[259 words]
“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For 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: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:8-10).
I love this passage and the simplicity Paul uses to explain what can be a very complex concept. We have in the old covenant all of these laws and commands in great detail from God, but things change under the new covenant. God doesn’t change, but God’s desires and his expectations for his people are not expressed in the same manner. So what is a believer under the new covenant supposed to do if they want to be pleasing to God? Which commands from the old covenant are they to keep and what are they to set aside?
Under the new covenant God expresses his desire for our hearts, minds, and motivations to be changed by living in the Spirit. The new covenant is a better way for us to live our lives, because we do not have to be overwhelmed by the hundreds of commands we need to keep in order to please God. Instead we ensure that our hearts are changed so that we desire what it is God desires. Paul says, when we do this we will fulfill God’s law naturally.
Steven McFadden
Rector, AR