"Love is Lawful"

If something should be important to us that is not, then we must see the importance. We must be convinced that it is important. And, if it is important, then we probably will be convinced.

This seems to be what Paul is doing here - convincing his readers of the importance of loving others.

Let love be genuine.

This has been the overarching theme since 12:9...

In practical practicing of 12:1-2.

Why should we love others? (v. 8)

Because loving others fulfills the law.

“Owe no one anything” is a segue - speaking of “paying to all what is owed to them” (v. 7).

Not main point.

Doesn’t mean we should never have dept (though we may see here a cautioning).

Because then we wouldn’t be able to do verse 7a, of which paying taxes is an example.

Jesus encouraged loaning (Matthew 5:42 “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”).

“Not a prohibition against borrowing money, which Scripture permits and regulates (cf. Ex 22:25; Lv 25:35–37; Dt 15:7–9; Ne 5:7; Pss 15:5; 37:21, 26; Eze 22:12; Mt 5:42; Lk 6:34). Paul’s point is that all our financial obligations must be paid when they are due. See notes on Dt 23:19, 20; 24:10–13.” John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Ro 13:8.

“Owe” is present tense or continuous action. How do we continue in not owing? By continuing to keep the terms of a loan - “let no debt remain outstanding” (NIV).

This also fits with his point here - most debts we can and should pay off, but one dept we can not and should not.

We do have one “debt” that will remain “outstanding” in this life - loving others, which is the force of the word “except.”

Romans 1:14 “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.”

Romans 8:12–13 “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Not only that, but loving others fulfills the law - God’s law given through Moses.

Paul has established that the Law is not a means of salvation.

We know that the Law was fulfill by Jesus (Matthew 5:17 ““Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”)

But, the Law had 2 purposes:

Show sin to lead to faith (Romans 3:20 “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”)

Guide those who have faith. Does this guidance continue? It does in the heart of the Law, which is love.

Matthew 22:37–40 “And he 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 first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.””

James 2:8 “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.”

What does this mean? (v. 9-10)

Paul gives some examples from the Ten Commandments, which is the foundation of the law (v. 9).

These represent the whole (not exhaustive), especially in relation to others.

Which are “summed up in” the second greatest commandment (Leviticus 19:18 “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”). “Summed up” means bring together. To do this is to do them all. The 1 points to the whole, and the whole points to the 1.

“As yourself” - “Something frequently overlooked deserves comment. It is the expression “as thyself”. This implies that we do love our own selves. Love of oneself is not to be equated with selfishness or egotism. We are selfish when we do not love our neighbours as ourselves, when we are so absorbed with our own selves that we have no regard for others. Unselfish concern for others fulfils the injunction: “not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others” (Phil. 2:4). But this does not say or imply that we may be oblivious of our own things and, particularly, not oblivious of our own persons. It is unnatural and impossible for us not to love ourselves. “No man ever hated his own flesh” (Eph. 5:29) and in accord with this Paul says: “He that loveth his wife loveth himself” (Eph. 5:28). The various injunctions which might appear to contradict this love for oneself are not incompatible (cf. 12:10; Phil. 2:3). When we esteem others better than ourselves or when we sacrifice ourselves for the good of others (cf. John 15:13; Rom. 5:7), we do not thereby cease to love ourselves.” John Murray, The Epistle to the Romans, vol. 2, The New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1968), 163.

Proactively loving someone eliminates doing wrong to that someone (v. 10). So notice that this is both passive and active (1 Thessalonians 5:15 “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.”)

The last phrase in verse 10 - so this is how love is the fulfillment of the law.

This is what the law is about. “Fulfilling”/“fulfillment” - to complete as in the “act of fulfilling specifications” William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 830.

Galatians 5:14 “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.””

Romans 8:1–5 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”

Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”

*** This helps us with the HOW.

Love is essential.

If love is lawful, then love is essential - to the Christian life.

Love should be primary in relating to others.

If you want to love God in return,

1 John 5:1–3 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”

Benediction: Romans 16:25–27 “Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.”