The “Letter of the Law”: What Does It Mean?
Recently, I had an exchange with someone on 𝕏 regarding the place of the law in the life of the New Covenant believer. The position I put forth, and I’ll spare you the details, was that we need to obey God’s law—not to earn salvation, not to keep salvation, not as a covenant of works, but because God is our Creator and, as Christians, our Father.
His response was: “Not the letter of the law.” His position was that we are not to concern ourselves with the law, but rather to look to the Spirit to guide us in obeying God without reference to the law.
The purpose of this post is to focus on that particular phrase (i.e., “letter of the law”) and to provide some clarity regarding its meaning, because there seems to be a lot of confusion about it.
The idea of the “letter of the law” can be found in passages such as 2 Corinthians 3:6–7, Romans 2:27–29, and Romans 7:6. In these verses, the letter is contrasted with the Spirit, which leads some to believe that “the letter” necessarily or inherently carries a negative connotation. However, I don’t believe that is the case.
Let’s take a closer look at these passages to better understand what Paul meant.
2 Corinthians 3:6–8
[6] who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
[7] Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end,
[8] will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? (ESV)
In this passage, it’s clear that “the letter” refers to God’s written law, discussed in the context of the Old and New Covenants, with the chapter also touching on individual experience.
The law itself is good, holy, righteous, and just (1 Timothy 1:8; Romans 7:12; 8:4). However, if the law is approached wrongly (i.e., without the Spirit), it becomes condemning; it’s in that sense that the “letter kills.” That’s why the Old Covenant, being a law covenant, can be described as a “ministry of death” (2 Corinthians 3:7): it was a covenant that couldn’t save. Those who clung to it, rather than looking to the New Covenant (which the Old Covenant pointed to and taught about), remained dead in their sins.
Romans 2:27–29
[27] Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law.
[28] For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical.
[29] But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. (ESV)
It’s clear from this passage and its context that “the letter” refers to God’s written law. The point is that merely possessing God’s written law does not make one a true believer in God. The law must be kept perfectly in order to be saved, which no one can do. Salvation requires a work of the Spirit.
This passage is primarily about the futility of relying on the law for salvation and the necessity of relying on the Spirit. But just because “the letter” cannot save doesn’t mean it’s inherently negative. It’s only a bad thing in the context of relying on it for salvation rather than relying on the Spirit.
Romans 7:6
[6] But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. (ESV)
Romans 7 discusses the individual’s relationship to the law versus the individual’s relationship to Christ. If we belong to Christ, we have died to the law. Death severs relationships. But in what sense has the believer’s relationship to the law changed? We are no longer held fast by its condemning power. Nor are we still under its mere resources, leaving us to rely on our own strength to obey it. We now serve God by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Again, what is being referred to here is God’s written law, which is set over against the Spirit. But that doesn’t mean the “letter” is inherently negative. The contrast is simply between obeying God’s written law without regard to the help of the Holy Spirit versus obeying God’s written law with regard to the help of the Holy Spirit (cf. Romans 8:7, where it suggests that those who are in the Spirit submit to God’s law, whereas those who are in the flesh cannot).
Final Reflections
To add another dimension before I wrap it up: the letter of the law can also refer to the outward form of a law over against its moral substance—e.g., in the context of Old Testament case laws. For example, Deuteronomy 22:8 commands the building of a railing around a roof. The precise wording represents the letter of the law (the letter of the letter of the law, if you will 😊), which is not directly applicable today (since we no longer entertain guests on rooftops). However, the underlying principle—the moral substance of the law—is timeless: namely, our responsibility to ensure that our property is reasonably safe for others (examples today might include requirements for second-story decks or fencing around swimming pools).
In short, the “letter of the law” primarily refers to God’s written law, which can take on a nuanced meaning depending on the context. The phrase can have either a positive or negative connotation depending on how it is being used. When contrasted with the Spirit, it highlights a wrong approach—attempting to obey the law apart from the Holy Spirit’s empowering grace.