After speaking several years ago to a group of Christian leaders, a man said to me, "I really disagree with you. I don't think that God's law is good. That's what brings condemnation to our lives."

 
I quickly came to realize that this gentleman had an improper understanding of God's law. Everything that God gives to man is good because God is good. That's a part of his nature. He gave His law for our good. He created us. Therefore, He knows how we ought to live. He knows our structure, our frame. When He gave His law, it was to instruct us in a happy, healthy life. For instance, when He told the Jews not to eat pork, it wasn't because He was looking for a reason to hit them over the head if they disobeyed Him. He gave those instructions because He had created everything that exists. He knew what would produce disease and death and what would cause life and health. The law of God is good and enriches our lives.

However, the Scripture teaches us that we are to live under the rule of the Holy Spirit rather than under the letter of the law. Many religious leaders didn't understand this during the times of Christ. The same is true today. Religious leaders wanted to stone Him because He healed people on the Sabbath. Jesus told them that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. He understood the purpose and intent of the law. The religious leaders only knew the letter of the law. Those who follow only the letter of the law and ignore the spirit of the law fall into the trap of legalism. Legalism ultimately produces defeat.

Former President of the United States, Bill Clinton, admitted to having an improper sexual relationship, but at the same time, he instructed his lawyers to split legal hairs about the definition of a "sexual relationship." Such legalism brought condemnation from members of his own party and ultimately left a bad taste in the mouth of the general population. He was arguing the letter of the law, but ignoring the spirit of the law.

Many Christians have done the same thing. Legalism always leads to defeat. That's why the Bible instructs us to live by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we live by the Spirit, we are not under the rule of the law. That doesn't mean that we ignore the law or violate the law. It simply means that we fulfill the deep purposes of the law. In other words we do the will of God from the depths of our hearts.

A person who lives under the rule of the Holy Spirit is truly a free person. This person is not only faithful to his spouse, but he's free from the lusts that drag him into immorality. That's true victory - one that's in the heart and works its way into our everyday lives. But when someone attempts to live by the letter of the law, he's on a one way street to defeat.

A victorious Christian is one who has learned to yield his life to the rule of the Holy Spirit. He is not in bondage to legalistic definitions. He's free to be all that God intended him to be. He fulfills much more than the letter of the law. A victorious Christian fulfills the spirit and intent of the law because his obedience is an outflow of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. When we live by the power of the Holy Spirit, the law no longer is an issue in our lives because we will accomplish God's ultimate purpose in our lives. Victory over legalism flows from following the leadership of the Holy Spirit.