"And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins."
1 Peter 4:8
“And above all things.”
Peter was writing to believers to let them know that we are in the end times. “The end of all things is at hand.” In these last days, a Christian must have a sound mind so that he can think biblically and have an active prayer life.
“But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer” (1 Peter 4:7).
Another essential item for believers in these end days is love. It is a necessary time to love each other and to love the lost, and of course, to love the Lord more than anything else. Since we will be spending eternity with our brothers and sisters in Christ, it makes sense to learn to love them now.
Paul must have agreed with Peter’s thoughts when he wrote,
“And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness” (Colossians 3:14).
“Have fervent charity among yourselves.”
And please note that not just a plain vanilla syrupy kind of “love” will do. Peter says this love must be fervent! This is,
“Warm, ardent love toward each other.… The word rendered ‘fervent,’ means properly extended, then intent, earnest, fervent”[1] (Barnes).
A believer’s love is a significant theme in the New Testament.
“Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8).
“And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor” (Ephesians 5:2).
“And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also” (1 John 4:21).
And here in our verse for today, Peter shows that this love must be intense. Perhaps the reason for this is that only this kind of sacrificial love can do this,
“For charity shall cover the multitude of sins.”
“Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins” (Proverbs 10:12).
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up” (1 Corinthians 13:4).
“The greater the problem, the greater the love that is needed to deal with the problem.” We want to have a right relationship with God by maintaining the correct attitude toward our sin. And we want to help our brothers and sisters to deal with their sin as well.
“Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins” (James 5:20).
[1] Albert Barnes, Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.