When the Law was first given to men, it only confirmed the darkness that was in their hearts. The Letter of the Law, which is the natural intellectual understanding of the Law, shows men what they ought to be, and proves to them that they are not.
The difference between legalism and obedience is that the one is done trying to earn the love of God, while the other is done out of love for God. Legalism is the Letter of the Law, dead ink on paper. Obedience is the Spirit of the Law, the Spirit of Christ in you. “But now we have been delivered from the law… so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter” (Romans 7:6 NKJV).
When Jesus came to this earth and began to teach on the fullness of the Law, He first presented the Law as they understood it, but then He elevated the Law to cut deep into the innermost heart and soul of men. The truth hurts.
The more you entertain a thought, the deeper the relationship becomes. Jesus taught us, “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28 NKJV).
Jesus preached torpedoes with the Sermon on the Mount, raising the moral bar higher than even the Pharisees could imagine. Jesus preached these deeper truths unapologetically and didn’t worry if people would not accept His teaching.
Don’t ignore the hard verses, but only seek the Lord so that He would help you to live them. “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48 ESV).
Jesus showed us a new way, a spiritual way, a perfect way in which we could live holy lives. The only way we can be holy is to have the Holy Spirit living a holy life through us. The Letter of the Law says what we should do; the Spirit of the Law says what only the Holy Spirit can do.
The real change in a believer is when they stop trying to live by the Law, and instead, the Law begins to live in them. “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God …not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:5-6 NKJV).
God knew when He gave the Law that we could never fulfill it on our own power. He always knew He would have to sacrifice His Son to save us from our sin. And He always knew He would have to put His Spirit in us to give us power over sin.
To the degree you try to be holy on your own power, you will fail. God promised this gift for those who are willing to receive it: “I will put my Spirit in you. I will enable you to live by my laws, and you will obey my rules” (Ezekiel 36:27 GW).
Most Christians today think they are living on this side of the enlightenment and so are living under the Spirit of the Law and not the Letter of the Law. But in short order you will discover how false their claim is, as they are deceived by their false pretense of holiness.
Stop playing faith and live it. Stop trying to fake holiness and be holy. The only prerequisite to holiness is willingness. He does the work, but only if you let Him. “But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the [Holy] Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you…” (Romans 8:9 NLT).
The way you know you are living under the Letter of the Law is by the degree you are striving to be holy, or the fact that you don’t think you can be. The Spirit of the Law is the Holy Spirit doing the work, and if you let Him, He will make you holy.
It is not how much you know the Word, but how you live the Word that matters. The Letter of the Law kills, but the Spirit of the Law brings life. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2 NKJV). The sign of which Law you are under is revealed in the burden that the Law is to you.
Another way to see you are living under the Letter of the Law is the degree to which you condemn others in your self-imagined holiness. You have merely excused your failures because they are different from the others you condemn.
Start living your life the way you think others should be living theirs. “So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets” (Matthew 7:12 AMP).
The only way you can be under the Spirit of the Law is if you are surrendered to the Holy Spirit. God gave you free will, so it is up to you to freely surrender yourself to Him. Only God can do in you what He gave us to do in His perfect Law.
When you please the flesh, you’re in the flesh. When you please the Spirit, you’re in the Spirit. “For the mind-set of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit itself to God’s law, for it is unable to do so. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in you…” (Romans 8:7-9 HCSB).
Be careful that you don’t equate being under the Spirit of the Law with being exempt from the Law. God’s Law stands, and He expects you to be obedient. The Letter says you must do it; the Spirit says He will do it for you.
God will change you just as much as you let Him. “I will put my Spirit inside you and cause you to live by my laws, respect my rulings and obey them” (Ezekiel 36:27 CJB).
If you want to live a spiritual life, then it can only happen when you allow the holy Spirit to reign in you. It’s not just having the Holy Spirit in you; it’s yielding to the Holy Spirit. And the difference is this: does the Spirit control you, or does your flesh?
What comes out of your life is dependent on what you put into it. This is how you can tell if you’re filled with the Holy Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23 AMP).
Child of God, shifting your life from the Letter to the Spirit will be the single greatest thing that can ever happen in your life beyond your salvation by Jesus Christ. If you want to walk in a new life, then you must let the Holy Spirit help you.
The Holy Spirit in you changes everything. God’s promise of the Holy Spirit: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove your stubborn hearts and give you obedient hearts. I will put my Spirit in you. I will enable you to live by my laws, and you will obey my rules” (Ezekiel 36:26-27 GW).
Blessings to you always,
Paul Balius
Go deeper
If this spoke to you, there is more. Paul Balius has written a book called “The Promise of the Holy Spirit”. It goes deeper into all of this, for anyone who senses they were meant for something more.
Paul has written three books. See them all
Beloveds, our precious lives absolutely can and with increasing consistency should not be lived by ourselves but by the One Beautiful God, our All Magnificent Obsession, our Forever First Love, indwelling, infilling, overflowing us, as our ceaselessly compassionate Creator, Counselor, Comforter, constant Companion, who never shall forget, fail, nor forsake us, revealing, manifesting, demonstrating His wisdom, power, goodness, for us, in us, from us to others, as we, solely submitted spirit, soul, body, are thus lived by our One Three-Person God, Sovereign Supreme, our redeemed lives, royally rendered, extravagant expression of gladness and gratitude for our Savior King’s vital most conscious union, intimate love communion, infinitely worship worthy obedience, falling forth all the way into the holy, happy highlands of heaven hereafter, the celestial City, courtyards, countryside. Galatians 3:3 Are you so foolish and senseless? Having begun [your new life by faith] with the Spirit, are you now being perfected and reaching spiritual maturity by the flesh [that is, by your own works and efforts to keep the Law]?