We Owe Love: The Gospel Debt of Grace and Mercy

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” —1 John 4:11

The apostle John’s words in 1 John 4:7–12 are among the most cherished in the New Testament: “God is love,” and that love is not just declared but demonstrated. “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:9–10).

Love, according to Scripture, is self-giving, sacrificial, uniquely demonstrated by Christ, and initiated by God. But John doesn’t stop there—he calls for a response: “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” The word “ought” is stronger than it seems. In Greek, it's opheilomen, meaning we owe, are obligated, or are indebted. Love is not just a suggestion; it is a gospel debt—not to repay grace, but because of it. Since we’ve received God’s love in Christ, we owe love to others.

That might sound uncomfortable, especially in a world where obligation is often negative. But in Scripture, debt can be a call to reflect God’s mercy. Consider Jesus’ parable in Luke 7:40-50: two debtors are forgiven—one more, one less. The one forgiven more loves more. Forgiveness fuels gratitude in action. Similarly, in Matthew 18:21-35, a man forgiven a massive debt refuses to forgive a smaller one—and is condemned. The message: true grace and mercy changes us.

John writes, “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is made complete in us.” Love becomes the evidence of God’s presence. Through forgiveness, service, patience, and compassion, God’s love becomes visible. These aren’t random virtues but the Spirit’s fruit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23). These qualities are not self-generated but grown by the Spirit within us. They mark the shape of a life rooted in Christ, showing that our transformation is not superficial, but deeply spiritual and lasting.

Jesus illustrated this love in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37). Asked to define “who is my neighbor,” he told of a man left for dead. Religious leaders passed him by, but a Samaritan—culturally despised—stopped, cared for him, and paid for his healing. Love was interruptive, sacrificial, and costly. The Samaritan didn’t owe the man anything. But in God’s kingdom, love crosses lines and pays the price. Jesus concludes, “Go and do likewise.”

This is the love we owe—not just worshipful words, but grace and mercy lived out. We reflect Christ’s compassion because we’ve received it. In the Reformed tradition, we affirm that salvation is by grace alone, not by works. But grace and mercy never leaves us unchanged. As the Heidelberg Catechism (Q&A 86) says, good works are the fruit of gratitude and the Spirit’s renewal.

So what does it mean to “owe love”?

It means choosing reconciliation over resentment, compassion over convenience, mutual service over preference. Even when love costs, we remember how much we’ve been given. God's mercy becomes visible when we love as he loved us.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How does God’s mercy in Jesus Christ, shown in his atoning sacrifice, prompt your grateful worship? How does this “gospel debt” prompt your action toward others?
2. Think of a time someone showed you unexpected grace or compassion. How did it affect you? How might God be inviting you to “do likewise” for others today?
3. In what relationship is God calling you to choose “reconciliation over resentment” or “compassion over convenience"?
4. Do we know how much we have been forgiven? How might you grow your love by growing your awareness of your sin and God's transformative forgiveness in Christ?