Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The most profound insight here is that while financial debts must be paid off, the "debt" of love is one we are meant to always owe and continue paying. This isn't a burden, but a beautiful, inexhaustible principle that fulfills all the law's requirements toward others.
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Having just discussed paying taxes and showing respect to governing authorities, Paul shifts to our broader obligations to each other. He emphasizes that while worldly debts should be paid promptly, the "debt" of love for fellow believers and neighbors is one that can never be fully repaid but must always be actively given. This unending obligation of love, he explains, is the very essence of fulfilling God's law concerning how we treat others.
The Bible tells us to 'owe no one anything.' Sounds like a recipe for extreme frugality, right? But there's one exception, one 'debt' that's not only permissible but essential.
Paul contrasts two kinds of obligations: the ones we can and should pay off, and the one we never truly can – love.
Ever feel overwhelmed by rules and regulations? Paul offers a surprisingly simple solution: focus on love, and you'll find you've hit the bullseye of God's law.
Paul declares that loving others is how we 'fulfill the law.' This doesn't mean we can ignore the specific commands, but that love is the driving force and ultimate purpose behind them.
Ask a follow-up
Understand the original words
agapē · Greek Noun
The unconditional, self-sacrificial, and active pursuit of the highest good for another. It is the hallmark of the Christian life, modeled after God's love for humanity in Christ.
nomos · Greek Noun
The divine revelation of God's moral will for humanity. It functions as a standard of righteousness that points to human inability to attain holiness apart from God’s grace and is ultimately fulfilled in Christ.
This passage directly echoes the sentiment in Romans 13:8, as Jesus himself identifies loving one's neighbor as the second greatest commandment, thereby fulfilling the law.
Galatians 5:14Paul reiterates the same principle here, stating that 'the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself,'' highlighting love's supremacy in the Christian life.
1 John 4:8This verse provides the theological foundation for why love fulfills the law, declaring 'Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love,' linking true love to the very nature of God.
1 Peter 4:8This passage offers a practical outworking of the command to love, urging believers to 'above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins,' showing how love impacts our relationships and overlooks faults.
ellicottRomans 13:8: "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law."
(8) Owe no man anything. —The word for “owe” in this verse corresponds to that for “dues” in the last. The transition of the thought is something of this kind. When you have paid all your other debts, taxes, and customs, and reverence, and whatever else you may owe, there will still be one debt unpaid—the universal debt of love. Love must still remain the root and spring of all your…
pulpitRomans 13:8: "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law."
Verses 8-10. - From specific admonitions on this subject, the apostle passes naturally to the principle which, in these regards as well as others, should inspire all our dealings with our fellow-men. Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another (literally, the other, meaning the same as his neighbour) hath fulfilled law. Νόμον here is anarthrous, denoting…
The most profound insight here is that while financial debts must be paid off, the "debt" of love is one we are meant to always owe and continue paying. This isn't a burden, but a beautiful, inexhaustible principle that fulfills all the law's requirements toward others.
Having just discussed paying taxes and showing respect to governing authorities, Paul shifts to our broader obligations to each other. He emphasizes that while worldly debts should be paid promptly, the "debt" of love for fellow believers and neighbors is one that can never be fully repaid but must always be actively given. This unending obligation of love, he explains, is the very essence of fulfilling God's law concerning how we treat others.
Having just discussed paying taxes and showing respect to governing authorities, Paul shifts to our broader obligations to each other. He emphasizes that while worldly debts should be paid promptly, the "debt" of love for fellow believers and neighbors is one that can never be fully repaid but must always be actively given. This unending obligation of love, he explains, is the very essence of fulfilling God's law concerning how we treat others.
"Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." — The most profound insight here is that while financial debts must be paid off, the "debt" of love is one we are meant to always owe and continue paying. This isn't a burden, but a beautiful, inexha…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026