Lesson 467: Romans 13:10
The Blueprint — The Verse
Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Memorization Practice
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King James Version (KJV) — Public Domain.
The Context — The History
addresses ChristianChristian refers to a follower of Jesus Christ — someone who believes in His death and resurrection, trusts Him as Lord and Savior, and lives under the New Covenant through the Holy Spirit. The term first appears in Antioch to describe disciples whose lives reflected Christ (Acts 11:26). More life under governing authorities in the Roman Empire. PaulPaul is the apostle who carried the message of Jesus into the Gentile world, transforming early Christianity through his missionary journeys, his letters, and his profound teaching on grace, faith, and the New Covenant. More also taught love as the fulfillment of TorahTorah refers to the first five books of the Bible — Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. It contains God’s foundational revelation to Israel: creation, covenant, law, worship, and identity. In Scripture, the Torah is the bedrock of all later revelation and the source Jesus cites when teaching the Greatest Commandment. More in community relationships.
The Narrative — The Lead-Up
PaulPaul is the apostle who carried the message of Jesus into the Gentile world, transforming early Christianity through his missionary journeys, his letters, and his profound teaching on grace, faith, and the New Covenant. More commanded submission to authorities as instituted by God and payment of taxes and honor. He then summarized commandments about neighbors: love does no harm, therefore love fulfills the law.
The Echo — Follow-on Verses
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For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Shown in World English Bible (WEB).
Read the verse immediately before this lesson () to hear the lead-in to the passage.
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Do this, knowing the time, that it is already time for you to awaken out of sleep, for salvation is now nearer to us than when we first believed.
Shown in World English Bible (WEB).
Read the verse immediately after this lesson () to continue the passage.
Discussion
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How does loving your neighbor fulfill God's moral law?
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What does 'do no harm' require in speech and action?
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Where is love a better guide than rule-keeping alone?

