Love Your Neighbor as Yourself Romans 13:9

Paul the apostle told the believers in Rome, “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loves another has fulfilled the law”, and in chapter thirteen and verse eight of Romans, Paul told the believers, “you shall lover your neighbor as yourself” where we read:

For this, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, You shall not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

The verse begins, “For this, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, You shall not covet;” Paul began with the words, “for” which means “even as, indeed, seeing then, verily and therefore”, “this you shall not commit adultery” or “those reading and hearing the word of God are not to be an adulterer or have unlawful intercourse with another man's wife”, “you shall not kill” or “those reading and hearing the word of God are not to slay or murder”, “you shall not steal” which refers to “those reading and hearing the word of God are not to filch or take away by theft”, “you shall not bear false witness” or “those reading and hearing the word of God are not to utter falsehoods in giving testimony or be untrue”, “you shall not covet” which means “those reading and hearing the word of God are not to desire, lust after and fain”. Paul referred to the “commandments” of God pertaining to “adultery, killing, stealing, lying and coveting”.

The verse continues, “and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Paul added the words, “and if there be” which means “whether there exists” “any other commandment” or “certain other commands, charges, precepts and injunctions”, “it is briefly comprehended” which means “to sum up, repeat and condense into a summary” “in this saying” or “in this particular account, speech, utterance, decree and mandate”, “namely” which means “by, with, through and among”, “You shall love” or “those reading and hearing the word of God are to welcome, entertain, be fond of and be well pleased with” “your neighbor” which refers to “any other person, and where two are concerned, the other one” “as yourself” or “as the person who reads and hears God's word”. Paul concluded that by “loving neighbors as yourself”, the “commandments” of God are summarized.

When we meditate upon these words of Paul, we see how he emphasizes the fulfillment of the law by “loving” others. When people “love” one another as Jesus “loved” people, there is no desire to commit any wrong against them. Jesus Christ came not only to demonstrate “love” in His life, but also in His death. When He died for the sins of everyone, He manifested the keeping of God's law to completion, and now everyone who submits their life to Jesus shall be saved, receive everlasting life and learn to “love” as He “loved”.

Next time Paul tells the believers in Rome, “love works no ill to his neighbor”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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