“Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:8-10 NASB1995)

To love with this kind of love is to prefer what God prefers, which is all that is holy, righteous, honest, faithful, morally pure, upright, and obedient to God and to his commands. In all practicality, it engages us in preferring to live through Christ, embracing God’s will, in choosing his choices, and in obeying them in the power of God at work within those of us of faith in Jesus Christ. So this isn’t human love, based on our feelings. This kind of love does not compromise with the world in order to be liked by the world, either.

So, when we love others with this kind of love, we are not going to compromise with the world so that the world will like us. We will not soft-sell the gospel message, either, so that people will think well of us, and think we are being kind. For it is never kind to lie to people just to make them feel good. The truth, spoken in love, is what is kind. But this does not mean that we blurt out everything we are thinking. We need to be discerning people of grace, but without compromising the holiness and righteousness of God.

And, as we read past verse 8, that becomes more clear to us as to what is intended here by loving one another with the love which comes from God. So, if we are truly loving others with this love which comes from God, it will not be in lip service only. It will be shown by how we treat others in our daily practices, in truth, with sincerity. Therefore, if we love our spouses, we will not commit adultery against them, especially not deliberately and habitually without conscience and without remorse. For adultery is hate, not love.

We will also not murder anyone. And this doesn’t have to be limited to just the physical act of causing the physical death of another person. For there are other ways to “murder” (slaughter, kill, assassinate) someone else. And it can be with words only, via hateful speech, slander, gossip, persecution, mocking, and false accusations against their character which may cost them friendships, and injure their reputations, and cost them their jobs or their marriages or their family relationships, etc., because others believed the lies.

And we will not steal, i.e. we will not take from others what is not rightfully ours to possess. And this doesn’t have to be confined to just money and material possessions, but this can be about taking someone’s spouse from them via adultery, or stealing someone’s reputation from them via slander, gossip, and false accusations against their character. Or it can mean stealing someone’s original works or discoveries or products, etc. and taking the credit for them, when the credit is not yours to possess. All this is wrong!

So we are to love other humans as though they are us, treating them how we want to be treated, unless any treatment we might desire falls into the realm of what is immoral, hateful, and sinful in nature. But if we want to be treated with kindness and respect and with fairness and honesty (not lies), then that is how we should treat others, in a manner that is for their ultimate good, not to do them any harm. For love does no wrong to a neighbor or to a spouse or to a friend or to family member. For love is kind.

[Proverbs 24:17-20; Proverbs 25:21-22; Matthew 5:8-12,43-48; Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:27-36; Luke 10:27; John 13:33-35; John 15:12; Romans 12:9-11,14-21; 1 Corinthians 13:1-8; 1 Corinthians 16:14; 1 John 4:7]

In Harmony

Based off Romans 12:9-21; 1 Peter 3:8-17
An Original Work / September 2, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Love each other truly.
Cling to what is good.
Hate all that is evil.
Never lack in zeal.
Serve the Lord with fervor.
Joyful in hope be;
Patient in affliction;
Praying faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.

Share with all God’s people
Who are found in need.
Do not be conceited.
Sympathetic be.
Love, and show compassion
In humility.
Keep your tongue from evil.
Peaceful you must be.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.

God sees who are righteous;
Listens to their prayers.
But He’s against evil –
Is His to avenge.
Do not fear what they fear.
Suffer patiently.
In your hearts, make Christ Lord.
Serve Him faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.

Those Who Love Their Neighbors
An Original Work / December 26, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love