What does it mean that the law is spiritual?

Explanation:

When Paul refers to the law as spiritual, we can detect that he means that the law originates from God. In the immediate context, Paul walks a careful line between explaining that sin is instigated by the law and noting that the law is holy and good. To make it clear that while sin seizes on the law, the law is in itself good, Paul refers to the law as spiritual, in order to indicate that it originates with the Spirit.⁴ So while sin takes advantage of the law by producing death, the law itself originates with God.

Counterargument:

The problem here is that when we consider how Paul uses the term spiritual in other passages, it does not normally have to do with something originating with God. For example, in Romans 1:11 Paul uses the phrase to denote imparting a spiritual gift to the Romans. Likewise, in Romans 15:27 Paul uses the term to refer to spiritual blessings. In neither instance does the term πνευματικός carry a sense of originating with God. Further, in 1 Corinthians 2:13 Paul uses the term to refer to interpreting spiritual truths, and in 1 Corinthians 2:15 he uses it for the spiritual person. Of course, if Paul does not use πνευματικός to refer to something that originates with God, this overturns the pressures of the immediate context that might motivate Paul to point out that the law originates with God.

Response to counterargument:

We could construe each of the above examples in a way that πνευματικός (spiritual) has to do with divine origin.⁵ For, it is plausible that to impart a spiritual gift on the Romans is to impart something that originates with God. Similarly, the spiritual blessings could be blessings with a divine origin. Likewise, when Paul refers to spiritual truths and persons, he may have in mind truths that come from God, and persons who are filled with the Holy Spirit. The fact is, of the twenty-six New Testament uses of the term πνευματικός, all are from Paul, and only one definitely does not refer to things that originate with God (Ephesians 6:12). On every other occasion, it is plausible that πνευματικός is associated with divine origins

Explanation:

We can detect what Paul means when he refers to the law as spiritual by considering his audience. For Paul is writing to the Roman Christians, and there are opponents in Rome who likely questioned Paul’s teaching.⁶ That is, there are likely people in Rome who argued that Paul disparaged the law of God when he says that people are not saved by works of the law. To counter these claims, Paul reiterates his belief that the law originates with God by referring to it as spiritual. Paul does this to show that, while it is true that the law does not save, this does not contradict Paul’s own teaching that the law originates with God.

Counterargument:

The problem here is that if Paul wanted to imply the divine origin of the law, he could have done so by much clearer means. For the Old Testament often refers to the fact that the law has its origin in God (Psalm 19:7–11), but Romans 7:14 is the only time in Scripture that the law is referred to as spiritual.⁷ Thus, if Paul intended to counter the claims of his opponents who contended that Paul did not think the law was from God, we would expect Paul to use a term other than πνευματικός (spiritual).

Response to counterargument:

Paul has good reason to use the term spiritual, for it serves the dual purpose of indicating that the law originates with God, and it sets up a strong contrast between the law and the flesh.⁸ That is, Paul wants to contrast the spiritual law, which is good, holy, and originates from God, with the sinful self that is born of the flesh and mired in sin. The term spiritual is the right choice to serve this dual purpose, for it signals that the law is from God, and sets up the contrast between Spirit and flesh.

The one weakness of this view is that πνευματικός (spiritual) is a broad term that carries a variety of senses. That is, the term carries the sense of something that is beyond the natural world in some sense, but not necessarily simply originating with God. That is, πνευματικός includes originating with God but also more, and Paul might intend a more all-encompassing meaning.

Explanation:

We want to know what Paul means when he says that the law is spiritual. We can detect his meaning by noticing what he writes in Romans 7:10. There he notes that the very command that promised life proved death to him. In other words, the law, through the command, promises life. Having in mind that the law is meant to impart life, Paul likely has in mind that the law offers life.⁹

Counterargument:

The problem here is that there is no indication from Paul that what he means by spiritual is life. And it would not be difficult for Paul to make this clear. In particular, he could have written that while the law is spiritual, he is sold under death. Such a statement would not alter his theology and would make clear that the contrast of death is spiritual, which he must be using to refer to life. This is not what Paul writes in Romans 7:14. Instead, he writes that the law is spiritual and he is sold under sin. Thus, there is no indication from the text that πνευματικός has to do with offering life.

Response to counterargument:

There is a close association in Scripture between spirit and life. For example, in Job 33:4 Elihu says that the Spirit of God made him and gave him life. Also, in Ecclesiastes 12:7 we read that when a person dies, the spirit returns to the God who gave it, clearly implying that spirit has to do with life. Likewise, when Ezekiel is filled with the Spirit, he is given the ability to give life to dead bones through preaching (Ezekiel 37:1–6). In other words, there is a close association between spirit and life in Scripture. Thus, given that Paul says in Romans 7:10 that the command promised life, with the close association between the spirit and life, we can deduce that by calling the law spiritual, Paul means that the law offers life.

Explanation:

When Paul says that the law is spiritual, it is important to notice that Paul associates Spirit with life at the end of time.¹⁰ That is, the Holy Spirit is related to the life of believers when Christ returns. We notice Paul associating the Holy Spirit with end of times life in Romans 8:9 when he says that those who do not have the Spirit do not belong to Christ. Similarly, he writes in 2 Corinthians 3:6 that the letter kills but the Spirit gives life, referring to life in the end times.¹¹ Of course, that the Spirit is associated with the end times for Paul suggests that when he refers to the law as spiritual, he has in mind the law offering life.

Counterargument:

This argument confuses the terms Spirit, which is often used to refer to the Holy Spirit, and spiritual. For while it is true that Paul says that those who do not have the Holy Spirit do not have Christ, and that the Spirit, as in the Holy Spirit, gives life, these are references to the work of the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, characterizing the law as spiritual is simply to characterize the law in a way, not necessarily related to the Holy Spirit. What this argument needs to do to succeed is show not only that Spirit is associated with life in the end of times, but that spiritual is associated with Spirit. Until then, this view has not carried the burden it claims to bear.

Response to counterargument:

It is not difficult to see that spiritual is closely associated with Spirit. For the Greek term behind spiritual can literally mean having to do with the (divine) spirit.¹² Given that spiritual pertains to the divine Spirit, and the Spirit is life-giving, then the law being spiritual means it imparts life.

This view does not account for the fact that the law provides life because of its divine origin. In other words, Paul will strongly contrast the fleshly realm of sin from the spiritual reality of God between Romans 7:1–25 and Romans 8:1–39. It is precisely the fact that the spiritual reality originates with God that means it offers life. So, that the law offers life implies, based on the context of Romans 7:1–25 and Romans 8:1–39, that it originates from the Spirit. Since we ought to consider the meaning of a text within its immediate and broad context, we should assume that if the law gives life, it gives life because it originates with the Spirit.