of fallen, sinful human nature, that is, to think just the way the unbelieving world thinks...and emphasizing what it thinks is important in disregard of God's Will.