“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law.” Rom 13:8
Have you ever been genuinely, profoundly loved by someone other than a wife or a family member…loved with a nonsexual love? I have and it changed my life. It changed me to the point that I make a very conscious effort to love others, hoping they will experience what I experienced when I was loved…hoping they will experience the transforming power of love that I have experienced. Paul continues his instructions on Christian living in Romans 13:8-14 by focusing on love.
Here’s what we learn about love in this passage:
1. Christians are to view loving others as a debt you owe them. Debt can numb you if it exceeds your capacity to pay. God has given us the capacity to pay this debt through the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
2. All the commands in the Scripture are not just an exercise in manipulation on God’s part. They are in essence instructions on how to love. “The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” V.9
3. Love is not just “doing”, it is also “not doing”. Romans 12 emphasizes the “doing” aspect of love and in this passage in Romans 13 the emphasis is on the “not doing” aspect of loving. Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet, do not participate in orgies and drunkenness, do not participate in sexual immorality and indulgence in sensual pleasures, and do not participate in dissension and jealousy.
We’re running out of time…either the Lord is coming very soon or your life on earth will end…give yourself to loving others.
There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.
~ Mother Teresa
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