Owe no one anything - but...

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. – Romans 13.8

Owe no one anything but to love each other.

That says a lot, doesn’t it? It is a clear warning against being indebted to others. Nothing can cause more struggles in a relationship with another like owing them something. Sure, the Bible enjoins lenders to be kind to those indebted to them. It speaks against excessive interests and punishing unpaid debts. Here though we are told that we can avoid the issue by just not going in debt.

I am sure that we are not just talking about financial debt here. We should not be indebted by our feelings or emotions. We should not be indebted by cultural or peer pressures. Any obligation we have should be based on one thing – love for others – because that, at the end of the day, summarises the whole law of God.

I owe love to my family. I owe love to my brothers and sisters in Christ. I owe love to my friends. I owe love to my neighbours. I owe love to my coworkers. I owe love to those who oppose me. I owe love to those who may mock me and ever persecute me. I owe love to my enemies.

We can’t get away from it, can we? Love God and love others sums up all that we believe and should sum up how we act.