The Spirit

Lu.10:²⁵ “One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” [with emphasis]

It is interesting that when Jesus was asked about eternal life, Jesus pointed the scholar to The Law of Moses. If the law irrelevant, it cannot deliver eternal life. Sadly, this is where a lot of Christians get things mixed up. And the reason is because of the thinking, “We are not under The Law, we are under grace!” Yes, we are in the dispensation of grace but when the Word of God points to The Law, you need to understand the context otherwise you will misinterpret it. When the Word of God speaks about The Law, it could mean one of at least seven things.

#1. The Law could mean the first five Books of the Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. That is the Book of the Law.

#2. The Law could mean only the Book of Deuteronomy.

#3. The Law depending on the context, could mean the whole of the Old Testament.

#4. The Law could also mean the Old Testament apart from the prophets and the poetic books.

#5. The Law could also mean the Ceremonial Law, that is the Levitical Law -The Law of cleansing which involves bringing turtledoves, goats, laying of hands etc.

#6. The Law could also mean the Civil Law of the people of Israel. The law that governs the civility of the nation and how the people operate in cases of civil dispute.

#7. The Law could also mean the Moral Law or what we call the Ten Commandments. Moses gave all these laws apart from the entire Old Testament. The Civil Law and Ceremonial Law are obviously not going to give anyone eternal life. What Jesus was referring to when He said The Law in this context, is the Moral Law. And it is revealed in the man’s answer. Lu.10:²⁷ “…You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’” The summary of the Ten Commandments is: love God and love people. God’s Word is such that, the letter of the Word kills but the Spirit gives life. The letter of The Law will always deliver death but the Spirit of The Law is love and against it, there is no law.

Prayer: Father, I [insert your name] will love You with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, in Jesus Name. Amen!