The Debt of Love and the Urgency of Holiness

Romans 13:8–14 reminds us that there is one debt we will never finish paying: the continuing debt to love one another. Most debts in life come with an end date. Pay faithfully and eventually the balance reads “zero.” But love doesn’t work that way. No matter how much you give, the balance always remains. Every person in front of you is someone you still owe love.

Paul tells us this because love fulfills the law of God. When we choose love, we honor His commandments. When we withhold love, we forget that Christ loved us first.

But there’s more. Paul not only calls us to love, he calls us to urgency. “The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” (Romans 13:11, NIV). In other words, time is short. Christ could return at any moment.

This past week, the headlines once again told the story of a preacher/prophet predicting the exact date of the rapture. It didn’t happen, of course. Scripture is clear: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36, NIV). Predictions like these only leave the church embarrassed. What Paul urges us to do instead is live ready every day.

That means casting off the “deeds of darkness” — things like jealousy, immorality, bitterness, or hidden sin — and clothing ourselves with Christ. Just like clothing identifies who we are, holiness identifies us with Him.

So the call is clear: Wake up. Pay the ongoing debt of love. Put on Christ. And live with urgency because the night is nearly over and the day is almost here.