Romans 13 Devotional

The Debt That Stays Open

“Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.”Romans 13:8 (BSB)

Romans 13 begins with the governing authorities. Paul tells believers to submit to them, because no authority exists except by God's appointment (13:1). He calls rulers God's servants for the people's good, whose task includes punishing wrongdoing, and so Christians pay their taxes and give respect and honor where they are due, not only to avoid punishment but as a matter of conscience (13:3-7).

Then Paul turns from what is owed to rulers to the one debt that is never paid off: love for one another (13:8). The commandments against adultery, murder, theft and coveting are all summed up in the call to love one's neighbor as oneself, because love does no harm to a neighbor (13:9-10). The night is almost over and the day is near, so believers set aside the deeds of darkness and put on the Lord Jesus as their clothing (13:11-14). The Christian life is not dressing up in better behavior. It is wearing Christ himself, who loved first, and letting his love shape how you treat the people nearest you.

To think about: Who is the neighbor nearest you today, and what would it look like to treat your love for them as a debt you are glad to keep paying?