“7 Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor. 8 Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not covet; and any other commandment, are summed up by this commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself. 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law.”
Paul is continuing his thoughts from verse 7, where he says that Christians need to pay all of our obligations. Paul shows us that love also falls under the category of obligations that Christians have to others. In the same way that we pay our taxes to the government, we need to love others. In the same way we pay respect and honor to those to whom it is owed, we owe love to those God has called us to love.
When Paul says, “Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another…” (v. 8a), does this mean that Christians should never borrow anything, including money? The Old Testament makes provisions for how and when to pay debts, when to charge interest and how much, when to forgive debts, etc. The overall attitude of Scripture is that being in debt is not forbidden, but rather that, when we take on debt, we must do so carefully and honorably. This statement from Paul doesn’t really fit into that framework, and given the context, I don’t think this is a statement against Christians taking out loans. With this in mind, the principle that Paul is describing in verse 8a is this: In the same way that you are diligent in paying your debts, be diligent in loving one another. Treat your love to others like it is something that is owed to them, and something that you must pay. The difference between our other debts and our “love debt” is that eventually, if you do so correctly, you will pay off all other debts, but the debt to love others can never be paid off! We always owe love to one another.
“[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” — 1 Corinthians 13:7-8a
The end of verse 8 tells us, “…for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” (v. 8b) How does love fulfill the law? Let’s look at the words of Jesus:
“And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test him: “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”” — Matthew 22:25-30
““I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”” — John 13:34-35
It’s clear from these passages that Christians are called to love, both in order that we may fulfill the law and so that we will be identifiable as Christians. Paul speaks to the Galatian church about this concept.
“For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.” — Galatians 5:13-14
We have our freedom from sin through faith in Christ Jesus. Paul calls us to use this freedom not for ourselves, but in service to others; Service in love, not duty or obligation. If we truly want to love both God and our neighbors, we will be careful to do all that God has commanded us through His law. Love does not replace the law, but rather, love fulfills the law. Those who love God and love people will, by nature, keep the law. In our next devotional, we will look at the Ten Commandments and see examples of how love fulfills each requirement of the law.
Every M-W-F I look forward to opening your Romans email. I had never quite understood the context of “owe no one anything except to love one another.” What you wrote put the emphasis not on money debts, but that we always owe love to one another. Thank you for helping me grow in understanding God’s Word!