Many will be familiar with the phrase: love covers over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8), but what exactly does it mean?
Surely in the unfolding story of the Bible, sin is the problem. How can it be right to overlook it? Good counselling and good ministry must mean helping people identify their sin, combat their sin, repent of their sin and put on godliness instead. If sin is the problem and finding grace the solution, then won’t covering sin over simply bury the problem and leave it unresolved?
In making sense of this verse, Proverbs may help. For Peter, it seems, is borrowing from Proverbs 10:12 where we read that ‘Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs’. The context it seems is the life of a community where hospitality (1 Peter 4:9), the use of gifts (v.10) and speaking God’s word (v.11) are key elements. And in this context of church community Peter says we are to ‘love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins’ (v.8).
There are, obviously, things this verse can’t mean. It can’t mean never confront but only ever graciously overlook. Godly confrontation will, at times, be needed. It can’t mean tolerate abuse and overlook oppression. We have, belatedly, woken up to the many ways power can be misused. And attending to abuse is much overdue. The Christian church should be leading the way, so it is a tragedy when the opposite has been true. For when it comes to using power (by setting it aside) in order to bless others we have the supreme example in Jesus Christ.
There are at least three things this verse will mean. First, it means an imitation of God revealed in the instinct to forgive. This, if you like, is our default mode – a readiness simply to overlook sin.
God has found a way of bearing with us in love. Entirely through His initiative and without any contribution on our side, God, through Christ, set sin aside and restored us to relationship with Himself. We should want to do likewise. If there is a way to let sin go, to not let it disrupt relationships and community life, we should be eager to take it. As has rightly been said, we are never more like God than when we are forgiving.
Second, we should notice the typical drivers for our response to sin. This means distinguishing between responses driven by personal affront and those driven by love. It’s instructive to note that, in the gospel accounts, the anger of Jesus is never a response to personal affront. When He confronts the Pharisees, it is because their self-righteousness is damaging others (e.g. Matt.25:13). Confrontation of sin that is driven by self-interest is never an imitation of Christ. And such errors are only compounded by the tendency to respond to criticism with ugly, self-justifying defensiveness.
Third, notice how this covering over is a key component in the development of attractional church communities. Where love covers over a multitude of sins communities will exude a sense of welcome and warmth; unity and peace; generosity and joy. But where it is lacking churches will be grumpy and cold, judgmental and harsh, divided and disturbed. In the covering over of sin we become imitators of Christ Himself – and communities that reflect Christ are always profoundly attractive. By this, Jesus tells us, ‘everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’ (John 13:35)
