1 Peter 4:8 (NIV) 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
Love, real godly agapé love, is such an amazing thing. It acts in the best interest of its object, and it never expects anything in return. This verse doesn’t give us a complete understanding of how we can define God’s love, but what it does do is help us see the results of such selfless behavior. Love covers over a multitude of sins, but the sins referred to are not your own, they are the sins of the ones we love. Let me try to illustrate this from a different perspective.
Scripture clearly teaches that we are sinners. What I think that we sometimes forget is just how bad this really is. At one point in the book of Isaiah, God points out that even our best acts are flawed and He says they are like filthy rags to Him. You see, because of our sin, we are vile, absolutely detestable in the sight of God. There is no soap strong enough to wash away the stench. There are no brushes stiff enough to scrub it off. Now hang with me, it does get better. God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners, He sent his Son, who in turn gave His life for us, making it possible for us to know eternal life in His presence. God’s great love moved Him, to act in our best interest in spite of how badly we missed the mark, and in spite of the cost.
What if He had not done this for us? Where would we be? What hope would we have? What would life be like if God looked at us, and because of our sin did not act? We would be lost, salvation would not exist, and there would be no hope. Now turn that thought from being the one on the receiving end of this amazing love. What kind of person would we be, if we accepted God’s act of love in Christ, but then didn’t offer this same love we received to others because of particular sins in their life?
The challenge is simple to see but much harder to live. We are so quick to point a finger, or exalt ourselves as we look at the faults of others. We should love one another just like God loved us, with a forgiving spirit, and a stronger desire to restore than to condemn. The next time you find yourself ready to disregard someone, or consider them unworthy of your attention, remember what God did for you in Jesus Christ, and rather than offering unforgiving condemnation, exert some effort and find a way to act in love.
2 comments:
Yes, Paul says "The only thing that matters is faith expressing itself in love" (Galations ?). Sorry, I need to memorize where this verse is in Galations.
This is what I have been writing about lately. I wrote a seven chapter manuscript that I recently finished posting on my blog page. The manuscript was posted in response to a statistic the American Family Association announced a few months ago. The statistic: "Only six percent of all people who call themselves Christians truely understand the core message of the Bible".
You, my friend have got it. With out a doubt, this is the only command. Jesus says it. "Love one another. As I have loved you, so, must you love one another".
However, I will add, it is a misunderstood and mistranslated verse. The Koine Greek word can, and should be seen as "Law". A new 'law' I give to you.
It is a new 'law', because the command to love your neighbor as yourself was already spoken in the Old Testament. It is a new 'law' because Jesus knowing He will go to the cross (at the time he spoke it) will fulfill the Old Testament Law and take it to the cross where it was crucified with Him.
Do me a favor. Stop by my blog page and leave a message. I do not link a lot of people to my blog, but I want to be able to check in on your blog for a few more post so I can consider the content before I add your link to my list. If you leave a message on my blog, it will be easier to keep up with you. It is difficult to find anyone in the profiles. http://deityquest.blogspot.com/
Jim
Thanks Seth.
Leaving a message for me will allow me to keep your link in my email for future reference.
Looks as if we have seen things the same way. I wrote about suffering somewhere in my blog. Yes, our suffering is as being tied to Christ for something of an idea of His experiences in the flesh.
Post a Comment