The Sum Total Is Love

– Ponderings:

“Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. The law code—don’t sleep with another person’s spouse, don’t take someone’s life, don’t take what isn’t yours, don’t always be wanting what you don’t have, and any other “don’t” you can think of—finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can’t go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love.” (Romans 13:8-10).

The fulfillment of the law, its sum total, is love, writes the Apostle Paul. What he’s saying is basic but profound; it’s easy to grasp but incredibly difficult to put into practice. The Bible has “laws” that outline how God wants us to live and relate to one another: don’t kill or steal, don’t be so fixated on getting things for yourself that you take from others, forgive one another, be kind, seek justice, and so on. Paul finds in all the laws, however, one profound truth.

He distills the essence of God’s commandments into one primary directive—love. The commandments that guide our actions toward others are not a list of prohibitions or rules to follow for the sake of obedience. Instead, they are about relationships and the quality of those relationships.

Paul tells us that love is not merely an emotion or a feeling; it is an action that directly impacts how we live with others. If we truly love others, we won’t steal, harm, or act unjustly toward them. It just won’t be possible. Love seeks the good of the other, respects their dignity, and honors their worth.

We would probably all agree that these are great words and a wonderful way to live. But is living this way practical? If I live this way, knowing that many others won’t respond to me in the same way, aren’t I just making myself a doormat for others to step on? What is this “huge debt of love I owe others?” How can I owe a debt to people I don’t even know?

That’s a lot of questions to ponder. I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I know that the huge debt I owe others comes from God’s love for me. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…” (John 3:16). In the face of God’s incredible gift of love for me, I am forced to realize that God’s love is for all the world.

Because of Jesus, we can never say we have loved enough or that our debt of love has been fully repaid. Take a moment today to consider how you can show love to someone in a tangible way. Maybe it’s a word of encouragement, a listening ear, a meal shared, or an unexpected act of kindness. Reflect on how love can transform how you approach others, even those who may be difficult to like. Think about how to move beyond agreeing that these words sound good to putting them into action.

Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for the gift of your love that has changed my life. Help me to live out this love in my everyday actions. Teach me to see others as you see them and to love them as you love me. Instead of just words that sound good, let my life be a reflection of your love and a fulfillment of your law. In Jesus’ name, Amen.