This is our obligation and debt. “Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one loving the other has fulfilled the Law [vs8].” This is the duty we must fulfill. We are obligated by the free grace of God, as He beseeches us by His mercies. We are obligated by the rightness and the power of God's command. This is His will, His nature, and it is good.

Fulfill this duty. Do not be slack! "The slackard says there is a lion outside. I will be slain in the streets." You've been saved by grace, you have peace with God, and you will profit this way. Godliness is best for us: it fits the new nature in the way of God's blessing. Sacrifice and serve in love. Be patient, kind, and godly.

Secondly, This is the summary of the whole law! Wrap it up in this. “For, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, in, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [vs9].”

We are not under the law, but the gospel honors the law and magnifies it in every way. (1) We are delivered from the evil clutches of sin because we died with Christ, so we are raised to walk in newness. (2) We are given the power of the Spirit to overcome. (3) What the law was always saying, which is LOVE, is fulfilled in us: The Spirit enables us to do what we cannot (Rom 8:4). He works LOVE in the heart, as we look to Christ.

This is what we’re to do as believers - love one another as He’s given us commandment. Let us do good. Let us not say that we’re off the hook because Christ is gracious. Let us not EXCUSE our lack of love because we are theologians, but let’s make sure that knowledge produces love to God’s elect, love to the saints, and love to sinners.

Let love be the test of faith; it does no evil. “Love does no wrong to its neighbor [vs10].” It rebukes in love, not wrath. It fights in love, not self-righteousness. It defends in love, not proud rebellion. Let love cover our tongue, and truth will pierce more effectively. Let love clothe us, so we can be like Christ. Look at Him AND be like Him!

Thirdly, We must love others as ourself, with the same kind of love. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself [vs9].” Christ said, “Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you [Luke 6:31].” We must not look upon them as less than ourselves but equally valuable. We must not say we are better but the same. We must see ourselves as one with humanity. It is not us versus them; it is us and them. We are a part of one another, even as Paul says that we are not to lie to each other for this reason: it is self-deception [Eph 4:25]!

Too many have the “us” and “them” mentality, because it is easy. We do it with politics and sports. We do it for fun, but we fail to be God’s servants when we do it for real: this is not the way of Christ. It is the LEAST commandment in the eyes of many that we are to love one another: “So long as I’m right,” we say, “it doesn’t matter what I do. I can love them or chop them down: it is up to me. I can do as I wish, so long as I don’t cross certain limits.” But, the boundary is love: It is not human thinking and wisdom; it is love that builds the church and orders our steps. If we love, then we do wisely!