With God, there are no loopholes

More often than I'd like to admit, I find myself attempting to justify a "borderline sin," by attempting to find loopholes for things. These loopholes could be things not specifically mentioned in any spiritual text or church class I've attended, or they could be because I decide that I am doing a bad thigh for a good reason (spoiler alert - if you decide this on your own, odds are you're wrong). I've gotten better at resisting these, but am not perfect at it. These loopholes could be found for simple things, such as tithing or the Word of Wisdom, or they could be for worse sins.
On my mission, good missionaries who had a few issues with the mission rules would often discuss how they aren't breaking "the spirit of the law." Sure, it's easy to use the spirit of the law to justify smaller grievances, but I think the spirit of the law works the other way. When we follow the spirit of the law, we have studied the scriptures and other gospel subjects enough to be able to infer what is right and what is wrong beyond what has been said. I'm not talking about huge things, but those small moments where you think to yourself that you probably ought not to do something, despite it not being an outright sin. Those who follow the spirit of the law move away from being "compelled in all things," therefore becoming a less "slothful servant" to the Lord (see D&C 58:26).
Forming loopholes for ourselves can be especially detrimental when we do this in our marriages. An article by Kenneth Matheson in the September 2009 Ensign outlines one frequent loophole working adults might come up with. In discussing a conversation, Matheson quotes "In Jane’s mind, she had not crossed any lines because there had been nothing physical or romantic between her and her co-worker. She saw no harm in going to lunch and spending breaks with someone with whom she had so much in common. She saw no problem with sending him personal e-mails and text messages." Simple enough. That's not a hard conclusion to draw, but it is a wrong one.
Further on in Matheson's article, he states with respect to marital fidelity "Fidelity includes refraining from physical contact—but that is not all. Fidelity also means complete commitment, trust, and respect between husband and wife. Inappropriate interactions with another person can erode fidelity." Simply put, if a relationship with another person starts taking away from your relationship with your spouse, you are in the wrong no matter how low-key that might be.
God may have only given a comparative few specific instructions for us, but that's because He trusts us to learn the deeper meaning and to adjust our lives accordingly. Think about that, the Creator of the universe trusts us to learn how to live our lives in accordance with the truths that we decide to learn with our own agency. Remember that loopholes might work with the laws that men have made, but God's law is perfect, which means there is no room for loopholes.

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