Observations about the law, the Law, God's law, Christ's law - four different things

[Bob]

Yes.
Human conscience is the law before the law. God's law. (of human conscience)
The knowledge of Good and Evil that came with the Fall.
This is the law before the law of Moses was given. And it still applies today.
God recognizes the good in pagan gentiles that follow God's law of human conscience.
I know pagans that are better humans than some Christians. (too many, frankly)

Romans 2:14-16 NIV
(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law,
do by nature things required by the law,
they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law.
15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts,
their consciences also bearing witness,
and their thoughts sometimes accusing them
and at other times even defending them.)
16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets
through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

Thank you for the response.

Now we have another issue. Good Christians know that without God’s help, we are tempted to stray and rationalize strictly un-Christ-like behavior. Born-again Christians must be diligent and appropriately prayerful. (Aside: And there are contributors to this space who insist that without an Evangelical faith, certain individuals might as well be followers of Ba’al.)

So: how did entire communities of pagans foster & maintain a Neighborly culture? (And, similarly, how did certain indigenous tribes across the globe maintain their “harmonious“ cultures?)

Blessings.

 

[St. SteVen]

So: how did entire communities of pagans foster & maintain a Neighborly culture? (And, similarly, how did certain indigenous tribes across the globe maintain their “harmonious“ cultures?)

God's law of human conscience is like a compass to guide individuals and nations in goodwill (love) to their neighbors.
There is also external evidence that doing the right thing is rewarding and doing wrong has terrible consequences.

I remember the first time I encountered my God-given human conscience.
Reaching for a candy in a store with the intent of not paying for it, I was suddenly struck with a notable uneasiness.
It was so overwhelming, I could barely catch my breath. My inner compass told me it was wrong.
As a child I knew nothing about the law God had given to the Israelites alone through Moses.
So, what was this sense of right and wrong? (God-given human conscience)

 

[St. SteVen]

(Aside: And there are contributors to this space who insist that without an Evangelical faith, certain individuals might as well be followers of Ba’al.)

That reminds me of a common biblical misquote. "Judge not."
Notice that the misquote above ends with a period. (full stop)
It should be a comma, followed by this: "... that ye be not judged."

Matthew 7:1 KJV
Judge not, that ye be not judged.

 

[Soyeong]

St. SteVen said:

- What's the difference between the law and the Law? (capital L)

- What's the difference between the law and God's law?

- What's the difference between the law, God's law, and Christ's law?

The law, the Law, God's law, Christ's law; four different things.
Agree, or disagree?

The capital L is used to refer to the name of something such as the Law of Moses, the Law of the Spirit, the Law of Christ, and the Law of God. Christ set a sinless example for us to follow of how to walk in the Law of the Spirit and what that looked like was a sinless example of how to walk in obedience to the Law of Moses, so those are different ways of referring to the same thing. The Law of Moses is called the Law of God in verses like Nehemiah 8:1-8, Ezra 7:6-12, and Luke 2:22-23, and Christ and the Spirit are God. The lower case l can refer to God’s possession, so God’s law and the Law of God are also the same thing.

Seriously?

No difference between
the law God gave to the Israelites alone through Moses
AND
The Books of the Law (the Pentateuch) ???

Correct.

No difference between
the law God gave to the Israelites alone through Moses
AND
God's law of human conscience? (the law before the law)

There is no law of conscience. God’s character traits are eternal, so the way to be a doer of them existed before God made man long before God gave those instructions to Moses.

No difference between
the law God gave to the Israelites alone through Moses
OR
God's law of human conscience? (the law before the law)
OR
Christ's law?

In Matthew 4:15-23, Christ began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand, which was a light to the Gentiles, and the Law of Moses was how his audience knew what sin is (Romans 3:20), so repenting from our disobedience to it is a central part of the Gospel of Christ. Christ also set a sinless example for us to follow of how to walk in obedience to the Law of Moses, and we are told to follow his example (1 Peter 2:21-22) and that those who are in Christ are obligated to walk in the same way that he walked (1 John 2:6). So Christ spent his ministry teaching his followers to obey the Law of Moses by word and by example and I see no justification for thinking that the Law of Christ is something other than or contrary to anything that Christ taught. Christ quoted three times from Deuteronomy in order to defeat the temptations of Satan, which included saying that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God, so again I see no justification for thinking that the Law of Christ is something other than or contrary to anything that has come from the mouth of God.

1 Corinthians 9:20-22 NIV
To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.
To those under the law I became like one under the law
(though I myself am not under the law),
so as to win those under the law.
21 To those not having the law I became like one
not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law
but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.
22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.
I have become all things to all people
so that by all possible means I might save some.

Paul used a parallel statement to equate not being free from God’s law with being under the Law of Christ, so again it is the same thing.

 

[St. SteVen]

St. SteVen said:
1 Corinthians 9:20-22 NIV
To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.
To those under the law I became like one under the law
(though I myself am not under the law),
so as to win those under the law.
21 To those not having the law I became like one
not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law
but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.
22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.
I have become all things to all people
so that by all possible means I might save some.

Paul used a parallel statement to equate not being free from God’s law with being under the Law of Christ, so again it is the same thing.

I disagree. (obviously)
The law, God's law and Christ's law. Three different things.

Questions:
- Was Paul sinning when he "became like one not having the law" ??? vs 21
- Was Paul pretending when he "became like one under the law" ??? vs 20
He said, "I myself am not under the law"

 

[Bob]

God's law of human conscience is like a compass to guide individuals and nations in goodwill (love) to their neighbors.
There is also external evidence that doing the right thing is rewarding and doing wrong has terrible consequences.

I remember the first time I encountered my God-given human conscience.
Reaching for a candy in a store with the intent of not paying for it, I was suddenly struck with a notable uneasiness.
It was so overwhelming, I could barely catch my breath. My inner compass told me it was wrong.
As a child I knew nothing about the law God had given to the Israelites alone through Moses.
So, what was this sense of right and wrong? (God-given human conscience)

Thank you for the response.

To begin: a God-given conscience means we each are endowed with the ability to understand concepts like “right” and “wrong” independent of reward/punishment. In contrast, other social mammals do not have this understanding: they live in “might makes right” worlds. God did not preload Love Thy Neighbor into my or your conscience. We can only know about right and wrong if we are told: good parents will so instruct their children. (And bad parents will raise them like little animals.)

Our differences of opinion aside, we still need to understand how some cultures are hospitable and some not. Examples: Japan (Shinto-Buddhist) is known now for its hospitable/harmonious culture, whereas Haiti . . . .

My conjecture: God is working in the lives of the best communities, even when they have no conscious knowledge of Him. In particular He works through each community’s spiritual leaders, who in turn foster and maintain the harmonious culture.

Blessings.

 

[St. SteVen]

New topic:

Christians think they're okay. - Are they?

I have observed a state of superiority in Christians that is rather disturbing. They view themselves as saved and somehow members of an elite group. With that elitist attitude comes a level of pridefulness that is smug. They like to look down on others and condemn them. To be clear, it's...

www.christianityboard.com

 

[gpresdo]

St. SteVen said:
1 Corinthians 9:20-22 NIV
To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.
To those under the law I became like one under the law
(though I myself am not under the law),
so as to win those under the law.
21 To those not having the law I became like one
not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law
but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.
22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.
I have become all things to all people
so that by all possible means I might save some.

I disagree. (obviously)
The law, God's law and Christ's law. Three different things.

Questions:
- Was Paul sinning when he "became like one not having the law" ??? vs 21
- Was Paul pretending when he "became like one under the law" ??? vs 20
He said, "I myself am not under the law"

Then who originated the three different laws?

 

[Soyeong]

St. SteVen said:
1 Corinthians 9:20-22 NIV
To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.
To those under the law I became like one under the law
(though I myself am not under the law),
so as to win those under the law.
21 To those not having the law I became like one
not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law
but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.
22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.
I have become all things to all people
so that by all possible means I might save some.

I disagree. (obviously)
The law, God's law and Christ's law. Three different things.

Questions:
- Was Paul sinning when he "became like one not having the law" ??? vs 21
- Was Paul pretending when he "became like one under the law" ??? vs 20
He said, "I myself am not under the law"

Granted, the law can also refer to different categories of law other than the Law of God. No Paul was not speaking about sinning in order to reach sinners for Christ because that would have completely undermined the Gospel message. Paul was not speaking about pretending or about deceiving others, but was speaking about giving us his rights in order to meet people where they were at.

 

[St. SteVen]

Granted, the law can also refer to different categories of law other than the Law of God.

Do you consider "God's law" to be the same as the law given to the Israelites alone through Moses?
(sorry for the loaded question, I want to be specific)

If so, what was the law before the law? (given to the Israelites alone through Moses)
The law before the Exodus.

Note: Israel did not keep the Sabbath before it was given in Exodus chapter 16.

 

[Soyeong]

Do you consider "God's law" to be the same as the law given to the Israelites alone through Moses?
(sorry for the loaded question, I want to be specific)

Indeed. In Deuteronomy 5:31-33, Moses wrote down everything that God spoke to him without departing from it, which is why the Law of Moses is called the Law of God in verses like Nehemiah 8:1-8, Ezra 7:6-12, and Luke 2:22-23.

If so, what was the law before the law? (given to the Israelites alone through Moses)
The law before the Exodus.

God’s character traits are eternal, so there has always existed a way to be a doer of them regardless of when God gave instructions to for how to do that to Abraham, Moses, or someone else.

In Matthew 4:15-23, Jesus began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand, which was a light to the Gentiles, and the Law of Moses was how his audience knew what sin is (Romans 3:20), so repenting from our disobedience to it is a central part of the Gospel of the Kingdom, which is in accordance with Jesus being sent as the promised seed to bless us by turning us from our wickedness (Acts 3:25-26), which is the Gospel that was made known in advance to Abraham in accordance with the promise (Galatians 3:8), which he spread to those in Haran in accordance with the promise (Genesis 12:1-5).

The Hebrew “yada” refers to intimate relationships/knowledge gained by experience such as with Genesis 4:1 where Adam knew (yada) Eve, she conceived, and gave birth to Cain. God’s way is the way to walk with and know (yada) Him and Jesus by embodying His likeness through experiencing being a doer His character traits, which is the way back to the Tree of Life (John 17:3). For example, in Genesis 18:19, God knew (yada) Abraham that he would teach his children and those of his household to walk in His way by being doers of righteousness and justice that the Lord might bring to him all that He has promised. In Genesis 26:4-5, God will multiply Abraham’s children as the stars in the heavens, to his children He will give all of these lands, and through his children all of the nations of the earth shall be blessed because he heard God’s voice and guarded His charge, commandments, statues, and laws. In Deuteronomy 30:16, if the children of Abraham will love God with all of their hearts by walking in His way in obedience to His commandments , statues, and laws, then they will live and multiply and God will bless them in the land that they go to possess. So the promise was made to Abraham and brought about because he walked in God’s way in obedience to His law, he taught his children and those of his household to do that in accordance with spreading the Gospel of the Kingdom that was made known in advance to him, and because they did that in obedience to the Law of Moses.

In Exodus 33:13, Moses wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him to walk in His way that he and Israel might know (yada) Him, and in Matthew 7:23, Jesus said that he would tell those who are workers of lawlessness to depart from him because he never knew them, so the goal of the Law of Moses is to graciously teach us how to have an intimate relationship with God and Jesus, which is the content of the gift of eternal life. So both Abraham and Moses spread the Gospel of the Kingdom by turning people from their wickedness and by teaching them to walk in God’s way in obedience to His law.

Note: Israel did not keep the Sabbath before it was given in Exodus chapter 16.

There are many examples of God’s laws being in place prior to Sinai, so Sinai being the first record of a law being given does not imply that it is the first time that it was given. For example, in Genesis 4:7, God told Cain that sin was crouching at the door and that he must master it, which implies that he already knew what sin is and had already been given laws in that regard. In Genesis 5:24, Enoch walked in God’s way. In Genesis 6:8-9, Noah found grace in the eyes of God, he was a righteous man, he walked with God, so God was gracious to him by teaching him to walk in His way and he was righteous because he obeyed through faith. In Genesis 7:2, Noah was told what to do with clean and unclean animals without being told how to tell the difference, and in 8:20, he knew to offer a clean animal. Again with Genesis 26:5. In Genesis 38:9, Joseph knew that it was a sin to commit adultery.

 

[St. SteVen]

There are many examples of God’s laws being in place prior to Sinai, so Sinai being the first record of a law being given does not imply that it is the first time that it was given. For example, in Genesis 4:7, God told Cain that sin was crouching at the door and that he must master it, which implies that he already knew what sin is and had already been given laws in that regard. In Genesis 5:24, Enoch walked in God’s way. In Genesis 6:8-9, Noah found grace in the eyes of God, he was a righteous man, he walked with God, so God was gracious to him by teaching him to walk in His way and he was righteous because he obeyed through faith. In Genesis 7:2, Noah was told what to do with clean and unclean animals without being told how to tell the difference, and in 8:20, he knew to offer a clean animal. Again with Genesis 26:5. In Genesis 38:9, Joseph knew that it was a sin to commit adultery.

You make a good case here. (not enough to change my mind, but a notable effort, thanks)
Obviously not the law of Moses from the beginning.
The Apostle Paul indicated in several places that we are NOT under the law.

Galatians 3:23-25 NIV
Before the coming of this faith,[a] we were held in custody under the law,
locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed.
24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.
25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

Romans 3:21 NIV
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known,
to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

 

[Soyeong]

You make a good case here. (not enough to change my mind, but a notable effort, thanks)
Obviously not the law of Moses from the beginning.

Do you grant that the Mosaic Law teaches us things that are true about how to be a doer God’s character traits? If so, then do you think that it teaches us things that are temporarily true in accordance with God having temporary character traits or that it teaches us things that have always been and will always be true? If eternally true, then those instructions are eternally valid for anyone who wants to know God through being a doer of His character traits regardless of which covenant they are under or whether they have an obligation to do so while the way to refuse know God would be by refusing to follow those instructions.

The Apostle Paul indicated in several places that we are NOT under the law.

Galatians 3:23-25 NIV
Before the coming of this faith,[a] we were held in custody under the law,
locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed.
24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.
25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

A child no longer needs a guardian to help them cross a busy street when they have been taught to safely cross it on their own, but it would be incorrect for them to think that means that it is then ok for them to go play in a busy street. Do you think that the correct interpretation of those verses is that the Law of Moses leads us to Christ so that we can then reject everything he taught and become doers of what it reveals to be wickedness?

Romans 3:21 NIV
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known,
to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

Righteousness is not earned as the result of our works but rather it is embodied through our works. The one and only way to become righteous is through faith apart from being required to have first done enough works in order to earn it as the result, but what it means to be righteous is to be a doer of righteous works in obedience to the Law of God (1 John 3:4-7), so it would be contradictory to become righteous apart from becoming a doer of righteous works. This is why the faith by which we are declared righteous apart from works also upholds the Law of God (Romans 3:28-31). Everyone who has faith will be declared righteous and everyone who has faith is a doer of the Law of God, which is how Paul can deny in Romans 4:1-5 that we can earn our righteousness as the result of our works while also affirming in Romans 2:13 that only the doers of the Law of God will be declared righteous.

While it is true that Abraham was declared righteous because he believed God (Genesis 15:6), it is also true that he was a doer of righteous works because he believed God (Genesis 18:19) and that he obeyed God’s command to offer Isaac because he believed God (Hebrews 11:17), so the faith by which he was declared righteous was also embodied by being an obeyer of God but he did not earn his righteousness as the result of his obedience. In James 2:21-24, it quotes Genesis 15:6 to support saying that Abraham was declared righteous by his works when he offered Isaac, that his faith was active along with his works, and his faith completed his works, so be was declared righteous by his work insofar as they embodied his faith but not insofar as they were earning it as a wage.

 

[St. SteVen]

Do you grant that the Mosaic Law teaches us things that are true about how to be a doer God’s character traits?

No.
The Mosaic law added little in this regard to God's law of human conscience.
The Apostle Peter said it best.

Acts 15:10 NIV
Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles
a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?

 

[Soyeong]

No.
The Mosaic law added little in this regard to God's law of human conscience.

For example, in 1 Peter 1:16, we are told to be holy for God is holy, which is a quote from Leviticus where God was giving instructions for how to do that. Do you maintain that the Mosaic Law does not teach us how to act in accordance with God's holiness?

The Apostle Peter said it best.


Acts 15:10 NIV
Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles
a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?

Do you think that the belief that the Law of Moses is a yoke that no one can bear is compatible with the belief that the following words accurately describe the Law of Moses?:

Psalms 19:7-11
The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

 

[St. SteVen]

Do you maintain that the Mosaic Law does not teach us how to act in accordance with God's holiness?

I maintain that we don't need it for that reason.

Galatians 5:18 NIV
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

 

[Soyeong]

I maintain that we don't need it for that reason.

Galatians 5:18 NIV
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The Law of Moses was given by God and the Spirit is God, so does it make sense to you to interpret that verses as saying that we aren't led by God when we are led by God?

Also, you neglected to answer my question in regard to Acts 15:10.

 

[St. SteVen]

The Law of Moses was given by God and the Spirit is God, so does it make sense to you to interpret that verses as saying that we aren't led by God when we are led by God?

Also, you neglected to answer my question in regard to Acts 15:10.

I find that what the Bible says about the law is quite contradictory.
Your example of Psalms 19:7-11 makes this quite clear.

In Matthew chapter five, Jesus treats the law as hearsay, with six
"You have heard that it was said... But I tell you..." statements. Thus dismissing the law.
And He is known to be a Sabbath breaker. (John 5:18; John 9:16; Matthew 12:1; Mark 2:23; Luke 6:1)

And the Apostle Paul informs us that the law is bad.
Assuming that the TCs were "engraved in letters on stone", the Apostle informs us that
it was the transitory ministry that brought condemnation and death, which has no glory now.
The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

2 Corinthians 3:6-11 NIV
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.
7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone,
came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at
the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was,
8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?
9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious,
how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!
10 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!

 

[gpresdo]

Granted, the law can also refer to different categories of law other than the Law of God. No Paul was not speaking about sinning in order to reach sinners for Christ because that would have completely undermined the Gospel message. Paul was not speaking about pretending or about deceiving others, but was speaking about giving us his rights in order to meet people where they were at.

God's commandments in the bible makes up what is referred too as...law.

 

[Soyeong]

I find that what the Bible says about the law is quite contradictory.
Your example of Psalms 19:7-11 makes this quite clear.

I grew up as a Baptist being taught to have a negative view of obeying the Law of Moses, however, the Psalms express an extremely positive view of obeying it, such as with David repeatedly saying that he loved it and delighted in obeying it, so I realized that if I was going to continue to believe that the Psalms are Scripture, then I needed to also believe that they express a a correct view of obeying it and that I therefore also needed to change my view to match the Psalms. Judaism has a holy day of Simchat Torah, which is rejoicing over the giving of the Torah, which involves spending a full day singing and dancing around the sanctuary with Torah scrolls, and which may even involve taking shots, so if it is a heavy burden that no one can bear, then they missed the memo. Moreover, the NT authors also considered the Psalms to be Scripture, so they should be interpreted in light of the fact that they were in complete agreement with the Psalms, especially because Paul also said that he delighted in obeying the Law of God (Romans 7:22). Interpreting the NT authors in light this opened my eyes to places where I had been interpreting them in ways that didn’t add up like Acts 15:10 and led me to change how I interpret them in a way that is in accordance with what they considered to be authoritative Scripture rather than a way that contradicts it.

In Acts 15:1, the topic that they were discussing was not whether followers of Christ should follow his example of obedience to God’s commands but rather they were discussing the means of salvation in regard to whether Gentiles are required to have first become circumcised in order to become saved as the result. In Acts 15:10-11, they ruled that the means of salvation is by grace, which means that the heavy burden that no one could bear is not the Law of Moses but salvation by circumcision. In Psalms 119:29-30, he wanted to put false ways far from him, for God to be gracious to him by teaching him to obey the Law of Moses, and he chose the way of faith by setting it before him, so this has always been the one and only way of salvation by grace through faith.

In Matthew chapter five, Jesus treats the law as hearsay, with six
"You have heard that it was said... But I tell you..." statements. Thus dismissing the law.

In Matthew 4, Jesus consistently preceded a quote from what was written by saying “it is written…”, but in Matthew 5, he consistently preceded a quote from what the people had heard being said by saying “you have heard that it was said…”, so his emphasis on the different form of communication is important. Jesus was not sinning in violation of Deuteronomy 4:2 by making changes to what was written in disagreement with the Father, but rather he was fulfilling the law by correcting what the people had heard being said and by teaching how to correctly obey it as it was originally intended. Everything that Jesus said after “but I say unto you…” was in accordance with the OT.

And He is known to be a Sabbath breaker. (John 5:18; John 9:16; Matthew 12:1; Mark 2:23; Luke 6:1)

Some of God’s laws appear to conflict with each other such as when God commanded to rest on the Sabbath while also commanding priests to make offerings on the Sabbath (Numbers 28:9-10), however, it was not the case that priests were forced to sin by disobeying one of the two commands no matter what they chose to do but that the lesser command was never intended to be understood as preventing the greater command from being obeyed. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 12:5-7 that priests who did their duties on the Sabbath were held innocent, why David and his men were held innocent, and why Jesus defended his disciples as being innocent.

Some Pharisees had reasoned that it is unlawful to work on the Sabbath and that healing is work, therefore it is unlawful to heal on the Sabbath, however, we are also commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves, we would not be doing that if we refused to heal them, and no command was intended to be understood as preventing us from obeying the greatest two commandments, which is why those Pharisees were incorrect to think that Jesus had broken the Sabbath.

2 Corinthians 3:6-11 NIV
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.

The New Covenant involves God putting the Law of Moses in our hearts and writing it on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33) and God taking away our hearts of stone, giving us hearts of flesh, and sending His Spirit to lead us in obedience to His law (Ezekiel 36:26-27), and Jesus affirmed that the way to inherit eternal is by obeying the greatest two commandments of the Law of Moses (Luke 10:25-28), and there are many other verses that repeatedly say that the Spirit has the role of leading us to obey God’s law and that obedience to it is the way to have eternal life, so 2 Corinthians 3:6 us another verse that I realized didn’t add up. If we upholds the truth of everything in the Bible, then 2 Corinthians 3:6 needs to be interpreted in light of these other verses rather than a way that contradicts them. If following the letter referred to correctly doing what God has commanded and that leads to death, then that would mean that God would be misleading us and shouldn’t be trusted, so there must be something deficient about following the letter that leads to death rather than life.