Love Covers

1 Peter 4:7–8 NKJV

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

. I believe this is a key verse for believers to understand, even just on face value reading we can see a glimpse of how important it is. “Love covers a multitude of sins”

. When its talking about covering, its not talking about about covering up to try and hide something away to pretend that its not there. ( like sweeping dirt under the rug ) ( hiding all the mess of your room under your bed to pretend its clean )

. The word for cover i this sense means to shroud, wrap up or put on a lid or cap. its the same word used when the Israelites were to build a ‘cover for the ark of the covenant’

. it was not to hide the contents away but to protect and keep safe what was inside,

. so what’s being said here by Peter is that as we continue to love each other even though we are sinners, even though people around us are making mistakes, even though people who we sit in church with each week, may upset or offend us (unintentionally).

. it is love the Love that we have for each other the genuine love that will cover the sins and mistakes.

. The word Love in this verse, is the Word Agape, as we learnt last year while discussing the fruits of the Spirit Agape Love, is the highest and purest form of Love it is the Love that God has for all humankind,

. it is love regardless of circumstance, it goes beyond emotion “ a selfless love that is passionately committed to the well being of others”

. is often considered the greatest expression of this love

John 3:16 NKJV

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

. So it is this agape expression of love that Peter tells us is able to cover a multitude of sins. it is love that looks beyond the actions of a person, its looks beyond the outward expression of the person, it even looks beyond the inner condition of that person.

. and it expression deep love and care for that person, even beyond our own comfort.

. what makes this particular scripture even more interesting to me is the verse before 7 “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers”

. following on from Peters instruction to pray and to be fully serious about our prayers and our pray life and making sure that we cover ourselves and cover people around us in prayer.

. But above all things, before anything else i have said to you, the most important and valuable thing that you can do for somebody else, is to love them.

. because by loving them, you are telling them through your actions, and not just your words (anyone can say “i love you” and not mean it).

. By loving completely you are showing/telling them, that there actions in the past are not how you will define them, though there lives may not line up with the same truth that you believe, or they may not hold the same standards that you do.

. your love tells them that you accept them as they are, and this may sound odd but by accepting someone as they are and loving them how they are, is actually a catalyst that can bring change in them.

. Just as Jesus did for us, he actions on the cross were the purest, highest form of love. and it was in no way based on our goodness or our holiness, his love paid the price for all our our sins.

. he choose to take on himself the burden of all of our sins, his great love for us covered our sins.

. im not saying that now we need to take on the burden of other people sins, because the reality is that Jesus has already done the same thing for them.

. but by us loving people despite there failing, despite the sin that runs rampant in their lives, despite the condition of there inner person. we in turn show them the same kind of love that Jesus showed us.

. love that never condemned (woman caught in adultery ), love that lead people to a place were they could make the choice to change not because they feel pressured by us to, but because they in turn encounter Jesus.

. Just like when you and i first encountered Jesus, we didn't change because we felt condemned we didn't decided to not do things we had been doing because of pressure

. we did it because we experienced and encountered genuine love, that was not biased or conditional. we encountered the very presence and love of God that lead us to change because we wanted to be close to him, we wanted to know him more, and we wanted all the people around us to experience that same love.

. Jesus loved us through our sins, in the same way we need to be able to love people through their sins.{ only by being loved through it, were we able to become free from it}

. the bible even makes it clear to us, that in fact we can do many great things for God, we can even function in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, with out having love for people, but if we are unable to love people through their sins, then it will actually be pointless.

1 Corinthians 13:1–3 NKJV

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

. NO true change will every come to a person who does not experience love, nothing we say or do will ever really matter or have the intended effect if we do not have love.

. because this kind of love is not compromised by the actions of the one receiving the love, but continue to love the same even through sins, and failures.

. we can pray for someone all we want, but if its not coming out of genuine love for that person it wont matter, so we nee to ask ourselves this question when we are doing anything for anyone.

. even if we are sharing our testimony or telling someone about how good God is, are we doing it because we feel like we have to? or are we doing it out of a place of real agape love?

. Love is what brings the breakthrough, love it what overlook the mistakes, love is what over looks the past.

. Just as Christ loved us through our sins, we need to get to the place were we are able to love others through their sins.

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