Love Debt
A Roman nobleman died, leaving enormous debts that he had successfully concealed during his lifetime. When the estate was put up for auction, Caesar Augustus instructed his agent to buy the man’s pillow. When some expressed surprise at the order, he explained, “That pillow must be particularly conducive to sleep, if its late owner, in spite of all his debts, could sleep on it.” (The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes, ed. by Clifton Fadiman [Little, Brown and Company, p. 28)
Debt creates pressure and no one likes pressure. But there is one debt that you will always owe and never be able to pay off fully: The debt of love to others. You’ll never reach the place where you can say, “Now I love others as much as I ought to.” And so, no matter how long you’ve been a Christian and how much you have grown as a Christian, you still have room to grow in love.
The biblical emphasis on love is not exactly minor or infrequent! Jesus said that love is the distinguishing mark of His followers Romans 13:8 says, Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. Therefore, love cannot be withheld. You owe it. You are not allowed to withhold it. It is not yours to withhold. It is owed to everyone who is an image bearer of God. How dare we as fallen human beings who deserve the wrath of God, and yet enjoy the love of God who redeems us by His grace and love, turn around and look at other people who are in the same condition that we were in before Christ and withhold our love from them. God’s great love for us, is the source and motivation for our love for God and for others. 1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.
Paying off debts is hard work and it requires discipline. You’d really enjoy that £5 latte at your favourite coffee shop, but you’re trying to get your credit card debt paid off, so you say no. Or you’d really like to get that latest smart phone, but you can’t afford it, so you wait. It’s not easy to get out of debt because it requires denying yourself in order to reach your goal. Love is the same. It is a debt that is owed and it is a discipline that requires self-denial and sacrifice. You may find yourself at home thinking, I’d really rather sit there and watch the news or a sports program on TV than get up and help my wife with the kids or with the dishes. Besides, doesn’t she realize that I worked hard all day? Or at church, you’re so focused on talking with your friends that you don’t notice a visitor who is standing there all alone. You have to take your focus off yourself and put it on others and their needs in order to work at this debt of love that you owe.
I’m countering the popular notion that love is spontaneous and effortless. According to the Bible, that’s nonsense. The Bible commands us to love others, which implies it requires some thought and effort against our fallen nature. The command to forgive is rooted in a command to love. Forgiveness is not spontaneous and effortless. We have to forgive every time the memory of offence comes to our minds. Our love must cover a multitude of sins. Our love must endure hardship and trial and be prepared to suffer for long periods of time. Our love must not keep a record of wrongs.
There is no other act that makes us more Christ-like than when we love sacrificially. 1 John 4:8 we are told that God is love. And the greatest example of love ever shown was Jesus dying on the cross for sins of all those who believe in him.
Ultimately, love is the commitment that we make to sacrifice ourselves in order to seek the highest good of the one loved. The highest good for every person is that he or she comes to know Jesus Christ and grow to be more like Him. Therefore, take this as a clear exhortation to share the gospel with your neighbour. Tell them of their sin! Tell the of His grace! Care for them. Listen to them. Pray for them. Provide for them. Point them to Christ whose love is perfect and is willing and able to forgive.
