Romans 13:8
“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Context
After teaching submission and paying what is owed to authorities, Paul turns to the ongoing debt of love, which he says fulfills the whole law toward others.
What Does Romans 13:8 Mean?
Paul turns financial language into a lesson on love. Just before this he urged believers to pay what they owe -- taxes, customs, honor. Now he says: settle every debt except one. The single obligation that can never be marked "paid in full" is the debt to love one another. No matter how much love we give, we still owe it; the account never closes.
Then Paul makes a sweeping claim: "he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." The law's many commands -- against stealing, killing, lying, coveting -- all aim at protecting and honoring our neighbor, and love does naturally what the commands require. A person ruled by genuine love for others will not need to be told not to harm them; love already moves in that direction. This does not dismiss the law but reveals its heart. For the reader, the verse reframes obligation altogether: rather than a checklist of prohibitions, the Christian life is a continuing debt of love, paid daily yet never exhausted, and in paying it the deepest intent of God's commands is met.
In the Original Language
The verb opheilo means "to owe" or "be in debt," and pleroo, "fulfilled," means to bring to completion, so love completes what the law requires.
Cross References
“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
- Galatians 5:14
“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
- Matthew 22:39
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
- John 13:34
Application
Treat love as a debt you can never fully repay, and let it guide your dealings with others, knowing that genuine love fulfills what God's commands intend.