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; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

   Romans 13:8-10 

When we consider living a life that is pleasing to God, we must regard obedience to the laws of God a part of that life. But that shouldn’t place us in a legalistic poster that makes demands and places burdens on people. Jesus has fulfilled the Law and everything that we need in order to be accepted by God is found in Christ. That is why Paul can say what he does in today’s passage. Fulfilling the law of God is found in one attitude, one desire, and one action…that of loving others.

The only thing that we should owe others is to love them. However this gets complicated because of our selfishness and bad behavior. Often, we might owe someone a great deal more such as an apology or paying restitution for some sort of harm done. But borrowing bad behavior, our daily routine should be one of owing nothing but love towards another. It is amazing to think about how one simple, yet powerful, passage from Jesus would radically change the world if we could ever fully embrace its wisdom with our hearts and minds. Consider Jesus’ instructions:

In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

                                                                                                                     Matthew 7:12 

When Christ says that this kind of treatment is the Law and the Prophets, He is telling us that the entire Law is summed up in this behavior. That is why Paul can say, “For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” We cannot separate kindness and love from that of being obedient to the laws of God. They are one in the same.

Paul demonstrates this truth by mentioning a few of the commandments found in the Mosaic Law, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet…” But then he says a rather remarkable thing, “and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” In other words, we can “pick a law, any law” and it can be summed up in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Legalists fixate on the actual laws and handle violators accordingly (to their standards). But the “spirit” behind God’s laws for mankind is designed to promote two things: Love for God and love for people. Consider Jesus’ summation of this truth:

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He (Jesus) said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

                                                                                                         Matthew 22:36-40  

Everything in the Law is designed to bring us closer to God and closer to one another. But our sin nature doesn’t allow for such communion so Jesus came and fulfilled the Law for us so that now, by the power of the Spirit of God living in us, we can enjoy fellowship with God and with each other.

Paul concludes this passage with a reminder that “Love does no wrong to a neighbor.” When we wrong each other we violate the very essence of what it means to love and care for others. Selfishness usually drives this kind of behavior. When we demand our way, we wander into that all too familiar territory of strife, conflict, and hurtfulness. But when we choose to put others before ourselves, which is the essence of the Christian life, we find ourselves enjoying life and having the power to affect others for the kingdom. Consider the following: 

Do nothing from selfish or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

                                                                                                            Philippians 2:3-4 

This is easier said than done but it sums up the kind of behavior that should flow from the life of a believer in Jesus Christ. That is why Paul can conclude this passage with the powerful declaration, “Love is the fulfillment of the law.”