Love: the Fulfillment of God's Law

April 16th, 2025
by Lance Waldie

Romans 13:8b-10 …he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9 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.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Having concluded that those who love one another “fulfill the law” (13:8), Paul explains this beginning in v. 9. He then quotes some random commandments from the Decalogue (Exod. 20:13-15, 17), specifically against adultery, murder, theft, and covetousness, these four representing all ten. Then he tacks on “and any other commandment” to make include all the commandments. Note that all of these come from the second table of the Commandments which are commands to not sin against others. Paul then adds that all of these commands are summed up in the command to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18; cf. Matt. 22:38). For when one loves his neighbor as himself, he refrains from adultery, murder, theft, and coveting—perfectly illustrated in Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).

Strikingly, Paul does not mention what is due to God in the first three Commandments. But they are implied, for true love toward one’s fellow man flows only from a heart devoted to God, and true love is the evidence of one’s right relationship to God. Some have seen in Paul’s argument a righteousness attained by works, namely to love one’s neighbor, as if any human being could love his neighbor as much as he loves himself! Paul of course is merely speaking hypothetically of that which is found in no human being. Righteousness, therefore, is only attained by faith in Christ who Himself kept the Commandments. No human has or ever will, and that is why salvation comes only to those who, by faith, trust and receive Jesus Christ by believing in what He accomplished on the cross. Truly, salvation is by grace, through faith, unto good works. Love is therefore the “fulfillment of the law” which Christ fulfilled (Matt. 5:17).

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) He preached about what is popularly known as the Golden Rule—to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Jesus said, “However you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 7:12). James echoed that when called loving others “fulfilling the royal law, according to the Scripture” (2:8). Loving others thus flows from a right relationship with God through Christ.

In Romans 13:8 Paul wrote that the “one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” The “one who loves” is a present active participle denoting ongoing activity, and “has fulfilled” is a perfect active verb denoting a completed action with ongoing results. So, the one who has truly fulfilled God’s law (past action with ongoing results) is the one who continually loves his neighbor. For only the one who strives to love his neighbor continually fulfills God’s law.

Food For Thought
John MacArthur shares a pertinent story about love: “I have heard a beautiful analogy from the field of music that helps understand the greatness and completeness of love. The musical scale has only seven basic notes, which many children can learn in an hour or less. Yet great composers, such as Handel and Beethoven, could not exhaust those notes and their variations in an entire lifetime. Godly love is like that. It uses the basic, and sometimes seemingly insignificant, things in life to produce the greatest. Love controls temper and guides reason. It seeks to overcome the worst qualities and develop the best. Under the guidance and in the power of the Holy Spirit, it transforms redeemed men and women more and more into the likeness of Jesus Christ. There is no greatness of character to which love cannot elevate a person. In fact, no greatness of character is possible without it, because love is great character.”