Romans 13:9 (NRSV)

Bible Commentary

Romans 13:9 is a Bible verse where the great Apostle Paul sums up the commandments of God.

Many of us were taught this basic Bible principle as a child. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 22:37-39 that this is the second greatest commandment in all the Bible, with the single greatest commandment being this: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind.

Since this principle is stated a number of times in the Bible, we know it is very important. If we could always treat others the way we want to be treated, we would have far fewer relationship problems.

But it isn’t always about the way we treat others, necessarily. The conclusion of Romans 13:9 says, “love your neighbor as yourself” not treat your neighbor as yourself.

That means whatever comes from the heart—our thoughts, attitudes and feelings—not just our actions. The question is how do we love ourselves? How do you feel about you? Apparently, that may be a direct representation of how we feel about others.

A Mirror Image

Let’s examine our hearts to find out how we really feel about ourselves.  Do we accept ourselves for who we are?

Not after we get a college degree, not after we lose weight, not after we have more friends, but can we actually accept who we are right now and be content with where we are in life?

It’s important to spend some time getting to the heart of the matter. The truth is where healing begins. When we can come to the point of liking and respecting ourselves, then we can begin to like and mutually respect others.

We can learn to love ourselves. How?

Jesus Christ.

If you’ve already accepted Him as Lord and Savior, then you have everything you need to heal and change your mindset…right now! The Holy Spirit living within us is eagerly waiting for us to access more of Him and less of our flesh.

Unlocking the Truth – Cycle of Love

There are a number of meanings listed in the Greek definition of “love” in Romans 13:9. Interestingly, it states that some meanings are related to the head (mind, will) and some to the heart (passion, fierceness).

We first must make a decision with our head, our mind and will, to love. Then our hearts, the passion, will follow.

Stop focusing on the negative and start focusing on the positive—very basic. With your mind and will, decide to make a list mentally (or on paper) of the things you like about yourself and then thank God for them! Do the same thing about your spouse or someone else in your life.

The way we love our spouse comes back to us. Harboring secret judgments and grudges even about little things, adds up to the same things being harbored toward us. We might not notice in the busyness of daily life, but after a time it builds up and gradually drains the excitement and life out of our relationship. Being thankful for the good things helps us forgive and let go of the negative things.

Fresh New Love

As we practice this, the grudges and resentment in our hearts begin to loosen up and fade away. It takes time and practice, but stay with it. It is wonderful to feel clean with the confidence of Jesus Christ on the inside, and even more exciting when we feel a fresh new love and appreciation being stirred up for those closest to us.

Even greater than that is when we notice the same fresh new love and appreciation being reciprocated back to us! Hallelujah!

Love your neighbor as yourself. Romans 13:9

We can more easily love others when we love ourselves, plain and simple.

If you think about it, being thankful for the good things in ourselves and others is actually praising them, like we praise God for His good attributes. It is a very satisfying feeling when affirmations come back to us from others, because it is genuine and not superficial. Then we don’t have to vie for attention. What we give out in genuine heartfelt admiration comes back, and forms a continual cycle of love and new life—in marriage, family and friendships.

How satisfying, and how pleasing to the Father.

Start now and watch your heart and your relationships be renewed. People will see the love of Jesus Christ in you, and it will be reflected right back to you. Study the Bible verse of Romans 13:9 and unleash the mind and heart of Jesus Christ within you. Let’s love as He loves.