Essay Drop #2 Entry 29: Romans 13:8-10

An essay from the 1 Phrases on God and Religion

Introduction to Essay

This is a follow up essay to Entry 28 (written the next session as a matter of fact) where I decided to continue with another Romans verse of the day to get a better understanding for the verses and find things to take away from the words. As noted in the previous entry (found at this link), this essay was written in honor of Easter and the time of Lent. My goal in these verses was clearer to me when I sat down to write, and that goal was to see what depth I can interpret from the Bible. I found that this was actually a good verse to examine as well, as it rests at the core of Christianity. Something I am sure all of us could better understand.

Entry 29: Romans 13:8-10

“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,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefor love is the fulfilling of the law.”

“Owe no one anything,” a pretty straightforward concept and statement. It is easier said than done. I owe the bank money on the townhome I live in; I accrue debts on credit cards (I typically pay off before the monthly statement but debt nonetheless!), and I still owe the government some $10,000 in student debts. I am sure others are in the same boat, or they have more water than I do. In any case, it seems impossible in this modern world to owe nothing to someone else. But why is that? And is it unchristian to take out a home loan on a house?

There are other verses covering this topic, particularly in the Old Testament, about how often debt should be forgiven and how Jews should not take out debt if possible and the like. So the thought here I think is less about the realistic and more about the abstract. The idea is to be self-sufficient and to show the love and grace that you have been gifted.

Owe no one anything besides love for one another. This does not mean one should withhold time, effort, or money; rather it means do what is right in the concept of loving one’s neighbor. If that is giving them some of one’s time, elbow grease, or money without expectation of it in return — so that the receiver owes the giver nothing in return and the giver expects nothing in return and neither party are obligated to do anything for the other outside of what has already taken place — then so be it. Actions from the heart, as described above, build trust, friendship, and community. Each person sees the other for who they are at their core. The giver is seen as the Christian they are, a trusting loving Christian, and receiver is seen for the fellow human they are, and not just some “Non-Playable Character” (NPC) that the Christian interacts with.

To do this would imply that one cannot break other laws or commandments God has set forth, as other laws are done without love in mind, at least explicitly (murder, adultery, etc). In this, Jesus and Paul have summed up the entirety of the New Testament, which is “love thy neighbor” because without love, there are too many laws to keep track of that you will fail on. But if one loves, that is to say if one truly cares for others as one might care for themselves or their closest family members or friends, and strive to love others as called upon, one will find that obeying all other laws come much easier.

Why would one steal from someone that they love and respect? Why steal from someone who loves and respects them? Could one simply not ask them to use whatever it is they wish to have for a time? Or if it is perishable, could one not ask to partake in whatever it is with that person? We must be careful here though, for love does not mean one can take from someone because one covets what the other has. Love does not erase the desires of the flesh, material, or emotion; no, love can only look past those things. Nor can love simply look past lies and deceit. An honest person, coming in good faith, will be easy to love, and can be trusted with that love. The liar coming in bad faith will be harder to love, but we must learn to love them all the same. I personally think of Ned Flanders from The Simpsons when I think of loving thy neighbor in this way.

It is one thing to ask to use a someone’s lawnmower, another to never give it back, and yet another to covet their lawnmower as it is better at cutting grass than one’s own. No, a loving relationship is one where each will give freely to the other because they love, respect, and trust the other to return the item in a timely and well-kept manner. To enjoy what is being given freely, and to relinquish the desires that are antithetical to love.

Loving your neighbor means doing no wrong, and if one truly loves their neighbor, then one will live consciously to do no wrong, commit no affront, refrain from coveting, and all other desires of flesh, material, and emotion, the stuff of Satan himself; one will be fond of those around them, and all will treat each other as they would like to be treated. They would work together to be as good as they possibly can be and push one another to reach their full potential in whatever endeavors the individuals are on.

Of course, my examples here have been confined to physical neighbors, a next-door neighbor. This is not the only place this love applies. It is also true that those who live anywhere on Earth are actually your neighbors. If you walk by a homeless man, it is your duty to love him as you would love yourself. And in the process of doing so, good will, admiration, empathy, and respect can develop between you and that man, and through these things you can find ways to give what you have to offer to help the man. This may be a piece of clothing in the cold, or food from the local store, or helping them to rehab; whatever the ailment you see that can be rectified if only you loved that man as you loved yourself!

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