For, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not bear false witness," "Do not covet," and if there is any other commandment, they are all summed up in this saying, namely, "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Truth to Learn
Fully paying our love debt fulfills the second table of the Law.
Behind the Words
“Commit adultery” is from moicheuō, which refers to “sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than his or her lawful spouse.”
The word “murder” is from the Greek word phoneuō, meaning “to intentionally take the life of another person without due process of law.”
“Steal” is from the Greek verb kleptō, which means “to take that which does not rightfully belong to you.” It is the word from which we get our English word kleptomaniac (someone who habitually steals).
“Bear false witness” is translated from pseudomartureō, which is made up of poseudes, meaning “untrue” and martureō, meaning “to give testimony as a witness.”
The word “covet” is translated from epithumeō, meaning “to have an overly strong desire or lust for something.”
Meaning Explained
In the previous verse Paul told us that we are indebted to each other, a debt that we should always be striving to pay. This debt is a debt of love. He ended the previous verse with, “for the one who loves another has fulfilled the Law.” He now proceeds to explain what he means by that expression. You will notice that the five commandments that Paul refers to in this verse correspond to five of the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses. The Ten Commandments are often separated into The First Table (commandments 1 – 4) dealing with our relationship to God and The Second Table (commandments 5-10) dealing with our relationship to others. The commandments that Paul references in the current verse are all from the second table, the commandment to honor our parents having been omitted. These commandments encompass all that is included in our relationship with our fellow man.
Paul’s point is that all of these can be summed up in, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” In fact, when Jesus was challenged by one of the scribes to proclaim which is the greatest commandment in the Law, here’s what He said:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40)
Application
If we were constantly paying our debt of love to those around us, then we would be living as God intended all of mankind to live. In doing so we would be fulfilling the second table of the Ten Commandments. Unfortunately, as people with a sin nature, we are not able to behave this way all the time. However, that should not stop us from trying to do so.
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved