Why should we owe no man anything except to love one another (Romans 13:8)?

"Owe no man anything, but to love one another, for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." The first sentence does not mean that it is wrong to borrow money. The question is about paying. If a debt is due it should be paid exactly on time. Borrowing money in a reckless way, without any prospect of returning the amount, is sinful, and often great dishonor has been brought upon the name of our Lord on account of it. But there is another debt which always remains. The Christian owes the debt of love to all. And this love is the fulfilling of the law. Love does not work ill to his neighbor. The natural man may claim that he keeps the sum of the other commandments, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself," but he cannot do it. Only one who is born again, in whose heart there is love, has the power to do this.

Verses 8-10 are pregnant with weighty exhortation. The injunctive prohibition with which the passage opens, passes presently into an affirmative precept of yet deeper and wider range. We are not to remain debtors to any man. We are to own still an unpaid debt of love. With respect to the first of these, I only remark here that there is no just argument to be drawn from this passage against a Christian's borrowing money, or anything else, on the free consent of the other party. The question is not about borrowing, but paying. If a thing be due, it is to be at once paid. But a loan, of course, is not due, until the set time of payment has arrived. A heedless borrowing, with no present prospect of restitution at the appointed time, is a breach beforehand of this express command. Christians do well to weigh carefully this counsel. No small dishonour has been cast on the precious name of Christ from the neglect of this. Faith never oversteps the bounds of right. But there is a burden of debt from which the Christian has neither the ability nor the desire to be free. He is bound in a firm bond to the perpetual love of the brethren, for the Lord's sake. His real creditor is the Lord Himself. His sheep are the appointed receivers of His due (John 21:15-17). It is the new commandment, addressed to the children of the true and perfect Light (1 John 2:8-10).

But next we enlarge yet more. "Owe no one anything except to love one another; for he that loves the brother [i.e. his neighbour] has fulfilled law. For Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not covet, and if [there be] any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love works no ill to the neighbour: love therefore [is] law's fulfilment." (Ver. 8-10.) Thus the debt of love is the only one which is legitimate and in honour, good among men and acceptable to the Lord; the debt we should ever be paying, but never can pay off. Grace alone gives the power, but law is fulfilled thereby and indeed only thus. Law had continually claimed but never found it. Those under the law were under obligation but were wholly unable to make it good. Grace revealing Christ not only shows us His perfection and fulness but forms the heart accordingly. The commandments manwards are comprehended in loving one's neighbour; so are those Godward in loving God. Thus, what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of flesh of sin and for sin condemned sin in the flesh; in order that the righteous demand of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. (Rom. 8:3-4.)

Now comes the debt to all men. Here, it is not a question of loving the brethren merely. We are to owe no one anything save to love one another, and here it is pointed out that we have the fulfilment of that which the law sought, but could never obtain. Love is that which is the fulfilment of the law, or the whole of it, for if we love our neighbor as ourselves, love works no ill to one's neighbor. The commandments give us only the prohibition of these various forms of ill. Love owns the debt to all men and pays it. "The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit."

Tribute and Custom. — Another question, and one apparently not yet settled for some in our day, presents itself, and is finally dealt with by the apostle. Tribute, custom, fear, honour, each should be cheerfully rendered, where and when due. Taxes, and custom dues are to be paid, and those in authority feared, or reverenced, and honoured. What is due is the guiding principle, and the righteous rule. Is not this at times forgotten? How it simplifies matters! What is lawfully due, pay. There the Christian's responsibility ends. Thus the Word could smooth his path, whilst maintaining the authority of God, stimulating him too to subjection in all things lawful to the civil power for conscience' sake. For in paying what was due he was obeying God. This puts conscience really in the right place, and sheds a true light on the duty of a servant of the Most High. A rightly ordered conscience will not refuse the payment of that which is due.

Fulfilling the Law. — The duty of paying what is due having been enforced, we are led on to the reminder of a debt, which can never cease to be owing whilst we continue on earth — love to others. "Owe no man anything, but to love one another; for he that loves another has fulfilled the law" (Rom. 13:8). Love to one's neighbour lies at the basis of the commandments of the second table of the decalogue. "Love works no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law" (10). To endeavour to be justified by works of law was hopeless (3:20). To attempt to repress the evil within one by keeping it, is to court, and to ensure failure (vii.). Let however true love to others be in real exercise, and the law will be fulfilled. Are the law and the Gospel opposed? They are in the matter of justification. But he who walked in the spirit of the Gospel, displaying the activity of the Divine nature, fulfilled the law. The doctrine here set forth exemplifies the statement of 8:4.

Chapter 13:8. “Owe no man anything.” These few words are very comprehensive. Not merely debts when due, but to seek to pay all demands as soon as due. To do this, a Christian should always seek to live below his income, and do his business within his means. This may require much diligence and self-denial, but what misery will he avoid. These words, then, are important, when applied as to income and expenditure. And also, whatever kindness may be shown us, let us seek to return it with large interest. “Owe no man anything, unless to love one another” (New Translation). Ah, that is a debt never fully paid, for it is to love one another as He has loved us.

The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us. (Rom. 5:5.) Now, in its exercise, it flows out to others — the love of God in our hearts by the Spirit — and the result is, “he that loves another has fulfilled the law.” Thus the commands as to our neighbour are all fulfilled. “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” This is by the twofold power of the love of God, already shed abroad in our hearts, and by the Spirit which has been given. This is not putting the Christian under law again, and telling him, if he keep it, God will love him, and give him the Holy Spirit. Neither is it telling him to pray for the Spirit, that he may keep the law. It is the opposite of all this. The love of God and the Spirit he has, and love works no ill to his neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. How beautiful the order of God is, and the effect is never put before the cause.

But subjection to governments does not mean that Christians should be under obligation to them. In fact they should not be indebted to any one. As having found their resource in God, they should be dispensers of blessing. Themselves indebted to the love of God, they should regard themselves as under the obligation of showing love to all. In doing this they are fulfilling what the law required. It demanded love, but man in the flesh is without power to meet the demand. The Spirit dwells in the Christian. With Him there is power to produce what the law required. The requirement of the law is carried out in the Christian through the power of the Spirit without his being under law either for righteousness or as a rule of life.

Verses 8, 9, 10 give us, not simply authorities, but what is due to all men. “Owe no man anything, but to love one another.” This is a debt that can never be fully paid up. Paul's knowledge of the gospel and his love for men made him “debtor both to the Greeks, and to the barbarians, both to the wise, and to the unwise,” and this is the case, in whatever measure, of all saints. But it is very clear that debts in temporal things are to be avoided. “The borrower is servant to the lender” is a truth to be well considered.

Verse 8 extends the thought, of rendering what is due, far beyond governments to all men. The Christian is to be free of all debt, except the debt of love. That he can never fully pay. The object of infinite love himself, his attitude is to be love in this unloving world. In so doing he fulfils the law though he is not put under it, as we saw so clearly in chapter 6.

(Vv. 8-10). In these verses we are exhorted as to the right conduct of the believer towards all men, whether believers or unbelievers. Being our conduct towards all, the law is brought in, rather than the high standard of Christianity. We are to owe no man anything except to love. In showing love we shall fulfil the law, for the whole law is comprehended in this saying, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself". Love works no evil. Love will not kill, nor steal, nor bear false witness. It is true that apart altogether from love, a man may refrain from killing or stealing for fear of consequences, and yet easily slip into bearing false witness. Only love will refrain from bearing false witness against our brother. Apart from love we may rake up something against a brother that we know has been judged, and owned, and done with, and thus, by an idle word destroy his reputation. In the Christian circle everyone's reputation should be safe from slander. "love works no ill to his neighbour", but malice does and, giving way to malice we fall beneath the law, not to speak of the higher claims of Christianity.