Do Christians focus on the letter of the law and not the spirit of law?

Question

Regarding bible interpretation versus the actual message.

Answer 1

Some do.

Me? I follow after the Spirit. It is written to not forsake the gathering of the Saints... But if the Holy Spirit directed me to stay home one Sunday, then I would obey the Spirit & not go to Church then. (Most of the time the Holy Spirit directs me to go to the Sunday Morning service.).

Then also, the verse the devil used on Jesus. To jump off the cliff & that it is written that the angels will protect him. Jesus said, "Though shalt not tempt the Lord thy God...". See? For one who wants to follow after the letter, may think they could claim the verse that the angels will protect them & tempt God this way. Jesus is an example of how we are to respond to this type of devils temptation. I have actually had people use this one on me & God directs me to scripture of what to say to them. "What would Jesus Say? Thou shalt not tempt the Lord...". One testimony I heard was a person who flew often, the Holy Spirit told him to not get on the plane. He had always claimed Gods protection with a similar verse like the one the devil used. But he decided to obey the Spirit. And the plane ended up wrecking.
This was in one of the messages of my Church a while back. http://www.riveroflifefellowship.org


Christians should follow the Holy Spirit above the letter. The Holy Spirit will direct us to do something different sometimes (it won't contradict the letter). The Holy Spirit brings to our mind the Word of God in time of need. Because exceptions happen, dependent on other peoples choices. Because of free will. If God told me to not go around the next corner & I disobeyed claiming a scripture, Then it wouldn't me Gods fault I went to heaven early.

Answer 2

All you have to do is look at the trinitarians versus non-trinitarians and you'll have an answer to your question. They just bicker on and on over nits of theology. Here's a list of their favorite nits to bicker over.

1. Can you have a statue of Jesus or not.
2. Is God three persons in one or not.
3. Was Mary born without original sin or not.
4. Will the tribulation happen before the rapture or after the rapture.
5. Will there even be a rapture.
6. Can we choose to be saved or are we predestined (this is one of the funny ones, since it can't possibly matter what you believe if you have no control over your salvation).
7. Do the dead who are saved go straight to heaven or do they sleep in the ground until Christ returns.

The list is much longer but the fact is that not one of these doctrines has any material effect on how one lives his or her life as a Christian. People just love to bicker.

Answer 3

most Christians today reject God's perfect law and hold mankind under their own set of laws all the while proclaiming we are free from the law. Sorry, but this is not what the word of God says.
I focus on the spirit of the law but do not use that as an excuse to completely disregard the letter- the law was never meant for salvation, it was never given in vain and it is not impossible to keep it.

Answer 4

The focus is on His Word, His truth, His Spirit.

Most will never understand this.

Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Answer 5

It's a little bit of both.

When it comes to interpretation, there are some ground rules that we have to follow:

1) Scripture will interpret itself
2) Basic exegesis must be used when trying to decipher what it is that is being said

Answer 6

I imagine some do.