How much do you owe? How much debt have you accumulated? Do you follow the law? Are you legalistic in your view of obeying the law? Do you pick and choose which laws you decide to obey? What if you could follow all the law and owe nothing by following one principle?
We have mortgages, car loans, and credit card debt. We may owe more money than we can make in a year or two. We pay back loans over the course of several years. Mortgages may take thirty years to repay. Auto loans are now extending to six years.
Why does Paul tell the people of the church in Rome not to owe anyone anything? The simple answer is it is a form of slavery. By owing to others, we have no choice but to work to make money to pay off the loans. Don’t misunderstand. In today’s culture, it is rare that anyone can purchase a house or new vehicle without borrowing money to do so.
Perhaps the best we can do is follow his second piece of guidance. We are to love one another. Paul says by loving one another we fulfill the law. For the uninitiated or the one who isn’t thinking through this guidance, it may seem shallow, unrealistic, or simplistic. That viewpoint comes from a lack of understanding of the love Paul is talking about.
The love Paul is telling us to have, is the same love Christ has for us. In v.10, he says that “love does no wrong to a neighbor.” Think about it. Dive deep into what it means to love as Christ loves. It means to care about others, do what is best for them, and putting them ahead of ourselves. We won’t do anything that would hurt them or put them in harms way. If we see others as Christ sees them and love them as He loves them, we will inherently obey the law.
I pray we all strive to see others as Christ sees them. I pray we seek to love others as Christ loves them. I pray each one of us will obey the law by loving our neighbor as ourselves. See others through Christ’s eyes. Love others as Christ loves. Obey the law inherently. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you achieve the love of Christ.
Romans 13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Marty Pressey 