Love One Another

April 15th, 2025
by Dr. Lance Waldie

Romans 13:8b …love one another. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

Paul’s context of loving one another was originally introduced in 12:9, and although monetary debts are always to be paid (13:6-7), the debt of love for one another is the immediate context, a debt that is perpetually owed. Jesus told His disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). One of the ways to offer oneself as a living sacrifice to God in light of His mercies (Rom. 12:1) is to serve God’s children, for service to them is service to Christ: Jesus said, “I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me… Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me” (Matt. 25:35-36, 40).

In Colossians, Paul wrote, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity” (3:12-14). Also, to the Corinthians Paul said, “pursue love” (1 Cor. 14:1). And to the women Ephesus, Paul said to “continue in faith and love and sanctity” (1 Tim. 2:15).

Peter exhorted Christians, “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart” (1 Pet. 1:22). Likewise, John’s first epistle is all about love, for “the one who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him” (1 John 2:10). He said that God has commanded “that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another just as He commanded us” (3:23). Further, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God” (4:7)… this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also” (4:21). Christians are able to love the Lord God simply because “He first loved us” (4:19), and only those who love and obey Christ are loved by God the Father in a special way (John 14:21, 23; cf. 1 Tim. 4:10).

Jesus Christ said, “Greater love has no one than this that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). He not only encouraged love of the saints but also of enemies: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:44). Paul echoed this in Romans 12 saying, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not (v. 14)… If your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink” (v. 20).

The one who loves his neighbor, namely anyone with whom he comes in contact (cf. Luke 10:25-37), fulfills God’s law. After all, God’s law concerns love: love for God and love for man.

Food For Thought
In one of the most beautiful of passages in the Bible about love, Paul wrote the following description of love using nothing but verbs: “Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails” (1 Cor. 13:4-8). The fact that he used verbs and not adjectives to describe love means that love is an action—a continual debt owed to all peoples whether saints or enemies.