Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8 NIV
Love covers a multitude of sins. I suspect Peter is not trying to tell us that loving someone will make their sins go away. Instead, I believe he is reminding us that love will lead us to be more forgiving of the irritations or hurts caused us by other people. When I was first married, I loved my wife, but there were things she did that I found to be very irritating. But as the years have gone by, and I have grown to love her more deeply, those things no longer bother me, and I find that I am thankful for them now.
I believe this is what Peter is challenging us with here. We are to be in a community as believers, and there are challenges with that. But the more we love, the less likely the differences in our personalities and ways of doing things will be to divide us. Instead, we will likely learn to appreciate the differences and find that they actually complement each other and make us more effective in the Lord’s service. Love each other deeply; never think that you love enough.
