Romans 13:8–10

Context

This passage belongs to the ethical section (chapters 12–15) of the Epistle to the Romans, which Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome. The immediately preceding section, 13:1–7, calls for submission to the governing authorities and the payment of taxes and customs, and it concludes with the words "Render therefore to all their dues." Picking up the language of "dues" and "debt," Paul says that every other debt should be paid in full, but that loving one another remains a debt that can never be fully discharged. The commandments listed in verse 9 belong to the second table of the Ten Commandments. "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" is a quotation of Leviticus 19:18. The following section, 13:11–14, exhorts believers to remain watchful because the time of salvation is near.

Interpretation

• The fulfillment reading: Many commentators hold that love neither replaces nor abolishes the law. Rather, love is the means by which the purpose of the commandments is actually realized. This is how they understand "the fulfilling of the law" (Greek plērōma, "filling" or "fulfillment").
• The Reformed reading: The Reformed tradition, including Presbyterians, cites this passage in support of the view that the law continues to function in the Christian life as a norm that defines the content of love. This is commonly called the "third use of the law."
• The Lutheran reading: This tradition emphasizes that love of neighbor is not a condition of justification but a fruit that springs from faith. It reads the passage within the framework of the distinction between law and gospel.
• The Wesleyan reading: The Methodist and Holiness traditions describe the goal of sanctification as "perfect love" toward God and neighbor, and this passage is often cited in connection with that teaching.

Debates and Issues

• Does it forbid debt altogether? Some read the first part of verse 8 as a command forbidding all loans and debts. Many respond that, in light of 13:7 and the surrounding context, the verse should be understood to mean "do not withhold what is rightly owed." Opinions also differ over whether the verse should be cited in discussions of church building projects or household finances.
• If there is love, are the commandments unnecessary? Some readings appeal to love in order to relativize specific commandments. Against this, critics point out that in this very passage Paul explains love by listing specific commandments.
• Manuscript variants: Some later manuscripts include an additional phrase in verse 9, "Thou shalt not bear false witness." This reading is reflected in the King James Version and other translations, but it does not appear in the Korean Revised Version or the New Korean Revised Version.

Related Passages

• Galatians 5:14
• Mark 12:28–34
• Leviticus 19:18
• 1 John 4:20–21
• Romans 3:31