8: This is one of the most oft quoted verses of Scripture. For good reason too, but perhaps without fully understanding what we are saying. Peter notes the high importance of his own phrase by beginning with 'above all else', 'before anything else', or perhaps, 'if you don't get anything else out of this letter, get this.' He has heightened our anticipation. What is it that he wants us to understand 'above all else?' It is what everything he has been talking about boils down to. It is the gospel response in miniature. Love one another, or more literally, always have unceasing and intentional love among yourselves. Why? Because love covers a plethora of sins. How though? How does love cover sin? What does he mean by cover? Sweeping sins under the rug? Ignoring sin? Well, actually, to a certain extent, yes. The word for cover literally means, to cover, or hide. Uncomfortable as we are with the thought of hiding sin, let's start with what Peter does not mean. Throughout the Word we are given exhortations to judge others, especially leaders and teachers, by their fruit. By judge I mean examine or discern. This can only be done with a complete and honest understanding of their faults. So in this sense, we are not ignoring sin or sweeping sins under the rug, but rather holding them up in order to discern whether or not it is wise to listen to or follow a certain leader. Nor does Peter mean that when we cover sin, it magically disappears and all consequences automatically and instantly vanish. You can hide a bowling ball under the rug, but people will still trip over it. So we cannot use this verse to justify ongoing sinful behavior leading to annual harvests of bad fruit. Nor can we bring this verse to our aid when we want the inevitable consequences of major sins to simply fade gently into the forgotten past. Sin is still sin, and it is serious, and it will be judged, either on the cross or on the last day. We cannot ignore this all important truth.
So what does Peter mean? As always, context is key. The main phrase in this verse is to love one another. It is odd that it is never quoted when the subsequent phrase is. And the love covering sins bit only makes sense if this first phrase is what it is referring to. We are a new people, a new humanity, forming a new culture. Peter has gone to great lengths already to establish this point. We are a holy priesthood, with a new way of living. Our lives are different now because Jesus has been born, has died, was buried, has risen and ascended to His throne. All things are new. As His growing city on a hill, we are called to emulate His grace. We become 'little Christs' to an onlooking world. And our love for one another is our most potent testimony. Indeed it is one of the primary ways our nation-discipling takes shape. Around the central tenants of our Faith, a community is built up, manifesting itself in local expressions. We call these local visible manifestations of the great community local churches; local bodies that are part of the much larger whole. In these communities Christians live in close proximity to one another. We share our lives and share our bread. We indwell one another, living as one even as the Father and the Son are one. In this context we live in the presence of one another's faults as well. Thus Peter's exhortation is spot on. Unceasing and Intentional love. Both words are fit for the human existence. Unceasing because we grow tired. We don't see any growth in our friends and so we want to give up loving them. We want to throw in the towel because we are tired of their faults and failings. But Peter is firm. Unceasing. Don't stop. The thought that hides just under the surface of this verse is this: Did Jesus cease loving you? Did Jesus throw in the towel because He was tired of you? Of course not. How can we, then, stop loving one another when Jesus never did? Especially when the offenses against Him were far, far greater than the offenses against us. Therefore our love for one another must know no bounds.
Our love must not only be unceasing, but intentional as well. The word translated as 'fervently' comes from the Greek word meaning, to put forward, or to cast out. Either way the direction is the same. Love must come from within and move outward, and we must be the ones to do it. When a man goes fishing, he does not simply hold the pole upright at the edge of the lake, hook and lure dangling from the top. He winds up his arm, and throws the hook and lure as far out as he can. With purpose and intention he casts his bait into the environment before him, with hopes of catching a fish. Our love for one another must be the same. Too often we take a passive approach to love, which says, "Just don't get in their way." Or we define love as 'not offending'. But these are weak and anemic non-loves. Love must take initiative, love must be purposeful. We need to be casting our love into the environment before us, with the hopes of catching a friend. Again, Jesus did not simply 'leave us alone'. Nor did He seek to 'not offend'. He put Himself forward, while we were yet sinners, while we were still dead in our sins, while we still were lying in the Lazerine tomb He cast Himself upon the cross. And praise God He did.
Here we begin to see the meaning of sin-covering love. Among other things it is a matter of perspective. Being forgiven of our million dollar debt, how can we demand the quarter from our neighbor? Our sins against a thrice Holy God having been forgiven, how can we hold in contempt the sins of a imperfect saint against another likewise imperfect saint, namely ourselves? We cannot. It is hypocrisy. It is two tongues in one mouth, and God hates a double tongue. Our love for the brethren looks past the particular brother and sees the Spirit that dwells there. We all are a work in progress, and the same Spirit is at work in each of us. How can we get impatient with each other then? How can we cease loving without unwittingly growing impatient with the Spirit who is at work within them? Do not our demanding natures and our bitternesses speak lies about the Spirit's work? We return to perspective. The Father is infinitely patient with us. He gives us each breath, even the ones we use to complain and grumble about our brother. Does it make sense? No. Grace is far to wild and crazy for us to comprehend. But its not too crazy to emulate. We are called to. It is what we are remade for. In this sense, in so far as it can be, we do ignore the faults of one another. We emulate the grace that remembers iniquity no more. We must see the Lord first when we see our friends and brothers. When we see one another through that lens, love truly will cover a multitude of sins.
Peter is writing to the dispersed Jewish Christians who are scattered throughout the known world. They are without physical homeland. We are in their shoes. Our homeland is Jesus, and He is not physically present with us. He has given us as tokens of His presence both His own Spirit, and His own Body. The Spirit is at work to grow the body up into maturity, to prepare it for the eternal weight of glory that lies just beyond the great river. He has called us to live with one another in such a way that reflects the holiness and the beauty of the Father. When we hold on to grudges or do not let love cover offenses against our own self, we are not reflecting the love shown to us on the cross. We are reflecting instead the pettiness of our own sinful hearts. We, the pot, in the end, call the kettle black. How then can we reflect His grace? Let your love for one another be intentional and unceasing, because Love Himself has covered our sins. In this way the new community is built. Upon these stones the walls of this new kingdom are erected. With this foundation, this holy house cannot fall. It is the very soil in which the mustard seed grows into a giant tree, giving shelter to all the birds of the air.
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