The spirit of the law goes beyond the written word or letter of the law and attempts to capture the purpose or intent of a law when it has been written. Following the spirit of the law simply means not placing strict adherence to the law above the person the law is intended to serve. Jesus gave the ultimate summary of the Spirit of the Law when He said this. To understand the basic concept of how following the letter of the law works, here is a very basic example for you. At work, your boss may have asked you not to talk on the phone. But he/she never said if you can use your laptops to chat. When your boss comes back, he notices that instead of your phones, you`re using your laptops to chat. Playing the system, also called “legal rules,” is the continuation of the letter (sometimes called RaW or rules as written) – above or against the spirit (sometimes called RaI or rules as intended) of the law. It is used negatively to describe the act of manipulating rules for personal gain. It can also mean acting in an anti-social and irritating manner, while technically remaining within the bounds of the rules.
Playing with the system, also known as “rules advocate,” is a pejorative phrase applied to someone who follows the letter of the law to achieve an outcome that the speaker considers immoral or contrary to the spirit of the law. There are two reasons why this may be possible. A body of law may have been formulated in such a way as to permit ambiguity, or there may be restrictions on the scope or jurisdiction of the law. For example, an offshore bank account can be used to reduce domestic tax liabilities in some countries. There are two schools of thought, one that believes in the letter of the law and the other that follows the spirit of the law. And to understand how the letter of the law works in relation to the spirit of the law, you need to delve deeper into each of these concepts. I still believe that the truths you learn in the scriptures have no real impact on your life until you apply them. Let us do it with this truth. Here are three simple ways to make sure you live by the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law.
Jesus has already mentioned two. In my opinion, there really is no greater verse that sums up the spirit of the law in relation to the letter of the law than these verses. It is like loving God and loving people. Each of the 613 commandments has these two commandments as its foundation, heart, or mind. Ultimately, if someone obeys the letter of the law but not the spirit of the law, that person obeys the literal interpretation of the words of the law. However, they do not necessarily honor the intent of those who wrote the law. We must always remember that there can be a huge gap between the two. Therefore, please think in a more ethical way and make business decisions taking into account the spirit of the law.
This was a fairly simple example that can help you understand the meaning of following the letter of the law. When the boss asked you not to chat, he/she also added to the phone. The intention behind not arguing at work is not understood. And in the end, you do the same thing, but on a different medium. That is what the letter of the law implies. Follow the words and their literal interpretation without understanding the intent or meaning of the law established before you. In Matthew 5:20-44, Christ showed that obeying the “letter of the law” is a matter of physical action, while obeying the “Spirit of the Law” requires more than mere outward actions—it also includes an attitude of the Spirit—what the apostle Paul called “circumcision of the heart” (Romans 2:28-29). Unlike the letter of the law, the spirit of the law is to follow and understand the meaning of the law that is before you.
This means that you are not blindly following the law; They understand, interpret and obey the law to the best of their knowledge and knowledge. This is where the letter of the law collides with the spirit of the law and tends to create cracks. “Law” originally referred to a legislative law, but can refer to any type of rule in the idiom. It is possible to follow the letter of the law, but not the spirit, by exploiting the technical details, the gaps and the ambiguous language. William Shakespeare wrote many plays dealing with the antithesis letter against spirit, almost always falling on the side of the “spirit” and often forcing the bad guys (who have always sided with the letter) to make concessions and remedy the situation. In one of the most famous examples, The Merchant of Venice, he presents the quarrel as a plot to save both the spirit and the letter of the law. The lender Shylock has made a deal with Antonio that if he can`t repay a loan, he`ll get a pound of meat from him. When the debt is not repaid on time, Portia first asks for mercy in a famous speech: “The quality of mercy is not tense, it falls like the gentle rain of heaven at the place below. She is blessed twice: she blesses the giver and the receiver. (IV, i, 185). When Shylock refuses, she finally saves Antonio by pointing out that Shylock`s agreement with him does not mention blood and therefore Shylock can only have his pound of flesh if he does not shed blood. I think you will agree that life is much less complicated and much more enjoyable if you live according to the spirit of the law.
It will be even better if you allow God`s Spirit to help you do this. Remember that the law kills and does not produce life in you because it requires of you something that you cannot give.