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SkyWriting

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2 Corinthians 3:6 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

What does the word of God, kill?

Why does the letter killeth?

What is the letter killing?

Why would the letter kill the spirit if that is the probably effect?

Have you ever noticed this verse in the text, now in Hebrews 4:12 it talks about how the bible (letter) word of God, is sharper than the sharpest two-edge sword.

Why?

Why is it that the word of God can be used, as though a an medieval solider equipped with a sword which is drawn to the neck of his enemy ready to slice the neck at any given moment?

Mishandled understanding?

Lost in translation, and teachings from others who believe they know but do not know truly what the word of God is saying?

Why does the spirit give life?

How come the spirit is the only way to gain life?

How do you live by the spirit?

Who gives the spirit?

Why do we even need the spirit?

Does the spirit transform us?

Does anyone have any answers to these questions!?


Legalism kills the soul. Forgiveness from Jesus through His Spirit
redeems us and gives us our life back. Jesus sent us His Spirit.
For the wages of Sin is death.
 
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GraceBro

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2 Corinthians 3:6 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

What does the word of God, kill?

Why does the letter killeth?

What is the letter killing?

Why would the letter kill the spirit if that is the probably effect?

Have you ever noticed this verse in the text, now in Hebrews 4:12 it talks about how the bible (letter) word of God, is sharper than the sharpest two-edge sword.

Why?

Why is it that the word of God can be used, as though a an medieval solider equipped with a sword which is drawn to the neck of his enemy ready to slice the neck at any given moment?

Mishandled understanding?

Lost in translation, and teachings from others who believe they know but do not know truly what the word of God is saying?

Why does the spirit give life?

How come the spirit is the only way to gain life?

How do you live by the spirit?

Who gives the spirit?

Why do we even need the spirit?

Does the spirit transform us?

Does anyone have any answers to these questions!?
The "letter," or the Mosaic Law, shows us our spiritual death to lead us to Jesus Christ to have the life of God, the Holy Spirit, restored to us. Paul talks about this in Romans 7:8-9 when he said, "But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died." Salvation is the restoration of the life of God, initially lost when Adam sinned, given to us as a gift when we accept Jesus Christ and are born again.
 
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klutedavid

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The letter of the Law kills ... because noone is able to keep it, ... and the penalty for not keeping the Law is death.

The spirit of the Law gives life, because it leads us into and maintains us in the will of God, ... without killing us for the slightest infraction.

Remember Uzzah, who died because he touched the Ark of the Covenant, ... even as he sought to keep the Ark from falling ... as the Ark was being transported to Jerusalem.

One could say, from this example, that Uzzah lived by the spirit of the Law (i.e. the safe transport of the Ark to the city of God), ... while he was killed by the letter of the Law (i.e. the prohibition against touching the Ark).

We live by the spirit of the Law ... by seeking to please God with our lives ... by loving Him with all of our might (which is inadequate to the task), ... and by loving our fellows even as we love ourselves.

We need the Holy Spirit, given by God, dwelling with us to maintain a walk with God ... and thus live by the spirit of the Law.

Think of it this way ... God has ought out and initiated a relationship with us. Our response is to live life in relationship to ... and in harmony with God.

However, we need help to fulfill our role of living out relationship with God.

God has told us what pleases Him. That is the Law.

God gives us the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide us and to mold us into fit companions/children of God ... who please Him with our lives.

When I married my wife, ... she had already expressed to me what pleased her ... and she has lived with me for 20 years hence, to school me into being the best husband for her that I can be. It's a training process ... hopefully I get better every day.

And I endure this because I love her ...
Correct.

The law carries the death sentence and it kills.

Romans 7:11
For sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.
 
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dqhall

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2 Corinthians 3:6 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

What does the word of God, kill?

Why does the letter killeth?

What is the letter killing?

Why would the letter kill the spirit if that is the probably effect?

Have you ever noticed this verse in the text, now in Hebrews 4:12 it talks about how the bible (letter) word of God, is sharper than the sharpest two-edge sword.

Why?

Why is it that the word of God can be used, as though a an medieval solider equipped with a sword which is drawn to the neck of his enemy ready to slice the neck at any given moment?

Mishandled understanding?

Lost in translation, and teachings from others who believe they know but do not know truly what the word of God is saying?

Why does the spirit give life?

How come the spirit is the only way to gain life?

How do you live by the spirit?

Who gives the spirit?

Why do we even need the spirit?

Does the spirit transform us?

Does anyone have any answers to these questions!?
The letter of the Law is the Torah taken from the first five books of the Bible, mainly Deuteronomy and Leviticus.

According to Wiki these sins required the death penalty as stated in the Torah. Wiki claims no copyright. I may republish. Another article claimed there are 26 sins requiring capital punishment.

Capital punishment in the Bible - Wikipedia

Capital sins
The Bible states that for the death penalty to be carried out, at least two witnesses were required.[4] (According to Rabbinic tradition, there were numerous other conditions/requirements (such as a warning) that made it difficult to get a conviction.)

Sins that were punishable by death in the Torah, included the following:[1][2]

Homicide (including negligent homicide),[5] striking one's parents,[6]kidnapping[7] cursing one's parents,[8] witchcraft and divination,[9][10]inappropriate behavior with animals[11] worshiping other gods,[12] violating the Sabbath[13] child sacrifice,[14] adultery,[15] incest,[16] and male homosexual intercourse (there is no biblical legal punishment for lesbians).[17][18] The daughter of a Kohen who defiles herself through harlotry,[19] blaspheme (of the Tetragrammaton name of God),[20] a non-Levite "encroaching" on the Levite task of setting up or taking down the Tabernacle,[21] a non-Kohen carrying out priestly duties,[22] promoting the worship of other gods (if an entire town is swayed by such people, the entire town is to be put to death and destroyed),[23] defiantly refusing to accept a court's ruling,[24]maliciously giving false testimony accusing another person of having committed a capital offence,[25] rebellion against parents,[26] If a man marries a girl and claims that she is not a virgin, the girl's parents should produce evidence of her virginity. If it is found that she was not a virgin, she is stoned to death for fornicating while still under her father's authority,[27] intercourse with an engaged/betrothed virgin girl (if she could have cried out for help and did not, she is killed as well).[28][1][2]

Not all instances capital punishment were necessarily to be carried out by humans. There are numerous instances where God issues a warning that getting too close to holy things will result in death. For example, numerous warnings against non-levites/Kohanim getting too close to holy things related to Tabernacle/Temple,[29]

Christians are supposed to be merciful and not kill one another. Some have abolished the death penalty.
 
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Saint Steven

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He is speaking of "the Law of the Spirit of Life."

Rom. 8:2
For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the Law of Sin and Death.

Actually he explained it very well.
In neither case does it mean the spirit of the law.

The comparison in 2 Corinthians 3:6 is between the letter and the Spirit.
Some (many?) have misinterpreted that to mean the letter of the law (words) and the spirit of the law (intent) But that's not what this says at all. Unless you ignore the context. (see, you do it too)

In Romans 8:2 we have something completely different. Again, not about "the spirit of the law". The comparison is between "the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus" and "the law of sin and death." You can't trim away "of life in Christ Jesus" and then claim it only says "the law of the spirit".

Saint Steven said:
Thanks, but there is no such thing as "the Law of the Spirit" either.
 
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Saint Steven

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In neither case does it mean the spirit of the law.

The comparison in 2 Corinthians 3:6 is between the letter and the Spirit.
Some (many?) have misinterpreted that to mean the letter of the law (words) and the spirit of the law (intent) But that's not what this says at all. Unless you ignore the context. (see, you do it too)

In Romans 8:2 we have something completely different. Again, not about "the spirit of the law". The comparison is between "the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus" and "the law of sin and death." You can't trim away "of life in Christ Jesus" and then claim it only says "the law of the spirit".

Saint Steven said:
Thanks, but there is no such thing as "the Law of the Spirit" either.
Furthermore... we are ministers of a NEW covenant NOT OF THE LETTER !!!
BUT of the Spirit (capital "S") as in Holy Spirit. BECAUSE... the letter KILLS, but the Spirit gives LIFE.

2 Corinthians 3:6
He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
 
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The fact that some of the Laws of Moses carried the death penalty for breaking does not mean that that is what he was referring to by the phrase "law of sin and death", especially when Paul directly contrasted the two in Romans 7:25. Furthermore, Paul equated the Law of Moses with the Law of the Spirit by contrasting them both with the law of sin and death. After all, the Law of Moses was given by God and the Spirit is God, so it is the Law of the Spirit. In Romans 8:4-7, those who walk in the Spirit are contrasted with those who have minds set on the flesh who refuse to submit to God's law. The Spirit does not have the role of leading us to rebel against the Father, but rather the Spirit has the role of leading us to obey His law (Ezekiel 36:26-27). In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus summarized the Mosaic Law as being about how to love God and our neighbor, as that is how he loved us and how we are to love as he loved.

Life teaches us that we can analyze things and place them into categories by what they are. For example: Even without the Bible telling us, we can observe that plant life is in an entirely different category than animal life. When looking at the Old Law one can categorize the Old Testament Mosaic Law (the 613 Laws of Moses) into a threefold division:
  1. Moral Laws (Any Law pertaining to doing good as a part of nature).
  2. Ceremonial Laws (Laws pertaining to ceremonies or rituals).
  3. Civil Laws (Laws dealing with civil matters; Which includes Laws on carrying out justice).
Even before the written Law of Moses: We can see that there were Moral Laws (like: “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” Do not covet,” “Do not commit adultery,” etc.), and Ceremonial Laws (like: animal sacrifices).

God's moral laws came into existence for man and would forever exist for him after the Fall of Adam and Eve (after they received the knowledge of good and evil). A Moral Law is any law telling you to do good without a specific law telling you that such a thing is so (See Romans 2:14). These moral laws existed before the Law of Moses.

In the New Covenant (or New Testament) these Moral Laws (like: “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” Do not covet,” “Do not commit adultery,” etc.) are repeated from the 613 laws within the Law of Moses and they still are in effect (i.e. They have been carried over into the New Testament). However, the Old Testament Law of Moses as a whole or package deal is no more (contractually speaking). Ceremonial Laws or commands: Things like the commands on circumcision, animal sacrifices, the Saturday Sabbath, dietary etc. are no longer binding under the New Covenant. This is because the written Law given to Israel is no longer in effect (as a whole). How so?

Here are a list of verses showing us the Old Law is no more:

"When God speaks of a "new" covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear." (Hebrews 8:13) (NLT).

”Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.” (Romans 7:4).

"But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." (Romans 7:6).

"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;" (Colossians 2:14).

20 "Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
22 Which all are to perish with the using; ) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh."
(Colossians 2:20-23).

“By abolishing in His [own crucified] flesh the enmity [caused by] the Law with its decrees and ordinances [which He annulled]; that He from the two might create in Himself one new man [one new quality of humanity out of the two], so making peace.” (Ephesians 2:15) (AMPC).

"The old [former] rule [commandment; regulation] is now set aside [nullified; abolished], because it was weak and useless [ineffective]." (Hebrews 7:18) (EXB).

9 “Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.” (Hebrews 9:9-10).

16 “For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.” (Hebrews 9:16-17).

”And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament…” (Hebrews 9:15).

27 “And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:27-28).

50 “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; “ (Matthew 27:20-51).

8 “Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.” (Hebrews 10:8-9).

“And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.” (Acts of the Apostles 15:1).

“But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” (Acts of the Apostles 15:5).

“Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment” (Acts of the Apostles 15:24).

28 "For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well." (Acts of the Apostles 15:28-29).

7 "But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious." (2 Corinthians 3:7-11).

“But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 3:14).​

The Old Covenant says this about circumcision:

"And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant." (Genesis 17:14).​

Yet, the New Covenant says this about circumcision:

"Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing." (Galatians 5:2).​

The Old Covenant says this about the Sabbath:

32 "And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
35 And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses." (Numbers 15:32-36).​

Yet, the New Covenant says this about the Sabbath:

"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:" (Colossians 2:16).​

So it appears things have changed.

This makes sense because Hebrews 7:12 says the Law has changed.

"For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law." (Hebrews 7:12).

“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17).​

In conclusion:

You sort of have to look at the Old Covenant (Old Testament) as one contract, and the New Covenant (New Testament) as another contract. It's kind of like a contract when you buy a house. If you did not like certain things in the contract, you could ask them to make some changes in the contract. If they agreed to the changes, you would then go by the new contract, and the old contract for the house would be discarded. There may be some similar things between the old contract, and the new contract, but you stick with the new contract in your dealing with buying the house. Meaning: This is why we seek to follow the New Covenant (New Testament) primarily even though there are certain laws that have carried over from the Old Covenant (Old Testament). We are clearly not under the 613 Laws of Moses as a whole or package deal. We follow the commands that come from Jesus and His followers.
 
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The fact that some of the Laws of Moses carried the death penalty for breaking does not mean that that is what he was referring to by the phrase "law of sin and death", especially when Paul directly contrasted the two in Romans 7:25. Furthermore, Paul equated the Law of Moses with the Law of the Spirit by contrasting them both with the law of sin and death. After all, the Law of Moses was given by God and the Spirit is God, so it is the Law of the Spirit. In Romans 8:4-7, those who walk in the Spirit are contrasted with those who have minds set on the flesh who refuse to submit to God's law. The Spirit does not have the role of leading us to rebel against the Father, but rather the Spirit has the role of leading us to obey His law (Ezekiel 36:26-27). In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus summarized the Mosaic Law as being about how to love God and our neighbor, as that is how he loved us and how we are to love as he loved.

The whole theme of Romans 7 is the Old Law. Romans 7:6 says we are to serve in newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. Romans 8:2 contrasts the two laws between the two covenants. The “Law of Sin and Death” was the Law of Moses, and the “Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus” is a New Covenant Law. Paul even makes it a point at the beginning of Romans 7 that he was referring to the Old Law.

“Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,)...” (Romans 7:1).

Obviously Paul is referring to the Law of Moses and not the commands of Jesus here.

“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17).
 
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People think that the letter that kills is Scripture in general or to all of God's laws in general. This is not the case. The letter that kills is the Law of Moses. There was no New Testament Scriptures combined neatly in a book yet at the time of this writing by Paul. The letter was a reference to the Torah because it was the popular writings (letters) at that time. The new way of the Spirit was creating new Scriptures and a new way for God's people. We have to obey the commands that come from Jesus and His followers. The letter (i.e. the Old Testament Law of Moses Letters) killed because you could be put to death for disobeying God's commands. The Spirit inspired New Testament Scriptures offers life because there is no death penalty by the hand of God's people for disobeying the Lord's commands. There is mercy and grace or space to seek forgiveness with the Lord Jesus Christ and forsake sin.
 
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2 Corinthians 3:6 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

What does the word of God, kill?

Why does the letter killeth?

What is the letter killing?

Why would the letter kill the spirit if that is the probably effect?

Have you ever noticed this verse in the text, now in Hebrews 4:12 it talks about how the bible (letter) word of God, is sharper than the sharpest two-edge sword.

Why?

Why is it that the word of God can be used, as though a an medieval solider equipped with a sword which is drawn to the neck of his enemy ready to slice the neck at any given moment?

Mishandled understanding?

Lost in translation, and teachings from others who believe they know but do not know truly what the word of God is saying?

Why does the spirit give life?

How come the spirit is the only way to gain life?

How do you live by the spirit?

Who gives the spirit?

Why do we even need the spirit?

Does the spirit transform us?

Does anyone have any answers to these questions!?

The common denominator to all these is the soul.
 
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DamianWarS

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2 Corinthians 3:6 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

What does the word of God, kill?

Why does the letter killeth?

What is the letter killing?

Why would the letter kill the spirit if that is the probably effect?

Have you ever noticed this verse in the text, now in Hebrews 4:12 it talks about how the bible (letter) word of God, is sharper than the sharpest two-edge sword.

Why?

Why is it that the word of God can be used, as though a an medieval solider equipped with a sword which is drawn to the neck of his enemy ready to slice the neck at any given moment?

Mishandled understanding?

Lost in translation, and teachings from others who believe they know but do not know truly what the word of God is saying?

Why does the spirit give life?

How come the spirit is the only way to gain life?

How do you live by the spirit?

Who gives the spirit?

Why do we even need the spirit?

Does the spirit transform us?

Does anyone have any answers to these questions!?
the law demands death. it is the system that points to Christ and if we choose the look to the law instead of looking to Christ we are choosing a system where the final answer is always death. If we choose Christ and live according to the spirit we are given new life. Does this mean the law is nothing? no, the law points to Christ but it is meaningless without Christ.
 
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Dave L

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One of the best illustrations of letter vs Spiritual interpretations of scripture begins with Daniel.

Daniel said; “And in the days of these kings [Old Roman Empire] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” Daniel 2:44 (NCPB)

But the Pharisee literalists could not see it. They read the Kingdom Prophecies looking for them to happen during that time. Instead of asking what they meant, and looking for what they symbolized.

They looked for a physical kingdom not knowing it was spiritual. And then rejecting Jesus' gospel of the kingdom as false. Since they could not see it, they also rejected Jesus. Thinking the symbols of the kingdom given by the prophets would happen instead of what they represented.

ANd then, we see the fulfillment of Amos who said “‘In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof, and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name,’ saith the LORD that doeth this. ‘Behold, the days come,’ saith the LORD, ‘that the ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed, and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel: and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof: they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them,’ saith the LORD thy God.” Amos 9:11–15 (NCPB)

Fulfilled according to James

“And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, ‘Men and brethren, hearken unto me. Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets, as it is written, “ ‘After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down: and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called,’ saith the Lord, who doeth all these things”.” Acts 15:13–17 (NCPB)

So the letter surely kills but the Spirit gives life.
 
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The letter that kills is the Old Testament Law of Moses. Surely the letter that kills is not in reference to the commands of our Lord Jesus Christ within the New Testament Scriptures. Why?

Well, according to Scripture, anyone who does not hear that prophet Jesus shall be destroyed.

“And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.” (Acts of the Apostles 3:23).

For the person who does not receive Christ's words those very words will judge them on the last day.

“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” (John 12:48).

What kind of words of Jesus can judge a person on the last day?

“But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” (Matthew 5:28-29).

This was a new teaching of our Lord. This is not the letter that kills from the Old Law.
The reason why it was called the letter that kills is because you could be stoned for breaking God's law.
Example. Jesus did not follow the OT Law of Moses when the woman was caught in the act of adultery. According to the Law, she should have been stoned. But Jesus was offerring us new teachings and new commands. Jesus did not stone the woman.

“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17).
 
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Life teaches us that we can analyze things and place them into categories by what they are. For example: Even without the Bible telling us, we can observe that plant life is in an entirely different category than animal life. When looking at the Old Law one can categorize the Old Testament Mosaic Law (the 613 Laws of Moses) into a threefold division:
  1. Moral Laws (Any Law pertaining to doing good as a part of nature).
  2. Ceremonial Laws (Laws pertaining to ceremonies or rituals).
  3. Civil Laws (Laws dealing with civil matters; Which includes Laws on carrying out justice).
Even before the written Law of Moses: We can see that there were Moral Laws (like: “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” Do not covet,” “Do not commit adultery,” etc.), and Ceremonial Laws (like: animal sacrifices).

God's moral laws came into existence for man and would forever exist for him after the Fall of Adam and Eve (after they received the knowledge of good and evil). A Moral Law is any law telling you to do good without a specific law telling you that such a thing is so (See Romans 2:14). These moral laws existed before the Law of Moses.

In the New Covenant (or New Testament) these Moral Laws (like: “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” Do not covet,” “Do not commit adultery,” etc.) are repeated from the 613 laws within the Law of Moses and they still are in effect (i.e. They have been carried over into the New Testament). However, the Old Testament Law of Moses as a whole or package deal is no more (contractually speaking). Ceremonial Laws or commands: Things like the commands on circumcision, animal sacrifices, the Saturday Sabbath, dietary etc. are no longer binding under the New Covenant. This is because the written Law given to Israel is no longer in effect (as a whole). How so?

While we are free analyze things and create whatever categories that we want to place God's laws into, that does not establish that any of the authors of the Bible ever used those categories. For example, I could categorize God's laws based on which part of the body is most commonly used to follow or break them, such as the hand being used to commit theft, but if I were try to insert my categories back into the Bible in order to create my own doctrines out of them as you have done with your categories even though the authors of the Bible never used them, then I would also run into error. The way that you have categorized God's laws implies that it is moral to disobey ceremonial and civil laws, but there are no examples in the Bible of it being moral to disobey any of God's laws. Morality is in regard to what we ought to do and we ought to obey God, so all of God's laws are inherently moral laws.

Here are a list of verses showing us the Old Law is no more:

In Matthew 5:17-19, Jesus specifically said that he came not to abolish the law and warned those who would relax the least part of the law or teach others to do the same, so you are calling him a liar and disregarding his warning. Likewise, Paul said in Romans 3:31 that our faith does not abolish our need to obey God's law, but rather our faith upholds it, yet you are trying to use his words to say the opposite. Instructions for how to act in accordance with the nature of the God of Israel can't be abolished without first abolishing the God of Israel, so that is Whom you are trying to say is no more.

"When God speaks of a "new" covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear." (Hebrews 8:13) (NLT).

In Hebrews 8:10, the New Covenant still involves following God's law, so while the Mosaic Covenant has become obsolete, God's eternal law did not become obsolete along with it. It was sinful to commit adultery in Genesis 39:9, long before the Mosaic Covenant was made, during it, and after it has become obsolete, so there is nothing about any number of covenants being made or becoming obsolete which changes which actions are righteous or sinful or that causes any of God's eternal laws to become obsolete.

”Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.” (Romans 7:4).

At not point in Paul's example from the law in Romans 7:1-4 was the women ever set free from being required to obey any of God's laws, so there is nothing in these verses that leads to the conclusion that in the same way all of God's laws are no more.

"But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." (Romans 7:6).

In Romans 7:22-23, Paul said that he delighted in obeying God's law, but contrasted that with the law of sin that held him captive, and in 7:6, Paul described us as being set free from a law that held us captive, so he was speaking about the law of sin, not speaking against the Law of God that he delighted in obeying.

"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;" (Colossians 2:14).

God's laws are not handwriting of ordinances that were against us, but rather they were given for our own good in order to bless us (Deuteronomy 6:24, 10:12-13). Whenever someone was crucified, the people would write out a sign that listed the charges that were against them and nail it to their cross in order to announce why they were being executed (Matthew 27:37). This served as a perfect analogy for the list of our violations of the Torah being nailed to the cross and with him dying in our place to pay the penalty for our sins, but has nothing to do with ending any of the laws, especially because they are all eternal (Psalms 119:160).

20 "Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
22 Which all are to perish with the using; ) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh."
(Colossians 2:20-23).

Verse 22 describes what Paul was speaking about as being after the commandments and doctrines of men, so why are you trying to use these verses to make Paul out to be speak against the commandments of God? In case you've forgotten, Paul was not an enemy of God.

“By abolishing in His [own crucified] flesh the enmity [caused by] the Law with its decrees and ordinances [which He annulled]; that He from the two might create in Himself one new man [one new quality of humanity out of the two], so making peace.” (Ephesians 2:15) (AMPC).

All of God's righteous laws are eternal (Psalms 119:160), so Ephesians 2:15 couldn't be referring to any of God's laws. God did not make any mistakes when the law was given, so He had no need to abolish His own eternal laws. Furthermore, God did not give any laws for the purpose of creating a dividing wall of hostility, but rather His law instructs us to love our neighbor as ourselves.

"The old [former] rule [commandment; regulation] is now set aside [nullified; abolished], because it was weak and useless [ineffective]." (Hebrews 7:18) (EXB).
Yet, the New Covenant says this about circumcision:

Do you think that that the author of Hebrews or the Jerusalem Council or anyone in the NT had the authority to countermand God? In Deuteronomy 4:2, it is a sin to add to or subtract from God's law, so you should be quicker to think that someone who tried to do that has sinned and needs to repent than to follow someone who tries to do that. In Deuteronomy 13:4-5, the way that God instructed His people to determine that someone was a false prophet who was not speaking for Him was if they taught against obeying His law, so God simply did not give His people any room to follow anyone who does that. The bottom line is that we must obey God rather than man, so we should be quicker to disregard everything that any man has said than to disregard anything that God has commanded. I don't think the author of Hebrews or or the Jerusalem Council ever spoke against anyone obeying any of God's laws, but if you do, then you should disregard everything they said in favor of obeying God instead. When God has commanded something and you think someone spoke against obeying what God has commanded, then it shouldn't be difficult for you to figure out which one has the higher authority and which one you should follow.

"Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing." (Galatians 5:2).

Roughly 80% of the men in the US as circumcised and in a Acts 16:3, Paul had Timothy circumcised, so do you think that Galatians 5:2 is saying that Christ is of no value to us?

In Acts 15:1, they were wanting to require all Gentiles to become circumcised in order to become justified, however, that was never the purpose for which God commanded circumcision, so the problem was that circumcision was being used for a man-made purpose that went above and beyond the purpose for which God commanded it. So the Jerusalem Council upheld God's law by correctly ruling against that requirement and a ruling against requiring something that God never commanded should not be mistaken as being a ruling against requiring what God has commanded. Paul's problem in Galatians was not with those who were teaching Gentiles to obey God's law, as if obedience to God were somehow a negative thing, but rather his problem was with those who were wanting to require Gentiles to obey their works of the law in order to become justified.

The Old Covenant says this about the Sabbath:
32 "And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
35 And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses." (Numbers 15:32-36).​

Yet, the New Covenant says this about the Sabbath:
"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:" (Colossians 2:16).

You continue to mistake things that were only said against obeying man as being against obeying God. In Colossians 2:16-23, Paul described the people who were judging them as teaching human traditions and precepts, self-made religion, asceticism, and severity to the body, so they were being judged by pagans. This means that the Colossians were keeping God's holy days in obedience to His commands in accordance with the example that Christ set for us to follow and Paul was encouraging them not to let any man judge them and keep them from obeying God.


So it appears things have changed.

This makes sense because Hebrews 7:12 says the Law has changed.

"For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law." (Hebrews 7:12).

“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17).​


If the way to act in accordance with God's nature were to change when the New Covenant was made, then God's nature would not be eternal, but it is eternal, therefore Hebrews 7:12 is not speaking about changes to the content of God's eternal law, such as with it becoming righteous to commit idolatry or sinful to help the poor. Rather, the context is speaking about a change in the priesthood, which would also require a change in the law in regard to its administration.

In conclusion:
You sort of have to look at the Old Covenant (Old Testament) as one contract, and the New Covenant (New Testament) as another contract. It's kind of like a contract when you buy a house. If you did not like certain things in the contract, you could ask them to make some changes in the contract. If they agreed to the changes, you would then go by the new contract, and the old contract for the house would be discarded. There may be some similar things between the old contract, and the new contract, but you stick with the new contract in your dealing with buying the house. Meaning: This is why we seek to follow the New Covenant (New Testament) primarily even though there are certain laws that have carried over from the Old Covenant (Old Testament). We are clearly not under the 613 Laws of Moses as a whole or package deal. We follow the commands that come from Jesus and His followers.

The way to act in accordance with God's nature is straightforwardly based on God's nature, not on any particular covenant, and God's nature is eternal, so any instructions that God has ever given for how to express His nature are eternally valid regardless of which covenant someone is under, if any. For example, it was sinful to commit adultery before God made any covenants with man, and will always be sinful no matter how many covenants God makes, so it's not something that arbitrarily changes from contract to contract. Jesus set a sinless example of how to walk in obedience to the Mosaic Law, he did not hypocritically preach something other than what he practiced, and he did not establish the New Covenant in order to undermine anything that he spent his ministry teaching by word and by example, but rather the New Covenant still involves following Gods law (Jeremiah 31:33). It is up for people to look at the law that Jesus taught by word and by example and to decide whether to become his follower.
 
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One of the best illustrations of letter vs Spiritual interpretations of scripture begins with Daniel.

Daniel said; “And in the days of these kings [Old Roman Empire] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” Daniel 2:44 (NCPB)

But the Pharisee literalists could not see it. They read the Kingdom Prophecies looking for them to happen during that time. Instead of asking what they meant, and looking for what they symbolized.

They looked for a physical kingdom not knowing it was spiritual. And then rejecting Jesus' gospel of the kingdom as false. Since they could not see it, they also rejected Jesus. Thinking the symbols of the kingdom given by the prophets would happen instead of what they represented.

ANd then, we see the fulfillment of Amos who said “‘In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof, and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name,’ saith the LORD that doeth this. ‘Behold, the days come,’ saith the LORD, ‘that the ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed, and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel: and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof: they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them,’ saith the LORD thy God.” Amos 9:11–15 (NCPB)

Fulfilled according to James

“And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, ‘Men and brethren, hearken unto me. Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets, as it is written, “ ‘After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down: and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called,’ saith the Lord, who doeth all these things”.” Acts 15:13–17 (NCPB)

So the letter surely kills but the Spirit gives life.

These scriptures all in some way seem to me to be alluded to by our Lord when he baffles the Pharisees (and the disciples) with 'Tear down this temple and I will raise it up in 3 days.' (Jn 2:19)
 
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Have you ever noticed this verse in the text, now in Hebrews 4:12 it talks about how the bible (letter) word of God, is sharper than the sharpest two-edge sword.

Why?

Why is it that the word of God can be used, as though a an medieval solider equipped with a sword which is drawn to the neck of his enemy ready to slice the neck at any given moment?
Too many questions, lol. But I like this one. The word of God divides. It not only divides those who believe from those who don't but it cuts us off from our selfish selves. We want to see things wholly from our fleshly view, but it forces us to look at everything through God's view. Notice how often it talks about the flesh and the spirit, which are both present in every human.
 
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2 Corinthians 3:6 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
...

I think it simply means, in the letter there is the judgment that the wage of sin is death. But, God, Spirit can forgive and lead to life by causing the change that makes person righteous.

These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Mat. 25:46

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God's children, to those who believe in his name: who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:12-13

It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.
John 6:63

… Whoever is born of God doesn't commit sin, because his seed remains in him; and he can't sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn't do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn't love his brother.
1 John 3:7-10
 
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Biltong65

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2 Corinthians 3:6 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

What does the word of God, kill?

Why does the letter killeth?

What is the letter killing?

Why would the letter kill the spirit if that is the probably effect?

Have you ever noticed this verse in the text, now in Hebrews 4:12 it talks about how the bible (letter) word of God, is sharper than the sharpest two-edge sword.

Why?

Why is it that the word of God can be used, as though a an medieval solider equipped with a sword which is drawn to the neck of his enemy ready to slice the neck at any given moment?

Mishandled understanding?

Lost in translation, and teachings from others who believe they know but do not know truly what the word of God is saying?

Why does the spirit give life?

How come the spirit is the only way to gain life?

How do you live by the spirit?

Who gives the spirit?

Why do we even need the spirit?

Does the spirit transform us?

Does anyone have any answers to these questions!?


This goes into Law vs. Grace.

The Letter is Law (the Old Covenant), the Spirit is Grace (the New Covenant).

We are condemned according to the Law, We are saved by Grace.
 
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Chris35

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The word of God divides. It not only divides those who believe from those who don't but it cuts us off from our selfish selves. We want to see things wholly from our fleshly view, but it forces us to look at everything through God's view. Notice how often it talks about the flesh and the spirit, which are both present in every human

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

An example of a two edged sword, seperating the flesh from the spirit, exposing the attitudes of our hearts.

"When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the LORD your God.'"

16And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’

20“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’


Awesome law and parable, it is very insightful. It exposes the flesh, it exposes greed within us and our hearts, and also exposes a massive problem with the world.

Alot blame God for people starving in the world, however, God gives in abundance, so we can share it with those in need, the flesh likes to hoard everything for itself. This is why so many live in poverty, and so many people starve, because the world will not do this simple thing.

It can judge the flesh harshly, make us feel depressed, condemned and unable to do these things.

However through the spirit, the spirit delights in things like these. God gives in abundance so that we can help others! What a great God we have!

You can only have joy in these things through the spirit. Joy in who God is, for such a wonderful law that God has made.
 
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