The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober
mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers
over a multitude of sins. Offer
hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever
gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in
its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the
very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God
provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him
be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:7-11
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over
a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8
While it is certainly gloriously true that out of God’s love
for us He sent His Son to cover our sins, to remove them as far from us as the
east is from the west, this is not likely what Peter has in mind here. He is
instead, in context, talking about interpersonal relationships among Christians
in the church. He is calling us to a dual kind of grace toward others.
First, we should be slow to convict. I Corinthians 13 tells
us that love “thinks no evil.” When we love each other we practice with each
other a judgment of charity. We assume the best about others, assigning the
best of motives to their actions. Sadly, however, this wisdom is often over
looked when dealing with Christians that are immature in the Lord. Our own
pride in the knowledge that we have gain in our maturity often leaves us with no
patients with babies in the Lord.
Don’t speak evil against another person, even if that person
speaks evil of you. If you criticize and judge each another person, then you
are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to
judge whether it applies to you. God
alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to
destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor? James 4:11-12
Jesus summarized the law as love for God and neighbor
(Matthew 22:37-40), and Paul said that love demonstrated toward a neighbor
would fully satisfy the law (Romans 13:6-10).
When we fail to love, we are actually breaking God’s law. Examine your attitude and actions toward
others. Do you build people up or tear
them down? When you’re ready to
criticize someone, remember God’s law of love and say something good
instead. Saying something beneficial to
others will cure you of finding fault and increase your ability to obey God’s
law of love.
The second kind of grace that Peter calls us to here, is to
not even bother to deal with every sin in a given relationship. We are,
redeemed, indwelt, heaven bound, but we still sin against each other. Despite
the reality that we are told to treat each other with hospitality, in other
words respect.
While some words of criticism spoken against us, can roll
off our back like rain water. Others create such hurt with in us that they tare
at the very foundation of our self-esteem. But if we clearly understand and
accept God love for us personally, then our response to accusations will be
simple, “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who
can be against us?” Romans 8:31
But if we allow ourselves dwell upon the reason and unfairness
of people’s judgment, or actions against us, then bitterness and self-pity will
take over our heart and mind. And issue that we are warmed not to indulge in: “
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of
bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;” Hebrews
12:15
We must quench this deadly evil at the start. It's fire
that'll burn out of control like gossip. In fact, it's the root of much gossip.
Being hurt, we want to hurt back, so delight in spreading about how evil so and
so was to us. Satisfying the partial quench for vengeance releases some of the
hurt. This is an evil, devilish way to remove the hurt. God said:
...Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Romans
12:19b
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