Romans 13:8-10
8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
We're all familiar with the command "you shall not commit adultery" (verse 9), but sometimes you will hear people excuse adultery because they are "in love". But that is a selfish definition of love; it is saying that because I feel love, therefore I should be able to take the love I want. But Paul defines true love as "love does no wrong to a neighbor" (verse 10). So we need to keep in mind what is best for the other person, not what is best for own libido. The "neighbor" that we need to consider includes our spouse, our children, the other partner in the affair, and their family. The other person is a real person, with real needs. They are someone's son or daughter. They may be someone's spouse. They are definitely God's child, and we need to think about how we would answer to God for how we treated His child.
Lord, it is so easy to get caught up in my own desires and not think of how others are impacted. Help me to love others as You love them.
8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
We're all familiar with the command "you shall not commit adultery" (verse 9), but sometimes you will hear people excuse adultery because they are "in love". But that is a selfish definition of love; it is saying that because I feel love, therefore I should be able to take the love I want. But Paul defines true love as "love does no wrong to a neighbor" (verse 10). So we need to keep in mind what is best for the other person, not what is best for own libido. The "neighbor" that we need to consider includes our spouse, our children, the other partner in the affair, and their family. The other person is a real person, with real needs. They are someone's son or daughter. They may be someone's spouse. They are definitely God's child, and we need to think about how we would answer to God for how we treated His child.
Lord, it is so easy to get caught up in my own desires and not think of how others are impacted. Help me to love others as You love them.