Yesterday we saw in 13:1-7 Paul's call for the Roman house churches to submit to governing authorities. In that same vein of how the Christians are to live within the broader culture Paul writes verses 8-10:
Romans 13:8-10
8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Here, Paul continues the theme from v. 7 where he says to pay what is owed them. This is likely not to be read as an overall widespread prohibition on taking loans. Instead, it is simply saying, if you borrow something pay it back. If you receive an invoice from someone's work be sure to pay it. If you owe taxes, pay your taxes.
Paul, then, cleverly transitions back to Christians primary disposition towards the community—love. He implies that the debt of love we owe one another can never be repaid. So we must always give it.
Then he echoes Jesus' teaching by saying that love fulfills the law (Matt 22:34-40). Love is the heart and soul of the commandments. Both are required for a fully functioning Christian ethic. Following the commands without love leads to rigidity and legalism. Alternatively, if love is cut from commands then it becomes sentimentality and anything can be defined as "loving". This is where our culture at large is today. The concept of love has been removed from truth and commands, leaving it void of any real meaning. Love then, is the heart of Christian ethics and the heart of how Christians should interact with governing officials and the community at large.
What we learn from the people of Israel's experience with the law is that law is insufficient. We need to be transformed, by the renewing of our minds. This transformation comes by offering all of ourselves as a living sacrifice to God and allowing him to transform us.
Additional Content
During the protests on Capital Hill on Wednesday in which protestors broke into the chambers of the House, requiring the lawmakers to evacuate and the capital go under lockdown, Russell Moore, the president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission tweeted:
If you don't follow Russell Moore on Twitter, you should.
Reflection
When you think of your relationship to the culture around you, including political opponents, is it one based primarily in love. Think of your strongest political opponent (Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Ted Cruz, Nancy Pelosi, Tony Evers, Robin Vos) and ask yourself, "What does love require of me in how I think about and talk about that person?"