As Paul transitions from teaching on our relationship with the government to our relationships with each other, a unifying truth is that we should be in debt to no one, whether the authorities over us, or anyone else in our lives. Our only debt should be love.
In other words, we always “owe” others a never ending supply of love. And when we love others, we fulfill the social obligations of God’s law as a by-product. Paul teaches that avoiding adultery, murder, stealing and coveting will all happen automatically if we live by the motto, “Love your neighbor as yourself”.(v.8-10)
This teaching is an echo of Jesus’ teaching, who taught that we should love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Jesus also taught through a parable that we should BE a neighbor to everyone, especially those in need and even those who we might normally consider enemies! (Luke 10:27-37) So this command to love our neighbor as we love ourselves really amounts to loving everyone as we love ourselves.
Considering how well known this saying is, it would be good to spend a little extra time looking at it and scraping away some common misconceptions.
For us nerds and geeks, who live in silent insecurity and sometimes low self-esteem, it might seem like good sense to “learn to love ourselves first” so we can more effectively love others. But this isn’t what Jesus and Paul are teaching. The Greek root word they both use for “love” is Agape. This word refers to love that is concerned for the well-being of others. We may not “like” ourselves, but apart from serious psychological disorder, we are still naturally concerned for our own well-being. We want to have pleasure and security in life, not because we think we are great people, but because we have natural “Agape” for ourselves. Jesus and Paul are teaching us to apply this same kind of love to others, no matter what we may think of ourselves.
Agape is also distinct from the Greek word Phileo, which is love/friendship/affection based on common interests. Most of our friendships are based on Phileo. God is not expecting us to have these kinds of friendships (based in common interests) with everyone. (Good luck with THAT! Especially as a geek!) But God does expect us to care about and act on behalf of the well-being of others, no matter who they are.
Living out this kind of love toward each other is especially important because God’s agenda for us on earth is time sensitive. It was popular among the Greeks of Paul’s day to see the world as unchanging, believing that everything happened in eternal “cycles” and that nothing will ever drastically change. But the physical return of Christ is an event with a real date in the future (unknown though it is) that is getting closer all the time. Paul makes his teaching distinct from popular Greek thinking by attaching expressions of time-sensitive urgency to his teaching about how we are to live.
It’s time for us to “wake up” out of apathy, because the day when God finally rescues and transforms us to live with him forever is not perpetually in front of us, like a carrot dangling in front of a horse. It’s getting continually closer, and the time we have to lead others nearer to the truth and relationship with God is shrinking every second! (v.11)
The period of history we’re in is like the night, in that people tend to live more recklessly and outside the will of God at night. It’s more common for people to party in ways that are uncontrolled and reckless at night, whether it involves substance abuse, or the careless use of our sexuality.
The Greek word for “sensuality” in verse 13 refers to a mindset that seeks to satisfy every sensory pleasure (not necessarily sexual) without any restrictions. So this teaching can also apply to someone who throws themselves into an entertainment hobby (video games, RPGs, etc.) obsessively, without any self-restriction.
Paul also identifies conflict and jealousy-induced bitterness with the night.
God is commanding, through Paul, that we prepare to step out of this time of darkness, and live now in light of the “daylight” that is coming when Christ will rule the earth. Through trust in Christ, we have new identities. (Galatians 3:26-29) In light of this we should let our outward behavior reflect the presence of Christ in us, like a uniform that represents a specific role. We should also leave no room in our lives to fall back on the “comfort food” of self-absorbed living. (v.12-14)
Next- How To Handle “Grey Areas” Together (Another great passage for us nerds and geeks!)
Coffee House Question- What types of sins or barriers do you think Geeks and Nerds uniquely face that keep them self-absorbed instead of actively loving others? How might these problems be overcome?
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