Paul continues to exhort the unincorporated in Rome about how to live just lives. He lists a few of the Old Testament Commandments, but ultimately, he admits it simply comes down to loving other people sincerely. It would be difficult for Paul to teach the whole degree of the Law, every minute detail, to the gentiles. So, he sums up the whole Law in one command—love your neighbor. When we love others, we repay our debts because we don’t want others to suffer loss because of us. When we love others, we don’t commit adultery, murder, steal, or covet because we consider others to be more important than ourselves; other people are worth too much to be used for our gratification or to satisfy our wrathful tendencies.

All sexual sin, promiscuity, violence, theft, and taking advantage of others—all injustice in the world—stems from a lack of love and a willingness to take advantage of others for personal gain and gratification. Those who look at pornography are using others who have been made to appear on a screen for personal gratification, which is the opposite of love. Those who are violent toward others without sufficient reason with their words or fists or weapons are so because they do not love and know not how to consider others to be more important than themselves. Drunkenness is not love because we only care about our own state of being rather than what effect it has on others. Carousing is not love because we seek to use another person to stimulate our bodies. Promiscuity and sensuality are not love because by them we draw attention to ourselves (and some to their own business) rather than considering what is best for others. Strife and jealousy are not love because they are always self-interested rather than edifying to others. Morality, then, is not about any one person gaining or maintaining right standing with God—for even that is self-interested and love-lacking according to Paul’s explanation here. Morality is the result of having a sincere love for others ignited by the Holy Spirit in God’s monergistic work. Until we love one-another, there will not be perfect justice on the earth.

This is how we put on the Lord, Jesus Christ. We love other people. We make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. This does not mean we starve the body of every good thing, which Paul will explain in the next chapter. It does not mean we abuse our bodies, mutilate the flesh, or treat ourselves harshly for the sake of holiness—for such is also selfish. In regard to the lusts of the flesh, we make no provision. We provide the body no opportunity to use others for self-gratification. We intentionally provide safeguards in our lives to keep us from using others and treating them harshly. Why? Not because we are trying to be righteous but because we love others sincerely in Christ.

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