Owe no one anything except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
– Romans 13:8
Is that not a great verse and a good word for all of us today? Owe no one anything, except this.
Romans 13:8 Commands Us to Love Each Other
So there’s one thing you owe people today, to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. And then Paul goes on to talk about the commandments. “You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet. And any other commandment, he says, “are summed up in this word. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” And Jesus obviously taught us this, the first, greatest commandment, to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. We are created for love, relationship with God. “And then, as the overflow of it,” Jesus says, “the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself.”
“This is,” Romans 13:10 says, “the fulfilling of the law, of all of God’s law, to love other people, to love each other.” And there’s that clear emphasis here in Romans 12–13 on the church and the church being marked by a supernatural counter-cultural love in the same way that Jesus said to his disciples, “By this will all people know that you are my disciples when you…” What? “When you love one another.” So, we owe it to each other to love each other today. And at the same time, surely we don’t not love people who are outside the church. Yes, we want to show the love of Jesus to every single person we meet. And that’s clearly what Romans 13:8 is saying. “Owe no one anything, except to love each other.” Let this verse transform your perspective today and tomorrow.
Romans 13:8 Reminds Us We Have Been Loved by God
When you see people, think, I owe them something. Just imagine when you know actually owe someone some money and you see them, you’re like, oh, I owe them that, so take that perspective and apply it to everybody you see today. When you see someone that you know, someone that you don’t know, think, I owe them. I owe them love. Think about just people that are coming to your mind right now in your family and your church family. Just think about people who are hard to love and think, I owe them love. That’s a counter-cultural way to think.
Oh God, change our perspective today on the people around us and help us to realize what we owe them. By your grace, God, we praise you as we’ve prayed through Romans for your grace, for your love, for your unmerited favor toward us. For while we were still enemies, you showed your love for us by sending your son to die for us.
We praise you for your love for us. God, help us to show that kind of love to others around us, especially those who are hard to love, especially our enemies, those who would seek to harm us. God, we praise you for your love for us when we were your enemies. Help us to see ourselves as indebted to our enemies, as owing them love. Oh God, we pray for a totally different perspective on the people around us today in light of Romans 13:8.
Prayer for the Vietnamese
And God, as we pray for the nations, we pray today for Vietnamese people in Cambodia, for out of the 86 million or so Vietnamese people, about a million of them who are practically stateless living in Cambodia, apart from their homeland, without rights that they would have back in Vietnam. God, we pray for the spread of your love to them, that this unreached people group would be reached by your love through your church. God, help us as your church to love the nations enough to spread the gospel of your grace to them. Oh God, help us to fulfill your law by loving others as you have called us to love our neighbor as ourselves. In Jesus’ name we pray, according to Romans 13:8. Amen.
