Romans 13:8

If ever you borrow anything from anybody, you have to give it back, so that you don’t owe anything to anybody. But you always owe each other this one thing, you have to love each other. If you love other people, you keep God’s law.

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

In Context

7So you have to give everybody whatever you owe to them. You have to pay taxes and pay the bills the government bosses send you. And you still have to respect those bosses.

9God’s law says, “Love other people just as much as you love yourself.” You know there are lots of other laws too, like, “Don’t sleep with somebody that you are not married to, as if they are your wife or husband,” and, “Don’t murder anybody,” and, “Don’t steal anything,” and, “If something belongs to somebody else, don’t think about getting it for yourself.” But if you really love other people, you will not do any of those wrong things anyway. So that law that says to love people, it says what all the other laws say when you listen to them all together.

Read all of Romans 13

Cross References

Matthew 7:12Jesus said, “You know the way you want other people to treat you. Well, you have to treat other people that same way. You have to live like that all the time. That is a short way of saying the message that is in God’s book. It is what God’s law is all about, and it is what God got his men to write about in his book. You have to always treat other people the same way that you want people to treat you.”

John 13:34Listen, you have to love each other, just as much as I loved you. This is a new thing I’m telling you, and you have to do it.

Romans 13:10If you really love people, you will never do bad things to them, so you will be doing what God’s law says you have to do.

Colossians 3:14And you really have to love each other properly. When you love each other, it is like you properly join yourselves to each other.

James 2:8You know, there is a really important law in God’s book. It says, “Love other people, just like you love yourself.” If you do that, you are doing the right thing.

Matthew Henry on Romans 13:8-11

Justice and Charity. ( a. d. 58.) 7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. 8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Romans 13:8