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Romans 13:7
Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tributeis due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

Deuteronomy 24:14,15
Thou shalt not oppress an hired servantthat is poor and needy,whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers thatare in thy land within thy gates: …

Proverbs 3:27,28
Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to doit…

for.

Romans 13:10
Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore loveis the fulfilling of the law.

Galatians 5:14
For all the law is fulfilled in one word,even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Colossians 3:14
And above all these thingsput on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

except to one another in love
The only debt that should remain outstanding is the perpetual obligation to love others. This reflects the teaching of Jesus inJohn 13:34-35, where He commands His disciples to love one another as He has loved them. Love is seen as a continuous, never-ending duty, transcending all other obligations. This love is agape, a selfless, sacrificial love that seeks the best for others, reflecting the love of Christ.

For he who loves his neighbor
This phrase echoes the second greatest commandment as stated by Jesus inMatthew 22:39, "Love your neighbor as yourself." The term "neighbor" extends beyond geographical or ethnic boundaries, encompassing all humanity. The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) illustrates this expansive definition, challenging cultural and social prejudices.

has fulfilled the law
Loving one's neighbor fulfills the moral requirements of the law, as love inherently seeks the good of others and thus naturally adheres to the commandments. This concept is rooted in the teachings of Jesus, who summarized the law and the prophets with the commandments to love God and love others (Matthew 22:37-40). The Apostle Paul reiterates this inGalatians 5:14, emphasizing that love is the essence of the law. This fulfillment is not about legalistic adherence but about embodying the spirit of the law through love, which is the ultimate expression of God's will.

“Be indebted to no one” (Romans 13:8a) calls for a lifestyle free of lingering, unpaid obligations.

• Paul has just said, “Pay everyone what you owe him” (Romans 13:7), showing that believers should promptly settle taxes, wages, and obligations.

•Proverbs 22:7 warns, “The borrower is slave to the lender,” andPsalm 37:21 adds, “The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous show mercy and give.” Unpaid debts hinder generosity and tarnish witness.

• This is not a ban on legitimate borrowing (2 Kings 4 gives a godly widow permission to borrow jars). The point is to let no debt remain outstanding; honor commitments so that nothing clouds the testimony of Christ’s people.

The one debt that never disappears is love: “except to one another in love” (Romans 13:8b).

• Jesus said, “A new commandment I give you: Love one another” (John 13:34). We never reach a point where we can say, “Paid in full.”

•Galatians 5:13 urges, “Through love serve one another,” and1 Peter 1:22 calls believers to “love one another deeply, from a pure heart.”

• Love is a permanent obligation because God keeps pouring His love into our hearts (Romans 5:5). The more we draw from His supply, the more we owe our brothers and sisters.

Loving action is outward-facing: “For he who loves his neighbor” (Romans 13:8c).

• “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” was first given inLeviticus 19:18 and affirmed by Jesus inLuke 10:27. The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:36-37) widens “neighbor” to anyone God places in our path.

•Romans 15:2 echoes, “Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” Practical kindness—visiting the sick, forgiving offenses, meeting needs—translates love from feeling into deed (1 John 3:18).

Love reaches the goal Scripture aimed at all along: “has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8d).

• Jesus summarized the entire moral code with twin commands to love God and neighbor, adding, “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:40).

• Paul repeats the idea inRomans 13:9, listing commandments against adultery, murder, theft, and coveting, then concluding, “all are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

•Galatians 5:14 andJames 2:8 call this the “royal” or “entire” law: loving people prevents the sins those commandments forbid. Thus love is not lawless; it is law-keeping at its finest. When we walk in Spirit-enabled love (Galatians 5:16-18), we naturally honor every righteous requirement.

Romans 13:8 teaches believers to leave no earthly debt hanging while gladly carrying one debt forever—the debt of love. By continually loving neighbors in tangible ways, we meet the true intent of God’s commandments and showcase the character of Christ to the world.

Another.--Literally,the other--that is to say, his neighbour, the person with whom in any given instance he has to deal.

We naturally compare with this passageMatthew 22:39-40;Galatians 5:14;James 2:8. It shows how thoroughly the spirit of the Founder of Christianity descended upon His followers, that the same teaching should appear with equal prominence in such opposite quarters. The focusing, as it were, of all morality in this brief compass is one of the great gifts of Christianity to the world. No doubt similar sayings existed before, and that by our Lord Himself was quoted from the Old Testament, but there it was in effect overlaid with ceremonial rules and regulations, and in other moralists it was put forward rather as a philosophical theorem than as a practical basis of morals. In Christianity it is taken as the lever which is to move the world; nor is it possible to find for human life, amid all the intricate mazes of conduct, any other principle that should be at once as simple, as powerful, and as profound.