LOVE Series: What Do We Owe Them?

By: Mark Lowenstein
March 9, 2008

"Will that be cash or charge?"
"Oh, that will be cash. The Bible says 'Owe nothing to anyone."

Well, it does say that, doesn't it (Romans 13:8)? But, of course the context is not talking about buying things on credit. It is not telling us that we must pay for our meal at a restaurant before we eat and not after. In fact, it is not talking about mere financial obligations at all, although it could include that.

Instead, it is a prohibition from incurring moral indebtedness. We are not to mistreat others in any way, but always do what is right and honorable. While this would include financial aspects of our lives, it would include other aspects as well. Just as we are not to cheat someone financially, neither are we to deceive them in other ways, or gossip about them, or seek their harm in any way. Consider the passage in context:

"Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another, for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, 'You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,' and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor, love therefore is a fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:8-10).

So the Scripture is not talking about the rightful, lawful gaining of financial debt, but the dishonest, unlawful gaining of moral debt.

Fulfilling The Law
"Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another, for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law." (Romans 13:8). The law had much to say about interpersonal relationships. To sum it all up, all these commandments would fall under the single command, "Love your neighbor". If one truly loves his neighbor, then he would treat his neighbor according to the many commandments of the law.

This is certainly still true today. Under the law of Christ our relationships with others could be summed up the same way, to love our neighbors as ourselves. For example, we are to "bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). We are told to "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you..." (Ephesians 4:31-5:2a). Also, Jesus told His disciples that the greatest commandment after loving God is to "love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 19:19). Paul quotes these words of Jesus later in the context (Romans 13:9b). We fulfill the law of Christ with respect to our relationships with others (with our leaders, with our fellow Christian) only when we have this unselfish, active care toward them.

Motivation to Treat Others Righteously

"And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light." (Romans 13:11,12).

It is time to wake up to the spiritual truth of our positions as it relates to eternity. It is not the time to go through life in a “spiritual coma” as many seem so intent to do. It is time to wake up because the gospel of light is entering into a dark world shedding its light everywhere. Its promise of eternal salvation is closer to being realized by men and women of faith today than it was yesterday, and each day moves us closer to eternity. God now commands men everywhere to repent, “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent” Acts 17:30 (niv) as the gospel of grace finds its way through the world.

Christians should always live with the awareness that discipleship is serious business. Sadly, many still sleep, ignoring the approaching eternal darkness that awaits them if they do not seek the light today. Our motivation; to obey God, including those commands to love others, is that salvation is now closer than when we first believed.

We are to live righteously with respect to others, never placing ourselves into moral indebtedness to others because we have sinned against them. In this sense, we are "owe nothing to anyone" with but this exception: we owe them our love.