In the fourth chapter of I Peter, the apostle Peter exhorts believers with these words: “Above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins.’ (1 Peter 4:8, NKJV).
This is a familiar passage that reminds us to love others despite their faults. Even though people make mistakes and even sin against us, we should love them anyway. With love, we can overlook a matter instead of holding a grudge. We can love people in spite of their flaws. In fact, in the famous Love Chapter of 1 Corinthians 13, we learn that one characteristic of love is that it “keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:5, NIV).
The apostle Paul explains this concept very plainly in another passage. “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (Colossians 3:13, NLT). How true this is! We’re not perfect, so let’s not expect others to be!
Indeed, love will cover a multitude of sins and allow us to love others in spite of their imperfections. But lately, I’ve been thinking about how love will cover a multitude of sins in another way. You see, we don’t just love others to cover “their” multitude of sins; we love others to cover our own! Love will keep us away from sin in our own hearts.
Think about it – when we look down on others for their faults, we’re actually harboring our own sin. But when we choose to love, it keeps us away from a lot of mistakes. Love keeps us from judgment. Love keeps us from pride. Love keeps us from jealousy. Love keeps us from unforgiveness. Yes, loving others is a great way to keep ourselves out of sin.
In Galatians, Paul teaches, “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16, NAS). It’s hard to walk by the Spirit when we’re bitter. But walking by the Spirit becomes a lot easier when we’re led by love and compassion. It actually brings a great sense of freedom when we choose to love instead of holding a grudge. So, I encourage you today – for your own benefit – to walk in love. Any one of us has the potential to be led by the flesh and walk into sin. But a great way to avoid doing that is to love.
But we must also understand that loving others is not always easy. Let’s re-visit Peter’s words: “Above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins’” (1 Peter 4:8). Notice that he said to have “fervent” love for one another. That’s not a passive love to be taken lightly; it’s a radical kind of love that comes only through the grace of God. In other translations, it’s described as a deep, intense, earnest, and unfailing love. Let’s also note that he said to do that “above all things.” His emphasis shows how important our love for one another really is!
So, the next time we’re tempted to think evil toward someone, let’s just love them instead. It will make all the difference in changing our perspective and guarding our own hearts. Truly, love covers a multitude of sins.
Reflections 