Having taught the great doctrines of salvation—universal sin (Rom. 1-3a), justification by faith (Rom. 3b-5:), sanctification in love (Rom. 6-8), and glorification in hope (Rom. 9-11)—Paul now goes on to teach how to live this new life.
Chapter 12 focuses on the church and chapter 13 focuses on society. We must submit to God’s plan for our lives in the church (12:1-8) and in society at large (13:1-7). Such submission requires love for God. It is the sum of the first table of the Law which is to love the Lord God with all our hearts. Then we must love one another in the church (12:9-21) and in society (13:8-15:13). Such love is said to be the fulfillment of the Law with specific reference to the second table of the Law (13:8-10). It is summed up as loving your neighbor as yourself (Rom. 13:9). But who does love in such a way?
Christ fulfilled the law
Our Lord’s purpose was not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it (Mt. 5:17). The Law is not fulfilled by mere obedience. There would never be the end of the Law (Rom. 10:4) for righteousness in this way. Fulfilling the Law required love. That love was demonstrated at Calvary. There our Lord Jesus Christ satisfied all the demands of justice, and He made God’s love available to us.
James says, “He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said ‘Do not murder.’” (Jas. 2:11) In other words, the Law is not a moral code or even a religious text. It is God talking to us. He speaks out of the fullness of His heart (Mt. 12:34). His Word is a revelation of Himself. God is love. So His law is a revelation in words of His heart of love and must give way to it. There is far greater glory under grace than there ever was under law (2 Cor. 3:6-11).
Romans 13 talks about the second table of the Law. It says, “You shall not commit adultery” (Rom. 13:9). Needless to say, our Lord never committed adultery. Neither did He rest content in His own example. Self-righteousness could not fulfill the Law. Instead, He loved us unto the shedding of His blood. God’s love changes adulterers (whether physical or spiritual) into His own bride. He will present us to Himself as a bride without spot, wrinkle, or blemish (Eph. 5:27). The Law demands purity. Grace purifies. Love has fulfilled the Law, and God’s heart is revealed.
Then the Law says, “You shall not murder” (Rom. 13:9). Our Lord never murdered anyone. Instead, He abolished death (2 Tim. 1:10). He did this by dying, being buried, and rising again the third day. In so doing, He has brought life and immortality to light. All who believe in Him shall never die but have everlasting life. The Law demands death. Grace brings life out of death to us in Christ. Love has fulfilled the Law, and God’s heart is revealed.
Next the Law says, “You shall not steal” (Rom. 13:9). Our Lord never stole a thing. He did not even consider His own life of equality with God to be robbery. On the contrary, He was rich but became poor that we might be rich in Him (2 Cor. 8:9). We do not yet appreciate the fullness of the riches we have in Christ. The Law demands contentment with what we have. Grace makes us rich. Love has fulfilled the Law, and God’s heart is revealed.
The Law also says, “You shall not bear false witness” (Rom. 13:9). Our Lord never lied. In fact, He is the truth (Jn. 14:6). Eternal truth was revealed when He died for us. It is the Son (Jn. 8:32, 36) who is the truth that sets us free (note the context of the cross). It is through death that He destroyed him who has the power of death, even the Devil (who is a liar and the father of lies). In this way, we cannot be deceived any more. Read 1 John 2:26-27, Mt. 24:24, and Mk. 13:33. The Law demands truth. Grace gives the light of eternal truth in our hearts. Love has fulfilled the Law, and God’s heart is revealed.
Finally, the Law says, “You shall not covet” (Rom 13:9). There are few things further away from our Lord Jesus Christ than covetousness. He never struggled to avoid coveting. Rather, in love, He desired to please His Father above His own self. In that same love, He desired our eternal well being above His own pleasure. So He suffered the cross with its shame and unspoken horrors. The Law demands we respect our neighbors. Grace loves even its enemies (Rom. 5:8). Love has fulfilled the Law, and God’s heart is revealed.
Paul’s example
Paul lived what he taught. He learned to walk in the freedom of grace. The Law says not to commit adultery, but Paul lived to present his children in the Lord as “chaste virgins” to Christ (2 Cor. 11:2). The Law says not to murder, but Paul poured out his own life as a sacrifice (Php. 2:17; 2 Tim. 4:6) that all might live. The Law says not to steal, but Paul felt indebted to Jew and Gentile (Rom. 1:14) to bring eternal life and riches to all. The Law says not to lie, but Paul was committed to protecting us from liars (2 Cor. 11:2f) and their lies. The Law says not to covet. Paul learned the hard way (Rom. 7:7-11) that to stand in the light of God’s glory and desire any other thing is evil. He turned to the Lord (Rom. 7:25) and marched triumphantly into chapter 8. He was free from the Law. He was free to love others as himself (Rom. 13:9). The Law had no claim upon him.
Our lives
Shall we not live in the liberty that Christ won for us at such great cost? The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5) so that we might be free in practice as well as in position. If the Law tells us to love our neighbor, Christ says to love our enemies (Mt. 5:44) and overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:19-21).
Adultery lies in the heart (Mk. 7:21-23), as also do murder, theft, lies, and covetousness. Such is not the heart of God. Nor is it the new heart that He gives us in Christ (2 Cor. 3:3, 16-18). Let us challenge our own hearts. Do we believe merely the teachings of salvation, or do we believe the Saviour? Have we received teachings or the teacher? Are we still struggling to live up to a standard, or are we free to live for God’s glory and our neighbors’ well-being?
Romans 13:8 says that we have a debt. There is value in being free from material debt. We cannot live for the world’s riches and for the Lord too. So we must occupy ourselves with paying our debt of love. Some teachers emphasize freedom from financial debt (to which I am sympathetic) but then ignore the rest of the verse. The point is not financial freedom so much as it is the urgency of loving others as Christ has loved us. We must not allow this to degenerate into mere natural politeness to one another. We are indebted to a greater liberty and calling.
So Romans 13:10 concludes that love does no harm (cf. 1 Cor. 13:4-8). It is the fulfillment of the Law. Only in Christ can we live this way. In Him we are not under Law but under grace. Let us live accordingly.