I Peter 4:8
Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
In the above verse it says that love covers a multitude of sins. Sometimes the idea of what love would do in any given circumstance is really somewhat nebulous even in the Christian world. It even gives the appearance of the situational ethics of the world. The reason many Christians like it this way is that this viewpoint limits any sense of real accountability.
The book just prior to 1 Peter is the book of James and it has the identical phrase "covers a multitude of sins".
James 5:19,20
My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turn him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
What we learn from this passage is:
- This deals with brothers in Christ: "brethren" and "any among you". Initially the one considered a brother, upon straying from the truth is now called a "sinner".
- The process of sinning can be described as an initial straying from the truth at the start to the point of "a multitude of sins". The worst case is a soul that is dead.
- In context, we would say that the possible end of the process is a soul that is dead to the truth of God's Word.
From this verse, we see the actual application of I Peter's "covering love". Fervent love for fellow believers will cover a multitude of sins by bringing a sinner to repentance and thereby save their soul from death. I John 5:16,17 (NIV) says: "If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life (the Greek word zoe, used for "eternal life" or "resurrection life"). I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin and there is a sin that does not lead to death." This is talking about death coming to a person's soul. The process by which a soul experiences death is delineated in James 1:14,15 - "each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then after desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full grown, gives birth to death."
Sin that is continued in, to the point that repentance is no longer desired, will result in a soul that is dead to the dealings of the Holy Spirit. This is the place of a "seared conscience". Once a heart reaches a place such as this, the Holy Spirit will not be leading people to pray for this individual, and a place of repentance can no longer be found for the person, who once believed and lived in faith. I am not saying that there will not be people praying for this individual, just that these prayers will not have the touch of God's Spirit upon them. (cf. Jeremiah was told to no longer pray for the people of God that he was sent to). This place would be the antithesis of "the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls", I Peter 1:9, and would be considered the place of the eternal destruction of one's soul. The mind of the person, at such a place, could be considered "reprobate or depraved" (Romans 1:28), a term used in a metal smelting process, whereby the dross or "reprobate" metals are skimmed off and "cast away". The Greek word here is adokimos and is used by the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 9:27, where he states concerning his life: "I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be 'cast away' or 'reprobate'". Paul did not want his own life to be so much discarded "metallic dross" in God's refining process. Paul believed that repeated actions of a body not under subjection, could result in a depraved mind.
Recent finds have validated the important role of biblical repentance with regards to any individual's actions and it's impact on changing the physical structure of the brain, which in turn affects the person's character in long term.
It is interesting to note that only recent studies in brain neuroplasticity have shown that repeated actions, good and evil, result in permanent, physical changes in the brain. This entire field of study has verified that any individual can and should basically "repent of actions" so as to affect the brain and thereby the way one thinks. New advances in brain neuroplasticity have yet to find that the brain and mind can be hard coded to the point of no return. Yet this is the Biblical position. Peter in the latter of his epistles speak of false teachers who have "forsaken the right way" and "have gone astray" in following the greed of an Old Testament prophet. They are now "slaves of corruption", being overcome and enslaved by the lusts of the eyes, the lusts of the flesh and the boastful pride of life. At one time these men had escaped the defilements of the world by knowing the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, though their final state is worse than their first. Their final epitaph is that it would have been better for them to have never known the truth, (I Peter 2:12-21). Peter calls these men "creatures of instinct" or people who are now governed by the instincts of nature. This suggests a place where the decision making processes of the brain have been disabled or so ingrained as to no longer be able to override "the lusts of their heart", allowing for their bodies to be dishonored, Romans 1:24,28.
Romans 8:22,23 NASB
But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive the benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome (of this sanctification), eternal life. For the wages of sin (taken as an occupation) is death (of the soul), but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The words in parenthesis are mine. These verses read that sanctification coming from a life that is now freed from sin and enslaved to God, results in eternal life. On the other hand, the wages of sin (taken as an occupation) results in the death (of the soul), the opposite of eternal life or eternal damnation.
In conclusion, the above texts seem to indicate that the way "love covers a multitude of sins" is to turn the sinner from their wanderings to the truth of scripture in repentance. The actual method to bring this about is found in I Timothy 2:25,26 - "Those who oppose him (the Lord's servant), he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." Notice it is "in hope" that God will grant them repentance and not "in faith", as only God knows the extent to which the soul has been hardened in sin.
I've been in some churches that gave me the impression that "covering a multitude of sins" was an act of love whereby we either ignored the person's sins or covered them up by concealing them from being broadcast in public. The hope being that this person would somehow "snap out of it" on his own. I certainly think that a right attitude of restoration is to prevent the individual from undue embarrassment, but I think that it can be seen that continuance in a sin leads to greater hardening of the heart with time, and brings one's soul closer to the point of death.
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