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

ROMANS 13:8KJV
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Romans 13:8 (KJV)

What does Romans 13:8 mean?

Romans 13:8 teaches that believers should not let any debt remain unpaid except the ongoing obligation to love one another, because loving others is the true fulfillment of what God’s law requires. The verse highlights love as the one debt that is never fully paid off and should always be given.

Paul is writing to the Christian community in Rome, urging them to live responsibly in society and in their relationships. In the context of earlier verses about respecting authorities and paying what is owed, Paul now focuses on love as the highest duty. He explains that, unlike financial or social debts, the call to love others never ends and sums up the intent of the law.

The Greek behind Romans 13:8

  • ὀφείλετε (opheilete, "owe"): This word means to be under obligation or to owe something. Here, Paul uses it to say that Christians should not leave any debts outstanding except for love.
  • ἀγαπᾶν (agapan, "to love"): This is a form of the Greek word for selfless, sacrificial love. Paul is not talking about feelings but about an active, ongoing commitment to the good of others.
  • πεπλήρωκεν (peplērōken, "has fulfilled"): This word means to complete or bring to its intended goal. Paul is saying that loving others is what truly completes or sums up the requirements of the law (νόμος, nomos).

Why Romans 13:8 matters

  • Romans 13:8 clarifies that love is not just one command among many but the core principle that sums up all of God’s moral expectations.
  • The verse helps prevent misunderstandings about Christian obligations, showing that while other debts can be settled, the duty to love is always ongoing.
  • This teaching connects the practical instructions of Romans 13 to the deeper purpose of the law, helping readers see that God’s commands are ultimately about relationships and care for others.

Where else these words appear

“Owe” Greek G3784 · used in 35 verses

  • Matthew 18:28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
  • John 19:7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.
  • 2 Corinthians 12:14 Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.

“but” Greek G1508 · used in 87 verses

  • Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
  • Mark 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
  • Romans 14:14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

“man” Greek G3367 · used in 88 verses

  • Matthew 8:4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
  • Acts 11:12 And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man's house:
  • Galatians 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

“fulfilled” Greek G4137 · used in 90 verses

  • Matthew 1:22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
  • Luke 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
  • Acts 19:21 After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome.