Love Worketh no Ill

“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” Romans 13:8-10

It is difficult to imagine, but if it were possible to develop a society where every person loved God and loved others as much as themselves; that society would have no need for laws. The purpose of the law is to keep us from harming each other. We need these laws because we have a very strong tendency to think of ourselves first. If you took away the traffic signals at the intersections near where you live, it would not be long before the cars driving by would begin piling up. Why would this happen? It would happen because we are more concerned about getting where we are going than we are about the person driving the other direction getting where they are going. The same principles apply to the laws governing real estate transactions, business partnerships, the pharmaceutical industry, restaurant sanitation, etc. We need laws to keep us from getting so wrapped up in accomplishing what we want to see done that we begin to hurt other people in the process. How is your love for others? Is it anywhere close to the love you have for yourself? If we love more, we will harm less.