Love Covers Over A Multitude of Sins

This morning I am reflecting on the same verses I was looking at yesterday.  I love how the Lord can emphasize different things from the same sentences.  Yesterday, my reflection, which I didn't post, was more of a look at where we are in time and how we should act accordingly.  Today my focus is on the effect of love for one another.  The verses come from 1 Peter 4:7-11 NIV:

[7] "The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. [8] Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. [9] Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. [10] Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. [11] 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.

This morning verse eight grabbed my attention, especially the phrase "love covers over a multitude of sins."  The questions that popped into my mind when I read that phrase were "how?" and "why?".  Sometimes I just feel like a little kid, trying to understand how everything works, and I think that is a good thing.  I could just nod my head and say "Amen!" but to do so does not allow me to really own the truth captured here.  That said, it is time to mine this phrase so that I might understand what is really being said here.

As always, anytime I read about sin, I am reminded to go back to the actual Greek, which is the word hamartia and which is described well by the following excerpt from ( https://biblehub.com/greek/266.htm ): "266 hamartía (a feminine noun derived from 1 /A "not" and 3313 /méros, "a part, share of") – properly, no-share ("no part of"); loss (forfeiture) because not hitting the target; sin (missing the mark). 266 hamartía (a feminine noun derived from 1 /A "not" and 3313 /méros, "a part, share of") – properly, no-share ("no part of"); loss (forfeiture) because not hitting the target; sin (missing the mark)."

As I journaled a few weeks back  (See https://amomentwithgod-srh.blogspot.com/2023/06/why-is-it-sin.html ), this missing the mark, or 'having no part of' seems to me to be aimed at the two most important Commandments, Loving God and Loving one another.  In other words, our relationships with God and others.  Put in this context, I think it is easier to understand how Love covers over a multitude or plethora of sins.  If our sins are primarily anchored in the relational realm, relational embrace and focus seems to be the right area to try and make things right.

I was reminded of Paul's famous verses defining love, and I think it would be helpful to this meditation, for Peter is clearly referring to our loving of one another as most important characteristic in our "last days".  Here are Paul's words found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8,13 NIV:

[4] "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. [5] It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. [6] Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [7] It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. [8] Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 

[13] And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

I don't think I need to add much to this lovely definition.  If we imagine that Peter meant all of this where He wrote love each other deeply, I think we understand more of the richness of this encouragement.  This is not an encouragement to look at one another with a loving emotion, but one that presses deeply into our identity and embrace selflessness.

I thought I should look at the definition of the Greek word that is translated here "deeply".  Here is the word helps from ( https://biblehub.com/greek/1618.htm ): 

HELPS Word-studies

1618 ektenḗs (an adjective, derived from 1537 /ek, "wholly out" which intensifies teinō, "to stretch" which is also the root of English terms, "tension" and "tense") – properly, stretch out, i.e. fully because completely taut; (figuratively) at maximum potential, without slack because fully extended to its necessary outcome.

Doesn't that portray something much more demanding than a simple thought, "man, I love these people!"?  Here is an encouragement to love to the fullest extent, one that stretches us out!  I am reminded of the stretching exercises we did as gymnasts back in highschool.  You stretched to the point of uncomfortableness and then pressed further.  I think in this case that image is helpful to our understanding, maybe we could translate it "love one another past the point of comfort, and keep on loving!"

Back to my two original questions, how and why does our love cover a multitude of sins?  If our sins are in the relational realm, then repairing the damage caused by those sins, also must be accomplished in the relational realm.  If I have not loved the Lord or my brother or sister correctly, what options do I have?  I can either try to live with the damaged relationship, or I can work to restore it.  In my mind this is really an excellent encouragement to repent!  In other words, look at my previous behavior, see what it has affected and then choosing to act differently so as to repair and restore any damage done previously!

Going back to an archery analogy for the definition of sin as missing the mark or bullseye, if I am in a competition for the shot closest to the bullseye, and so far I have missed the exact middle, each additional shot gives me the opportunity to hit it perfectly.  If I do, all my other missed shots are inconsequential.  Relationally speaking, we can, if in a healthy relationship, restore, repair and renew our love each new day.  We can choose to act differently, and in time this choosing correctly will erase or make inconsequential our past misses, especially if we embrace the definition of love "keeping no record of wrongs".  In effect, this new and fervent love covers over our previous failed or poor attempts!  

In our relationship with God, there is always an invitation to repent and change, to recognize our mistake and choose to do better next time!  He is eternally forgiving, endlessly merciful and compassionate, and He knows exactly what we think, how we think, and every action we have ever taken, and He still chooses to love us!  Our choosing to love Him, to put Him first, to press into relationship absolutely covers over our past mistakes and failures.  He isn't looking for repayment, He is looking for relationship restoration.

Going back to the original questions, how and why, I think I have answered them for myself. My sins are in the relational realm, thus to cover and repair I must approach them from the relational realm, and love is exactly that.  Restoring my loving actions, encouraging my loving actions, and actually acting these out, will cover over the past mistakes.  

Finally, I am reminded of Peter's encouragement that in these last days, we must love each other fervently.  Simply put, as times become more difficult, we can have a tendency to turn inward, to cut ourselves off from others to protect that which we have, and Peter is encouraging us to do the exact opposite.  IT will be stretching, maybe even painful, but it will be critical to the health of the Body of Christ, to our relationships with each other and with the Lord!

Help us Lord!

Amen and Amen!