The only debt we owe

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 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, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. [from Romans 13]

Paul sometimes gets a bad rap. And, honestly, IMHO, sometimes deserves it. But I have always adored this passage from Romans. It simply reminds us of what’s important, but does it in such a way that it’s easy to remember in one word.

Love.

Sounds trite, doesn’t it? It isn’t. It’s as deep and substantive as theology gets.

Do you want to fulfill the commandments? Love.

Do you want to be faithful, keep from hatred and murder, refrain from taking what isn’t yours, refrain from wanting what isn’t yours? Love.

Love isn’t always easy, or there would be a lot more of it. As we struggle to define what is or isn’t right—in our world, our families, our country—everything must be put to one test: does it exhibit love? If the answer is yes, you can’t go wrong.

Stay out of debt, says Paul. Oh, except you owe one thing, and you owe it to everyone.

Love. It’s the only debt we owe.

© 2017, Melissa Bane Sevier