Verse 8
The NASB translation "Owe nothing to anyone" is misleading because it contradicts Jesus’ teaching to loan to those who want to borrow from you (Matthew 5:42). He implied that borrowing is not always wrong. The New Testament does not forbid borrowing, only the practice of charging exorbitant interest on loans and failing to pay debts (Matthew 25:27; Luke 19:23). There are two kinds of debts: those with the lender’s consent and those without his consent. It is the second type to which Paul apparently referred here. The NIV’s "Let no debt remain outstanding" avoids the problem and gives the correct interpretation.
"Christians are to leave no debts, no obligations to their fellowmen, undischarged." [Note: Cranfield, 2:673.]
Some Christians who have trouble controlling their indebtedness have found motivation for cutting up their credit cards in this verse, but Paul did not say that all borrowing is wrong.
We do have a debt that continues forever. It is our obligation to seek the welfare of our fellow human beings (cf. Romans 8:4). The Mosaic Law required the same thing (Leviticus 19:18, cf. Matthew 22:39), but it provided no internal power to love. In Christ we have the indwelling Holy Spirit who produces love within us as a fruit of His life (Galatians 5:22-23).
"This is not a prohibition against a proper use of credit; it is an underscoring of a Christian’s obligation to express divine love in all interpersonal relationships." [Note: Witmer, "Romans," p. 491.]
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