Charlesinflorida
14th January 2004, 10:03 AM
This is a clip from the book The Letter Writer by Tim Hegg. This would be helpful in the Law vs. Grace thread but I was afraid it might get lost there, so I am posting it separately.
Paul’s Theology new and unique. The greater visibility and expanse of the Spirit’s work and presence was only different in quantity, not quality.
In the Tanach, for instance, the Spirit of God gifted individuals for special work. This is seen in the Tabernacle craftsmen,555 as well as the Spirit’s empowering judges556 and prophets.557 But the same must have been true in terms of faith and salvation. For Paul clearly teaches that it is only by the Spirit of God that the soul of the sinner is quickened,558 and that unless the Spirit of God (also called the Spirit of Messiah) indwells a person he is not a child of God.559 At the same time, Paul has used Abraham and David (in Romans 4) as the prime examples of justification by faith, the very faith he enjoins upon his readers.
If therefore Paul considers the presence of the indwelling Spirit to be integral to the salvation of an individual, he must surely have believed Abraham and David to be so indwelt. Indeed, since Paul knows of only one way of salvation, it follows that Abraham and David were saved in the same manner as all others. This would include the regenerational work of the Spirit, along with His indwelling ministry of sanctification. That the Spirit was given in a new ministry to the believing community of Paul’s day is sure. But this ministry involved a new equipping to reap the harvest of the nations, not a new or additional way of justification and sanctification.
Spirit vs. Letter
Several times in the Pauline epistles the opposing concepts of “letter” and “Spirit” are encountered.
Romans 2:29: But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.
Romans 7:6: But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
2 Corinthians 3:3,6: being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts…who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
“Letter” and “Spirit” have been regularly interpreted as referring to the “Old Testament” or the “Law” in contrast to the “New Testament” ministry of the Spirit of God. In such an interpretation, since Paul writes that “the letter kills but the Spirit gives life,” it is taught that the Torah and the Spirit are opposed and that therefore the way of the Spirit is not the way of Torah.
But what exactly does Paul mean when he uses the terms “letter” and “Spirit” in opposition? First of all, it is impossible that Paul uses “letter” as a substitute for “Torah.”
125
Chapter 3 We know that Paul considered the Torah to be inspired by the Spirit, and that it therefore was “spiritual.”560 Furthermore, Paul explicitly states that the Torah is holy, righteous, and good.561 Therefore, when he contrasts “letter” and “Spirit” he cannot be saying that the Torah is bad. To interpret him as saying this is to do so out of context and without consideration of his broader teaching.
But how then are we to interpret his use of “letter” and “Spirit” in these passages? If we look more closely at the contexts in which this language occurs, we will see that what Paul is contrasting in each case are those who exercise genuine faith and those who do not.
In Romans 2:28-29, Paul speaks of those who have only the external sign of circumcision but who, through their life of disobedience to the Torah, show they have no true faith. In contrast, there are those who keep the Torah even though they do not have the physical sign of circumcision. Those who disobey the Torah yet are circumcised, are identified as having the “letter of the Torah.” Thus “letter” is connected with those who are not believers but who attempt to keep the Torah in their own strength.
Likewise, the passage in Romans 7 that utilizes the “letter/Spirit” dichotomy is contrasting those who have been released from the condemnation of the Torah (those who have come to true faith in Messiah and therefore are indwelt by the Spirit), with those who are still under its condemnation. But Paul speaks directly to the fact that the Torah is not to be blamed for the condemnation of sinners, but rather their sin.
Romans 7:7: What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
Therefore, in using the term “letter” here to identify those who are without faith, Paul is not casting a negative light upon the Torah. The Torah condemns when faith is absent, but in so doing it is only performing one of its God-oriented functions.
This same motif of contrasting faith with the absence of faith is found in the context of 2Corinthians 3 where, once again, Paul uses “letter” in contrast to “Spirit.” Here Paul compares the ministry of Moses with his own ministry, and finds the ministry of Moses to result in death, while his own to issue in life. What made the difference? Was it that Moses had “bad material” (i.e., the Torah) while Paul had the life-giving message of the Gospel? No. Rather, it was the hardened hearts and deaf ears of the people that rendered Moses’ ministry one of death.562 But (and this is all-important), when the Spirit takes away the hardened heart and opens the ears, the message of Moses is received as that which gives life,563 for in Paul’s day the only Scriptures available were the Tanach. Thus when the veil is taken away (which is the work of the Spirit), the glory of Messiah shines forth bringing salvation.
The reason that the Spirit is necessary to understand the Torah is simply because the goal of the Torah is Messiah.564 Yet apart from the Spirit, the Messiah is missed or neglected in the study of Torah. It was this very thing that caused Israel to stumble, for though the Torah she pursued was righteous in every way, she failed to “arrive at that Torah”565 because she did not see the object of true faith in the Torah, even the person of Messiah Yeshua. But the Spirit always leads to Messiah, and this is especially true in the
126
Paul’s Theology reading of the inspired word of God. Thus, to read the Torah without the illumination of the Spirit is to miss the Messiah, and this will only issue in condemnation. “But where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,” that is, freedom to obey God as His bondslave.565
Therefore, for Paul “letter” means to attempt to obey Torah (God’s teaching) without having the Spirit of God. Conversely, “Spirit” in contrast to “letter” refers to the illuminating and life-giving work of the Spirit in connection with the word of God which always leads to the Messiah and always brings life. The Spirit in contrast to that of the flesh, of obedience to God’s word through the power of the Spirit versus one’s own attempts at pleasing God. Paul is not putting the Torah and the Spirit at odds. He teaches that the Spirit and the inspired word of God (Torah) always work in tandem.
Summary – Paul’s Pneumatology
In the Pauline epistles there is a clear and significant emphasis upon the Holy Spirit and His work. This is because the last days have arrived with the appearance of the Messiah. The promises of God regarding the redemption of Israel and the ingathering of the nations are now on the horizon. The prophetic activity of the Spirit in inspiring Scripture as well as in leading and guiding the people of God is once again active as the prophets promised. What is more, the Spirit equips the followers of Yeshua for their expanded work of witnessing to the nations about the person the Messiah and the redemption He has made for all His elect. Thus the ingathering of the nations is accomplished through the power of the Spirit indwelling and empowering the believers to reap the final harvest.
This increased work of the Spirit of God in the last days is not something different in kind but in expanse. Even as God’s Spirit equipped and indwelt the believers of old for specific work and mission, so He is doing now, but in an ever-expanding way as the nations are bought into the body of Messiah. There is therefore no “new salvation” or “new way,” but rather an increased number who come to worship God through the same means given to the ancient believers: faith in the Messiah and empowering by the indwelling Spirit.
Paul furthermore teaches that apart from the Spirit of God no one has ever been able to obey God and follow His Torah. His use of the word “letter” conveys the idea of attempting to live according to God’s ways without the indwelling Spirit. This only produces death. But when the Spirit of God illumines the word of God and empowers the believer to live in accordance with the living Word, this brings life. Paul does not contrast the Torah and the Spirit, but teaches their necessary connection.
127
Paul’s Theology new and unique. The greater visibility and expanse of the Spirit’s work and presence was only different in quantity, not quality.
In the Tanach, for instance, the Spirit of God gifted individuals for special work. This is seen in the Tabernacle craftsmen,555 as well as the Spirit’s empowering judges556 and prophets.557 But the same must have been true in terms of faith and salvation. For Paul clearly teaches that it is only by the Spirit of God that the soul of the sinner is quickened,558 and that unless the Spirit of God (also called the Spirit of Messiah) indwells a person he is not a child of God.559 At the same time, Paul has used Abraham and David (in Romans 4) as the prime examples of justification by faith, the very faith he enjoins upon his readers.
If therefore Paul considers the presence of the indwelling Spirit to be integral to the salvation of an individual, he must surely have believed Abraham and David to be so indwelt. Indeed, since Paul knows of only one way of salvation, it follows that Abraham and David were saved in the same manner as all others. This would include the regenerational work of the Spirit, along with His indwelling ministry of sanctification. That the Spirit was given in a new ministry to the believing community of Paul’s day is sure. But this ministry involved a new equipping to reap the harvest of the nations, not a new or additional way of justification and sanctification.
Spirit vs. Letter
Several times in the Pauline epistles the opposing concepts of “letter” and “Spirit” are encountered.
Romans 2:29: But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.
Romans 7:6: But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
2 Corinthians 3:3,6: being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts…who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
“Letter” and “Spirit” have been regularly interpreted as referring to the “Old Testament” or the “Law” in contrast to the “New Testament” ministry of the Spirit of God. In such an interpretation, since Paul writes that “the letter kills but the Spirit gives life,” it is taught that the Torah and the Spirit are opposed and that therefore the way of the Spirit is not the way of Torah.
But what exactly does Paul mean when he uses the terms “letter” and “Spirit” in opposition? First of all, it is impossible that Paul uses “letter” as a substitute for “Torah.”
125
Chapter 3 We know that Paul considered the Torah to be inspired by the Spirit, and that it therefore was “spiritual.”560 Furthermore, Paul explicitly states that the Torah is holy, righteous, and good.561 Therefore, when he contrasts “letter” and “Spirit” he cannot be saying that the Torah is bad. To interpret him as saying this is to do so out of context and without consideration of his broader teaching.
But how then are we to interpret his use of “letter” and “Spirit” in these passages? If we look more closely at the contexts in which this language occurs, we will see that what Paul is contrasting in each case are those who exercise genuine faith and those who do not.
In Romans 2:28-29, Paul speaks of those who have only the external sign of circumcision but who, through their life of disobedience to the Torah, show they have no true faith. In contrast, there are those who keep the Torah even though they do not have the physical sign of circumcision. Those who disobey the Torah yet are circumcised, are identified as having the “letter of the Torah.” Thus “letter” is connected with those who are not believers but who attempt to keep the Torah in their own strength.
Likewise, the passage in Romans 7 that utilizes the “letter/Spirit” dichotomy is contrasting those who have been released from the condemnation of the Torah (those who have come to true faith in Messiah and therefore are indwelt by the Spirit), with those who are still under its condemnation. But Paul speaks directly to the fact that the Torah is not to be blamed for the condemnation of sinners, but rather their sin.
Romans 7:7: What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
Therefore, in using the term “letter” here to identify those who are without faith, Paul is not casting a negative light upon the Torah. The Torah condemns when faith is absent, but in so doing it is only performing one of its God-oriented functions.
This same motif of contrasting faith with the absence of faith is found in the context of 2Corinthians 3 where, once again, Paul uses “letter” in contrast to “Spirit.” Here Paul compares the ministry of Moses with his own ministry, and finds the ministry of Moses to result in death, while his own to issue in life. What made the difference? Was it that Moses had “bad material” (i.e., the Torah) while Paul had the life-giving message of the Gospel? No. Rather, it was the hardened hearts and deaf ears of the people that rendered Moses’ ministry one of death.562 But (and this is all-important), when the Spirit takes away the hardened heart and opens the ears, the message of Moses is received as that which gives life,563 for in Paul’s day the only Scriptures available were the Tanach. Thus when the veil is taken away (which is the work of the Spirit), the glory of Messiah shines forth bringing salvation.
The reason that the Spirit is necessary to understand the Torah is simply because the goal of the Torah is Messiah.564 Yet apart from the Spirit, the Messiah is missed or neglected in the study of Torah. It was this very thing that caused Israel to stumble, for though the Torah she pursued was righteous in every way, she failed to “arrive at that Torah”565 because she did not see the object of true faith in the Torah, even the person of Messiah Yeshua. But the Spirit always leads to Messiah, and this is especially true in the
126
Paul’s Theology reading of the inspired word of God. Thus, to read the Torah without the illumination of the Spirit is to miss the Messiah, and this will only issue in condemnation. “But where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,” that is, freedom to obey God as His bondslave.565
Therefore, for Paul “letter” means to attempt to obey Torah (God’s teaching) without having the Spirit of God. Conversely, “Spirit” in contrast to “letter” refers to the illuminating and life-giving work of the Spirit in connection with the word of God which always leads to the Messiah and always brings life. The Spirit in contrast to that of the flesh, of obedience to God’s word through the power of the Spirit versus one’s own attempts at pleasing God. Paul is not putting the Torah and the Spirit at odds. He teaches that the Spirit and the inspired word of God (Torah) always work in tandem.
Summary – Paul’s Pneumatology
In the Pauline epistles there is a clear and significant emphasis upon the Holy Spirit and His work. This is because the last days have arrived with the appearance of the Messiah. The promises of God regarding the redemption of Israel and the ingathering of the nations are now on the horizon. The prophetic activity of the Spirit in inspiring Scripture as well as in leading and guiding the people of God is once again active as the prophets promised. What is more, the Spirit equips the followers of Yeshua for their expanded work of witnessing to the nations about the person the Messiah and the redemption He has made for all His elect. Thus the ingathering of the nations is accomplished through the power of the Spirit indwelling and empowering the believers to reap the final harvest.
This increased work of the Spirit of God in the last days is not something different in kind but in expanse. Even as God’s Spirit equipped and indwelt the believers of old for specific work and mission, so He is doing now, but in an ever-expanding way as the nations are bought into the body of Messiah. There is therefore no “new salvation” or “new way,” but rather an increased number who come to worship God through the same means given to the ancient believers: faith in the Messiah and empowering by the indwelling Spirit.
Paul furthermore teaches that apart from the Spirit of God no one has ever been able to obey God and follow His Torah. His use of the word “letter” conveys the idea of attempting to live according to God’s ways without the indwelling Spirit. This only produces death. But when the Spirit of God illumines the word of God and empowers the believer to live in accordance with the living Word, this brings life. Paul does not contrast the Torah and the Spirit, but teaches their necessary connection.
127