Should a Christian always be in debt? Some Christians are always in that position. The first part of the verse is plain enough. A Christian ought to be honourable in paying his bills. Our society is built on credit and Christians need to be examples of faithful stewardship and honesty, The second part of verse 8 is equally plain. The only continuous and allowable debt with unlimited installments is the debt of love. Paul had written about love and he had said that the exercise of our gifts must be in the spirit of love. Rivalry, jealousy, and pride are never the attitudes in which we are to use our God-given gifts. Here Paul extended the thought of love to cover our relationships with our fellow men. This undoubtedly covers fellow Christians but it must be wide enough to include our unsaved neighbours, friends, fellow-workers, and many others. Suddenly Paul saw how love could fulfill the law, specifically the Ten Commandments. If we truly love God, will we look for another god to worship? Or would we ever use God's name as a swearword? Would you do that to our own loved ones? Would we steal from someone we love? What do you think of a husband who ill-treats his wife? Is that the way he proves his love? We are not keeping the law today to earn our salvation. Since we have been saved, His love is in our hearts. As we acknowledge our debt of love and act on it, we'll find ourselves fulfilling the law! We may have to go beyond what may be called human legal requirements. We belong to God and God is love. As his children, shouldn't we be like our Father? |
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