Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Romans 13:8,10
We owe love (v.8)
Some of you won’t like this, but the word love means to show regard and affection towards someone. In fact, verse 8 qualifies the recipient as being anyone. This verse should cause each of us to think about how we feel about others. As I think about myself, I have to consider that I really should be an enemy to no one. Not even one person. If right, this shakes my paradigm and the way I should view others. While I may have many enemies, I should not be the enemy of someone else.
I can hear you saying now that there are numbers of people who’ve hurt you and caused you great pain. They’ve not considered your feelings. They’ve been completely rude to you. They’ve wounded you to the extent that you can’t even see straight. Why should you not be an enemy of someone who hurt you with unending pain?
Because the Bible says we shouldn’t. It’s that simple. It may not be something easy to hear, but it is the truth. We owe nothing except to love.
We owe love whether we receive it back or not (v.8)
The love we show others should be unconditional. I understand this goes against all reason. If someone hurts me, then I should hurt them, right? Nope. If someone hurts you, you owe nothing except to love them. Our love for others should not be conditional. It should never be based on their merit or how much they deserve it. Our love for others is based on the love extended to us by Christ. He loves us without condition, and that love is the example that we should show others.
We owe no wrong (v.10)
If love keeps account of no wrong suffered (1 Corinthians 13:5), it would only be rational to understand that vengeance should not be a part of the Christian mindset or reaction. As difficult as it seems, we do not return evil for evil (1 Peter 3:9). Understand, it’s fine to be upset about wrongs suffered, but it is also commanded for Christ-followers to get over it and live lives that honor the Lord. It really is that simple.
It should not take years to forgive a wrong suffered. We shouldn’t wring our hands for months to forgive someone and show love towards them. I think that Paul would call that kind of delay to be Christian Infancy Syndrome (1 Corinthians 3:2).
Forgiving people do not fight others. Forgiving people love others. Period.
Who do you need to love?