Those who truly live in the Spirit do not need rules or the Law. Paul is clear: the signs of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If someone is living like this, then they don't need any rule book. The trouble is, most of us at least occasionally live according to the flesh, characterized by every sort of immorality plus quarrelling, jealousy, hatred, and division. We talk a lot about the Spirit, but we need to observe our own lives a bit more closely to see if there is enough evidence that we have the Spirit! The Spirit is not about shouting halleluiah and being enthusiastic but about simple, everyday living in love, patience, and humility.

Jesus scolded the Pharisees because like many religious people, they focused on the rules and forgot about justice and the love of God. Some of them heaped burdens on others but did nothing to help them manage. They also let self-seeking creep into their spirituality. This is a tendency with all religions, and we all need to be vigilant. Love and justice are the essential core of proper worship of God; when we forget that, we have lapsed into idolatry. The well-being and happiness of people is always first on God's list, and it should be first on ours.