Romans 13:8-10 says, “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” Paul was just speaking about paying and giving to those who you owe. He speaks of taxes, revenue, respect and honor as debts we all must readily pay back fully. However, in these verses, he points out that there is one debt that we could never pay in full. It is a debt that must and always will be owed.
True love is a one way street of indebtedness. If it is to be a true, pure, unconditional, selfless, undefiled love, it will never be fulfilled in our lives apart from Christ. After making this statement regarding love, Paul list four of the six commandments that describe what love looks like in our treatment those around us. The six are:
• Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land - Love is respectful. It respects not only with the mouth, but also the heart.
• You shall not murder - Love is harmless. It does not hurt in any way; whether physical or emotional; love heals.
• You shall not commit adultery - Love is pure. It does not corrupt the purity of any relationship.
• You shall not steal - Love is unselfish. It does not take from others, but rather gives without expecting anything in return.
• You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor - Love is truthful. It does not pervert righteousness and justice, especially at another's expense.
• You shall not covet - Love is content. It does not value anything in its heart over trust in and obedience to the Lord as provider.
Paul makes a summary statement that loving your neighbor is a complete fulfillment of these laws and not only these, but “any other commandment” which are the commandments regarding love for God. You cannot have one without the other. You cannot love God without loving your neighbor and you cannot love your neighbor (truly) without loving God.
It’s a strange paradox to love with the expectance that love will not be given in return. Yet this paradox is exactly how Christ loved us (Rom 5:8-10). To understand this is to understand completely the love of God. With this understanding, we reciprocate this same love to others; not once, not twice but 70 times 7. For we realize that He has loved us until EOL (end of life) which goes beyond the 70 times 7 – Phil 2:1-11.
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