Romans 13:8 New Living Translation
“Owe nothing to anyone—except for
your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will
fulfill the requirements of God’s law.”
In this day and age where it seems
like man owes every mother, brother, sister and cousin, the Lord tells us to
‘owe nothing to anyone”. That certainly makes life a lot simpler if you are not
beholden to someone. According to Paul, we are obliged to love our neighbor. “For Jesus, to love your neighbor as you
love yourself was to practice justice towards your fellow human beings.” [1] Being a literal person I often wondered what loving
your neighbor meant from a biblical perspective. Were they people that lived
right next to you or on your street? Practicing love, kindness, mercy and
compassion without judging is apparently something we are required to do as a
follower of Christ. It doesn’t seem to be optional. If we are truly his
followers we will strive to be as he is in all matters of life.
The obligation part comes from our
indebtedness to Christ for all he has done for us just with his death on the
cross alone. Therefore we are permanently obliged or required to lavish the
love on others that Christ has poured out onto us. It shouldn’t be all that
hard for us, but we so easily become self-absorbed and forget all about others.
Being human doesn’t excuse it, but it does explain it.
While we are no longer required to
fulfill the Law found in God’s Ten Commandments, because we have been bought
and paid for thru the blood of Christ, we should be compelled to live out the
Ten Commandments as a natural part of our new life. Do we absolutely HAVE to?
No. Should we want to with all our heart as a response for what has been done
for us? Yes. If you reflect on each stage of Christ’s journey to the cross on
Golgotha’s hill, any hesitation or doubt should be broken away by the fact that
the punishment Christ bore was ours to take, but he took it for us and
willingly. Live out the scripture and be
Christ
to those around you. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
Resource:
The Life Application Study Bible.
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