A detailed, down to the core study on 2 Corinthians 3:6-8 and Romans 7:6 and what the apostle Paul really meant and referred to when he wrote about the letter as opposed to the Spirit
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Countless preachers have given sermons about "the letter of the law" and "the spirit
of the law". Indeed, much has been said and written about that subject. That has
caused many people to believe those phrases to be biblical. But, the facts are that
they are not found in the Bible. Here is the most relevant passage connected to
this matter:
2 Corinthians 3:6 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. (NASB-77)
Please note that that verse does not contain the word "law". Paul was talking about "the letter" versus "the Spirit". Again, many talk about "the letter of the law" versus "the spirit of the law" – but those expressions are not found in the Bible. This essay straightens out that matter and makes it plain and clear; it contains a detailed, down to the core study on 2 Corinthians 3:6-8 and Romans 7:6 and what the apostle Paul really meant and referred to when he wrote about the letter as opposed to the Spirit. Even other passages, such as Jeremiah 31:33, will be considered.
It will be shown that in 2 Corinthians 3:6,
It will also be explained what significance that had for the saints, on the practical level.
Romans 7:6 does mention "the Law", but only in the meaning that it is stated that the (Jewish) saints had been "released from the Law". Romans 7:6 and the "oldness of the letter" versus the "newness of the Spirit" will be discussed in more detail, later in this essay.
A note: Some few English bible-versions have sneaked in the phrase "the letter of the law" in a couple of passages. They have done that by adding and changing words. But, the Greek text of the New Testament does not contain any such wording. And, when it comes to the phrase "the spirit of the law" – this writer has not seen any English bible-translation containing that wording; nor does the Greek text refer to anything of that kind.
Some preachers have caused people to believe that the apostle Paul supposedly spoke about "a literal application of the Old Covenant and its law", as opposed to "a spiritual application of the Old Covenant and its law". They have been caused to think that the New Covenant is not new at all but merely a "new interpretation" or "new application" of the Old Covenant. But, that is confusion and not true. Again, even though many talk about "the letter of the law" versus "the spirit of the law", those expressions are not scriptural – they simply are not found in the Bible. Read on, for more.
Yes, the apostle Paul did mention "the letter", and yes, he did mention "the Spirit", and he even compared those two with each other. So, it is true that he wrote about "the letter" (the Old Covenant and its written rules) versus "the Spirit" (the Holy Spirit and the New Covenant). But again, the phrases "the letter of the law" and "the spirit of the law" simply are not found in the Bible. Below, it will be explained in more detail, what the apostle really meant when he spoke about "the letter" as opposed to "the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:6 and Romans 7:6).
The essay ec11c.htm gives a detailed answer to the question "Is the New Covenant a 'renewal' or 'modification' of the Old Covenant?" The essay ec14b.htm sorts out 1 John 3:4 which many bible-translators have twisted.
A note: Some have misunderstood certain seemingly related passages, such as Matthew 5:17-18. Even that passage is discussed in this present treatise, and also in other essays at this site. You can find links to some of the other parts in this series on the two covenants, in the "Additional reading" section towards the end of this essay. Look also under the heading "Covenants" on the index-page keyw-c4.htm.
Please read the following bible-passage with care. Please note that it does not contain the phrases "the letter of the law" and "the spirit of the law", or even the word "law". Nor does any other bible-passage contain such phrases or concepts, except in some misleading, less literal translations.
2 Corinthians 3:6 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. 7 But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, 8 how shall the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. (NASB-77)
As you can see, it was not a matter of "the letter of the law" versus "the spirit of the law". Those phrases are not found in that passage, or anywhere in the Bible. Instead, as was mentioned earlier, it was a matter of "the letter" as opposed to "the Spirit". Read on, for more.
What in 2 Corinthians 3:6 is translated as "letter", was in the Greek text gramma, related to the verb graphô which was also used of engraving. As the context shows, the apostle was speaking about the words engraved on the two tablets of stone, at Sinai. He use those stones as a symbol for the Old Covenant in its entirety.
A side-note: Many people have been caused to think that the Decalogue was something separate, and even that it supposedly "pre-dated Sinai". But, those who have checked how things really are, know that that is not true. There is more on this subject, later in this present essay and especially in the essay ec06f.htm, but in short: The word "Decalogue" comes from the Greek phrase tous deka logous, "the ten words", in the Greek Septuagint version. Here is the passage in question, in an English translation:
Exodus 34:28 And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten words. (JPS-1917, highlighting added)
The phrase "the Ten Commandments" is a mistranslation that was launched in 1560 in the Geneva bible. Point: The "words of the covenant, the ten words" mentioned in Exodus 34:28, were connected to the covenant which was made at Sinai – the Old Covenant. Those "ten words" were an integral and inseparable part of that covenant. Again, there is more on this matter, later in this present treatise and especially in the essay ec06f.htm.
The Old Covenant's writing was done on tables of stone, but the New Covenant's "writing" is done by placing the Holy Spirit in men. That is what even Jeremiah 31:34 refers to:
Jeremiah 31:31 "The day is coming," says the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. 32 This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife," says the LORD. 33 "But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day," says the LORD. "I will put my instructions [A] deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, 'You should know the LORD.' For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already," says the LORD. "And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins." (NLT-04, highlighting and note sign added)
[A] In verse 33, the NL translation correctly uses the word "instructions". Many people have misunderstood Jeremiah 31:33, because many bible-versions put in that verse the wording "I will write my law". But, the "writing" of Jeremiah 31:33 does not consist of any "law-text". The New Covenant's writing is done, "not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts" (2 Corinthians 3:3, NASB-77). In other words: The "writing" which the saints received in their hearts (in their inner being) was not some "law text". Indeed, the Holy Spirit is the New Covenant's "writing" and its "torah" (guidance, instruction).
Concerning the Hebrew noun torah (towrah) which appears in Jeremiah 31:33 – it is clear that in that passage, torah was used in its literal meaning, "instruction", "guidance". (The noun torah was related to the verb yarah which meant "to teach", "to instruct".) The Theological Workbook of the Old Testament (by Harris, Archer and Waltke) states, regarding the noun torah:
"The word tora means basically 'teaching' whether it is the wise man instructing his son or God instructing Israel".
In other words: The meaning of Jeremiah 31:33 is that the Lord said that he would put ("write") his Holy Spirit in men's inner being, so that they would be instructed and guided by the Spirit, and through that know the right way to live and act.
Jeremiah 31:31 states that the new covenant that was to come, was not to be like the former covenant (which was made at Sinai). The "writing" mentioned in verse 33 is not in any connected to the Old Covenant or its rules. Verse 33 refers to a new and different covenant, one whose "writing" consists of the Holy Spirit being put into men's inner being, to guide and instruct them. The essay ec08c.htm has more on the Holy Spirit as the New Covenant's "writing".
A note: In order to understand what it really means to be led by the Holy Spirit, one must first receive it. The Bible tells us that the saints (people of the first century) did receive the Holy Spirit – but what about people of our day? Many people have been caused to think that they have received the Holy Spirit, because some preacher has baptised them. But, things are not quite that simple. The essay eb01c.htm has more on the distribution of the Holy Spirit, in the past, today and in days to come. The essay eg03c.htm has more on saints and sainthood; the essay eg02c.htm considers a related matter. The essays eb02c.htm and eb03d.htm have more on "calling", "election", "sanctification" and "predestination".
Back to 2 Corinthians 3:6 and the wording "the letter kills".
The apostle Paul was not saying that there was anything bad or "deadly" with the Old Covenant's "ten words". The thing is that they were not alone but were an integral and inseparable part of the Old Covenant which did not provide everlasting life to anyone. The apostle merely used the two tables of stone as a symbol for the Old Covenant in its entirety. He was comparing the Old Covenant and its writing on the stone tables ("the letter"), with the New Covenant and its "writing" ("the Spirit" – that is, the Holy Spirit which was "written" in the saints' inner being).
The apostle made it clear that the saints were not under the Old Covenant or its rules. (The essay ec12c.htm has more on that subject.) Instead, they were to be led by the Holy Spirit. That did not mean "lawlessness". The fact that the saints were guided and instructed by the Holy Spirit, did not in any way equal to "lawlessness" (immorality). It was the very opposite, of course – the Holy Spirit led and empowered the saints to live righteous lives (to live in a just and morally upright manner). Especially the apostle Paul taught righteousness – if one looks at the New Testament, one will find that most of the occurrences of the words "righteous", "righteousness" and similar, are found in Paul's epistles. The essay eg08b.htm contains a study on what righteousness really is and consists of.
Many people have been caused to misunderstand this passage:
Romans 7:6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. (NKJV)
A note: In this verse, there are certain differences between Greek manuscripts, and consequently also between English translations. Some have "having died to what we were held by"; some have "that being dead wherein we were held". But, it is not really important which it is.
Important, regarding the phrase "the Law" in Romans 7:6 – in the Bible, the phrase "the Law" can refer to different things, such as to the five books of Moses, or to the Old Testament as a whole, and sometimes even to the Old Covenant. (The essay ec01c.htm has more on that subject). In the case of Romans 7:6, the phrase "the Law" referred to the Old Covenant and its written rules.
Romans 7:6 – Paul was writing those things to Jewish saints, from the Jewish point of view (see Romans 7:1, "I speak to those who know the Law"). He noted that they had been made free from the Law (Romans 7:6). Again, he used the phrase "the Law" as a reference to the Old Covenant and its rules.
Was Paul saying that those saints could now apply the Old Covenant's law (rules) in a "spiritual" manner? No, of course not. That passage records how he clearly stated that they were not under that covenant. He noted that they did not any longer serve God "in the letter" (that is, no longer according to the Old Covenant or its rituals or other rules). Instead, they served God "in Spirit" – that is, they were under the New Covenant whose "writing" (guidance and instruction) consists of the Holy Spirit.
In both 2 Corinthians 3 and Romans 7, the apostle Paul used the phrase "the letter" as a reference to the Old Covenant and its written rules, and the phrase "the Spirit" as a reference to the Holy Spirit and the New Covenant. Once again: The Holy Spirit is the New Covenant's "writing".
As Paul worded it, the saints were Jesus' "letter" (epistolê), "not written with ink but with the Spirit of God – lively; not [written] on tablets of stone, but on fleshly tablets of the heart".
2 Corinthians 3:3 All can see that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, a letter written, not with ink, but with the Spirit of the Living God, not on 'tablets of stone,' but on 'tablets of human hearts.' (20CNT)
Regarding Romans chapter 7 in general: All kinds of claims have been made regarding what the apostle Paul supposedly meant there. And yes, Romans 7 can be a difficult passage to understand and cannot be recommended as a place to begin, for any new student of the Bible. Some highlights will be presented here, though.
Romans 7:1 Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? 2 For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. (NKJV)
Obviously, Paul's point here was that the Old Covenant came to its end when Jesus died.
A note: As even the earlier quoted Jeremiah 31:31-34 shows, the Lord Jesus was the same person who had been the Lord of the Old Testament, and thus the Husband of the Old Covenant which really was a marriage between the Lord and the people of ancient Israel. He became a mortal man of flesh, and was killed.
Also the saints had "died" – their baptism could be seen as a symbolic burial (of the "old man"). Paul referred to that. (In this passage, Paul was especially addressing Jewish saints; the words "I speak to those who know the law" in verse 1 show that.) We read:
Romans 7:6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. (NKJV)
It can be said that when the saints were baptised, and then received the Holy Spirit, they gave up their old life, and a "new creation" emerged. The old man died. Paul was using symbolic language, but his point was that those (Jewish) saints were not under the Old Covenant any longer. (The other, non-Jewish saints had never been under the Old Covenant.)
The apostle continued:
Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet." (NKJV)
It could eventually be that here, Paul used the phrase "the Law" in a more narrow way, referring specifically to "the words of the covenant, the ten words" (the deka logous); that which had been written on the tablets of stone. He rhetorically noted that those things were not "sin" (that is, they were not bad).
However, Paul's words must not be misunderstood. When it comes to the New Covenant, sin and righteousness are not defined by the Old Covenant or its rules. The essay eg08b.htm has more on righteousness. The essay ec14b.htm sorts out 1 John 3:4 which many bible-translators have twisted. And then, it is important to understand that the deka logous, "the words of the covenant, the ten words", were not alone but were only a part of a larger compact. They were an integral and inseparable part of the Old Covenant. See the next point.
(The essay ec06f.htm has more on this matter; only a short summary will be given here.)
This might surprise some, but the facts are that the phrase "the Ten Commandments" was coined in the Middle ages and is a mistranslation. Earlier English bible-translations such as Wycliffe (1395) and Coverdale (1535) did not have that invented wording; it was introduced in 1560 in the Geneva bible. The Hebrew text talks about "the words of the covenant, the ten words". This might sound strange to some, but that is how things are. Here are the three relevant passages, as the 1917 Jewish Publication Society translation has them:
Exodus 34:28 And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten words. (JPS-1917, highlighting added)
Deuteronomy 4:13 And He declared unto you His covenant, which He commanded [B] you to perform, even the ten words; and He wrote them upon two tables of stone. (JPS-1917, highlighting and note sign added)
Deuteronomy 10:4 And He wrote on the tables according to the first writing, the ten words, which the LORD spoke unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly; and the LORD gave them unto me. (JPS-1917, highlighting added)
Regarding Exodus 34:28 and the phrase "the words of the covenant, the ten words" – what covenant did that refer to? Why, the one that was made at Sinai, of course. The Old Covenant.
Again, the misleading phrase "the Ten Commandments" was invented in the Middle Ages. It was introduced in 1560, in the Geneva bible.
Wycliffe (1395) had ten wordis of the boond of pees (Exodus 34:28) and ten wordis (Deuteronomy 4:13 and 10:4). (Pees = peace. Boond = bond; that word used to have the meaning "agreement" or "covenant". A note: Apparently, Wycliffe had failed to realise that the Old Covenant was more like a marriage covenant, rather than a "peace covenant". Or, maybe the phrase boond of pees in the English of the 1300s meant something different than how those words would be understood today.)
The fact that it was not "the Ten Commandments" but instead "the words of the covenant, the ten words", has its consequences. Understanding that, can help one to understand the New Testament and the New Covenant in a better way. Those "words of the covenant, the ten words" (or "sayings" or "matters" as the Hebrew can also be interpreted) were a central, integral and inseparable part of the covenant which was made at Sinai – the Old Covenant.
A note: This fact did not in any way mean that the saints would have been free to murder or steal or anything of that kind. Again, this was a matter of "the letter" as opposed to "the Spirit". Laws have never made anyone righteous, but the Holy Spirit has. Consider this: Often, those who know the laws best, are the worst crooks. The Old Covenant had a law-text, but the New Covenant's "writing" consists of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit led and empowered the saints to live righteous (just and morally upright) lives. For people of our day, that can be hard to comprehend, simply because they have not received the Holy Spirit and thus cannot understand how it was for the saints who had received it. (The essay eb01c.htm has more on the Holy Spirit. The essay eg08b.htm contains a study on righteousness.)
Another note: If one carefully reads the New Testament, one will notice that the Old Covenant's Decalogue receives no special treatment there. Some of the "ten words" are quoted in the New Testament, but not all of them, and, they are never mentioned as some kind of a package that would have been separate from the Old Covenant. Which is clear and obvious; even the wording in Exodus 34:28, "the words of the covenant, the ten words", says it all.
The essay ec06f.htm has more on Exodus 34:28 and the matter of the "Decalogue". Matthew 5:17-18 and "the Law" and "the Prophets" is discussed under the next heading, but please read the following first.
Above, it was shown that such commonly used phrases as "the letter of the law" and "the spirit of the law", and even the phrase "the Ten Commandments", are not biblical. But still, almost no one seems to know that. What does this tell us? Well, at least that believers should be doing better and deeper bible-study – much better and much deeper. Those who get started with real, deep study and then continue with it, will come to see that there are many other things of the same kind as the examples that were mentioned above, where bible-translations and common dogmas severely mislead.
The pages es01d.htm and es02c.htm have more on bible-study, and on proper tools and helps for that. The essay eg02c.htm provides a number of easy but vital keys to understanding the Bible in a better and deeper way.
Some might say, "I have no time for such deep study". Well, with a computer bible, one can study a given matter in the Bible much, much faster than with printed books. The page es02c.htm has more on computer bible suites. And, as to having "no time" – the essay ew06b.htm provides an easy way to getting much more time for things that are important.
[B] Regarding Deuteronomy 4:13 which was quoted above – some might wonder about the word "commanded" which the 1917 JPS version has in that verse. But, anyone who checks what really happened at Sinai, will find that the Lord was not forcing anything on the Israelites. One does not "command" anyone into a covenant. Three times, the Israelites were asked whether they wanted to make such a covenant with the Lord. It was only after they had, three times, given their consent to the covenant which the Lord was proposing, that they became bound by that covenant and its rules. Concerning the translation of that part of Deuteronomy 4:13 – the meaning probably was something like "and he showed you the covenant which he asked you to make [with him], the ten words, and he wrote them on two tablets of stone". Again, the essay ec06f.htm has more on Exodus 34:28 and the matter of the "Decalogue", including Deuteronomy 4:13.
Because of linguistic and translation-related problems, many have misunderstood what Jesus meant here:
Matthew 5:17 Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the Law till all is fulfilled. (VW-2006, highlighting added)
Here, it is important to understand that Jesus was not talking about the Old Covenant or its rules or "law", but about the book which we call the Old Testament. Explanation: The Jews consider the Old Testament to consist of three sections, "the Law", "the Prophets" and "the Writings" or "the Psalms". (Sometimes, the phrase "the Law and the Prophets" is used as a reference to the Old Testament in its entirety.) That division of the Old Testament into separate sections comes into expression even in others bible-passages. Here is one of them:
Acts 28:23 So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening. (VW-2006, highlighting added)
That sectioning of the Old Testament can be seen also in this passage, which clarifies what Matthew 5:17-18 is all about:
Luke 24:44 Then He said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me. (VW-2006, highlighting added)
The point, regarding Matthew 5:17-18: Jesus was saying that all the prophecies and promises recorded in "the Law and the Prophets" – which is to say, in the Old Testament – would be fulfilled, down to the smallest details, "jot and tittle". [C]
[C] In Matthew 5:18, the Greek words for "jot" and "tittle" were iôta and keraia. Iôta was the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet, corresponding to the lower case "i" in the English alphabet. Keraia referred to small text markers, corresponding to, say, the dot on the letter i. (We can assume that iôta referred to the Hebrew letter yod, and keraia perhaps to the phonetic signs that the Jews use as vowel markings.)
Once again: Jesus was not talking about fulfilling the demands of the Old Covenant. No, he was saying that the prophecies and promises recorded in "the Law and the Prophets" (that is, in the Old Testament) would be fulfilled, down to the smallest details.
In other words: None of the promises or prophecies recorded in the five books of Moses and in the books of the Prophets or in the rest of the Old Testament, were to become void but were to be fulfilled. Some of those prophecies and promises were fulfilled when Jesus was here on Earth and later in the first century, and that which remains will be fulfilled in the future.
A note: The verses that follow Matthew 5:17-18 may confuse some, especially those who have not studied the entirety of the New Testament in depth. However, that matter cannot be included here. The essay ec01c.htm has more on Matthew 5:17-18. The essay ec02d.htm considers Matthew 5:19.
Another note: Many bible-translations twist 1 John 3:4, by changing things and by adding words such as "law". But, John did not mention "the law". The meaning of the Greek text is something like this: "Everyone practising sin also practises wickedness; and sin is wickedness". The essay ec14b.htm has more on 1 John 3:4.
There are numerous other, covenant-related New Testament passages that many people have been caused to misunderstand. All of them cannot be discussed here. For more, see the "Additional reading" section below.
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If this page did not contain what you were looking for, see the links below, and the key-word index and the table of contents, or use the search function.
Additional reading at the Bible Pages, on related as well as other issues:
A biblical, printable word-search puzzle with words related to 2 Corinthians 3, the Spirit versus the letter: puzzle26-p.pdf – A large print version, and many more bible-based word-mazes. → ep01.htm
A clarifying explanation of the short names for the bible-versions quoted or mentioned at this site, such as that NKJV stands for New King James Version, YLT for Young's Literal translation, HCSB for Holman Christian Standard Bible, NRSV for the New Revised Standard Version, and so on. → es09c.htm
Is the New Covenant a "renewal" or "modification" of the Old Covenant? → ec11c.htm
For more on the two covenants, old and new, look also under the heading "Covenants" on the index-page keyw-c4.htm
What does the word "righteous" really mean? What does the Bible say about righteousness? → eg08b.htm
Jesus warned his disciples about false prophets, teachers of falsehood, deceivers and deception. He said that many would be deceived. → eo09e.htm
The Ten Commandments – that phrase was coined in the Middle Ages and is a mistranslation. The Hebrew text talks about "the words of the covenant, the ten words". On the Decalogue, the "ten words" or eser dabarim as the Hebrew text has it, or tous deka logous as the Greek Septuagint or LXX translated it. → ec06f.htm
On the word and concept "commandments" in the New Testament. This essay is a complement to the essay ec06f.htm which is about the Decalogue, and is a part of a series on the matter of the covenants. → ec07d.htm
Where can one find New Covenant's law or rules, in written form? Also, notes on Jeremiah 31:33 and the Holy Spirit. → ec08c.htm
Check your bible knowledge. A basic self-test with 15 biblical questions (with answers and commentary). → es04b.htm
Acts 15 and the matter of the covenants. → eo04d.htm
The Holy Spirit – an outline and a no-nonsense synopsis of the matter of the distribution of God's Spirit, in the past, today, and in the coming days of the future. Also: Whose baptism is valid? Churches and preachers baptise people, but they are not notably changed and no obvious signs or fruit of the Spirit are seen in their lives. Why is that? Is the Spirit of God at all given to humans, at this present time? → eb01c.htm
What does the Bible say about calling, election, sanctification and justification? → eb02c.htm
Predestination. The destiny of humans: Is it already fixed and decided, as some have claimed? Are all people, or some individuals, "predestined"? → eb03d.htm
Worshipping God. What does the Bible say about worship, when it comes to New Covenant times? Serving God is something important, for many believers. There is a custom to gather for worship services. Indeed, for many people, worship is the same as going to church or attending church. But, where does the word "worship" really come from, and what does it mean? And, what about praise and giving thanks and "offerings", and so on? In what way and when and where should believers be serving and worshipping God? → ea04c.htm
Romans 6:14-15, "For you are not under law but under grace", and Romans 7:6, "We are delivered from the law". What did the apostle mean? → ec12c.htm
How to understand the Bible. Easy keys to interpreting and understanding Scripture in a better and deeper way, by avoiding certain fundamental but common mistakes and errors in bible study. These vital keys are really the basics for objective bible study. Knowing these keys will make many things easier to interpret and comprehend, and one will see several central matters in the Bible from a new and different perspective, especially in connection with the Gospels and the Epistles. → eg02c.htm
The New Covenant versus the Old Covenant, or the Old Covenant versus the New Covenant. Also, some notes on Matthew 5:17 and 18. → ec01c.htm
Several important points regarding the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. This essay ties in with its companion ec01c.htm (look above) which is about those two covenants and the difference between them. → ec02d.htm
On 1 John 3:4 and the translation "whoever commits sin transgresses also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law". What was the apostle John really talking about, and what is the correct translation of the Greek word anomia in that verse? → ec14b.htm
How to study the Bible in a deeper way. Some simple guidelines and notes on study methods. Also, advice and information on easily available practical study helps and useful modern-day tools and resources which, on top of many other things, can help one to view and translate the Hebrew OT and Greek NT texts. → es01d.htm
For real and thorough in-depth study and exegesis of the Scriptures, an interlinear bible with Strong's numbers and a concordance with a lexicon and bible commentaries are not good enough; a computer bible is needed. Some facts and recommendations regarding bible study suites for computers, including tools for word search, word study and adding and editing your own electronic marginal notes verse for verse, tools for studying the Hebrew text of the Old Testament and the Greek text of the New Testament, and links for download of bible software (both free and commercial). → es02c.htm
A challenge for all believers, regarding something very important. → ew06b.htm
Galatians 3:17-19 – what did Paul mean by the term "added law"? What was the original thing? And, the addition that came 430 years later, was it some "extra rituals", or something else? Further: What did the apostle Paul mean when he in that same epistle wrote, "This is the only thing I want to find out from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?" (3:2) and, "Tell me, you who want to be under the Law, do you not understand the Law?" (4:21). Those things in the letter to the saints in Galatia might seem confusing, but this essay makes them clearer and more easily understood, and shows what the apostle was talking about. → ec10c.htm
What does the Bible say about the Pharisees? Also, why did Jesus call them vipers, snakes and actors? → eo12c.htm
Info on the goal and purpose of this site, and a contact address.
→
purpose.htm
Table of contents for this site, including a synopsis or a short, summary description
of each essay or article. →
filename.htm
Search for specific words, phrases or bible passages at this site. →
search.htm
An alphabetical bible topic keyword index of the essays and articles at this site:
1-9
– A
– B
– C
– D
– E
– F
– G
– H
– I
– J
– K
– L
– M
– N
– O
– P
– Q
– R
– S
– T
– U
– V
– W
– X
– Y – Z –
Detailed index overview
If you find any of the essays or treatises at this site interesting and helpful, please provide a copy to other people as well. But before printing or distributing anything, make sure to get the very latest version, exactly as it is, directly from this web site. In regard to printable copies of these pages, for example as PDF-format papers, booklets or brochures or so – there are no specially printer friendly variants (except some bible puzzles), nor is there a need for that – simply, when you print an essay, set the margins and the text size to fit your needs and the paper you use, in the program you use for viewing these pages, and then send it to your printer. (This varies in different browsers and word processing programs. In web browsers, for setting the margin size and headers and footers, look for "Print Format" in the File menu; to set the text size for print-out, look under "Preview" or "View" in the same menu.)
Important: You are welcome to quote the documents at this site – the Bible Pages – provided that you mention the source, by giving the full web address to the page in question. Please link to these essays and give copies to friends. However, you may not re-publish any part of the contents of this site, as a booklet, brochure or on the Internet or in other ways, without a permission from the author; he retains the copyright. For more on copying and quoting, and a few words about the author and his religious education and credentials, see the page purpose.htm.
The essays at this site are not in "bible lesson" or "bible study course" format, nor are they meant as on-line "bible study classes" of some kind. Even though this site gives ready answers to biblical questions of many kinds, its main goal is providing food for thought on a variety of biblical subjects, and challenging and encouraging people to get started with deep personal bible study and then continue with that. (Many religious organisations and denominations have their bible lessons and correspondence courses; they are ready-made "studies" which are shrewdly constructed and written in such a manner that they lead the reader to conclusions that fit the dogmas of the group in question.) A careful, closer study of the books of the Bible with proper tools will help a believer to gain better and deeper biblical understanding. In that way, one will find out more about what the Bible really says, means and teaches. One can then, with wisdom, use that knowledge as a guide for one's life, instead of accepting as "biblical truths" whatever commercial religion – churches and their ministers (preachers) – have taught and want people to believe.
A more thorough, bible-based study with care and with thought will, not only help one to learn more, but also show one how many a popular belief has no scriptural basis or support but is altogether false and not biblical at all. This applies, not only to prophecy and "end time" related things, but also to many other subjects where prevailing dogmas are often taken "for granted". For this reason, it is extremely important for believers to personally study the Writings, and to thoroughly analyse them down to the smaller details, in order to find out the real facts. For doing that, it is not necessary to know the Hebrew, Greek or Latin languages (even though learning their letters and alphabet can be a good idea); there are modern, advanced tools which can help one to study in an effective way – see the pages es01d.htm and es02c.htm for more on this. The essay eg02c.htm supplies a number of easy, elementary keys to acquiring a better and deeper understanding of the Bible, simply by consciously and methodically avoiding certain usual errors and pitfalls.
This site is non-denominational and non-sectarian. It is not connected to any church, sect or religious organisation or movement. This site looks at things from a biblical perspective, and not from a dogmatic one. It does not claim to be without error or to "know it all" or to have a perfect or complete explanation to all things – it consists of an ongoing bible study that has been made public, and as the study goes on, the contents of these pages are revised and also expanded, with new topics and themes being addressed. Readers are invited and welcome to write to the author with thoughts and comments, or to ask questions or to point out a mistake if they feel that they have found one. For more on this, see the page purpose.htm.
The address to this page is www.biblepages.web.surftown.se/ec13c.htm
Please send or mention the address to this site to others, and link to these pages.
This page was created or modified 2010-03-11.