Romans Part 6: RESPONSESample

Love - A Debt We Can Never Repay

God’s astounding and marvelous love is a debt we can never repay! How is it possible that the Mighty and Matchless King would lay His life down for me?

Today’s verse is “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8

Here, Paul talks about a debt we can never repay. He is clear, in Romans 5, that the reason we are in this debt is that, while we were sinners, God’s gracious love was lavished upon us through Christ’s sacrifice: “But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

It is Christ’s love that compels us to love one another, not out of our own reservoir of love resources, but out of the limitless eternal reservoir of God’s love, love that is endless. As we are rooted in Christ’s love, that abundant love spills over into others.

“that Christ will dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in LOVE, you will be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and thus to know the LOVE of Christ that surpasses knowledge so that you will be filled up to all the fullness of God.” Eph. 3:16-19

What would God want from us whose love debt cannot be repaid? Jesus did tell us the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. He also told us to love like Him. We are to pay it forward. What is that like? It's self-sacrificing, and intentional, to look at others’ needs before our own. It might mean taking time to talk to someone at work who is struggling, even though you are really pressed for time. It might be serving your husband, wife, mom, or dad around the house in an unexpected way. You might courageously reach out and greet a perfect stranger who looks sad or lonely. What about saying “yes” to God, if He prompts you to share Jesus with a friend, neighbor, or family member….that is LOVE.

I grew up in an unchurched home. My parents were not Christians and my dad was hostile toward God. A friend of my mom began lovingly sharing Christ with her and she accepted Jesus. No one in the family knew about my mom’s salvation. One by one, my mom started sharing the love of Jesus with each of us. I was the first one on her “debt to repay” list and I met Jesus. Eventually, our whole family became Christians, including my dad. All because the love of Jesus, overflowing out of my mom, courageously, tenderly, powerfully…spilled into the lives of each one of my family members.

Paul is very clear about specific ways to live out this action of LOVING one another:

“Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful. It is not glad about injustice but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Cor. 13:4-7

How can we respond to the debt that can’t be repaid? Isn’t it about paying it forward?

-Lisa Drainville