Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Peter 4:8

"above all things being fervent in your love among yourselves; for love covereth a multitude of sins:" — 1 Peter 4:8 (ASV)

And above all things. More than all other things.

Have fervent charity among yourselves. This means warm, ardent love towards each other. On the nature of charity, see the notes on 1 Corinthians 13:1.

The word translated fervent properly means extended; then intent, earnest, fervent.

For charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Love for another person will so cover or hide a great many of their imperfections that you will not notice them. This passage is quoted from Proverbs 10:12: Love covereth all sins. For the truth of this, we only need to appeal to everyone's experience.

1. True love for another person makes us kind to their imperfections, charitable towards their faults, and often blind even to the existence of faults. We would not see the imperfections of those whom we love, and our attachment for what we esteem as their real excellencies makes us insensible to their errors.

2. If we love them, we are ready to cover over their faults, even those which we may see in them. Of love, the Christian poet says:
   'Tis gentle, delicate, and kind,
   To faults compassionate or blind.

The passage before us does not have the same meaning as the one in James 5:20: He which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. See the notes on James 5:20.

That passage means that by the conversion of another person, the sins of the one who is converted will be covered over, or not brought to judgment for condemnation. That is, they will be covered over as far as God is concerned.

This passage, however, means that under the influence of love, the sins of another person will be covered over as far as we are concerned; that is, they will be unobserved or forgiven.

The language used here does not mean, as Roman Catholics maintain, that "charity will procure us pardon for a multitude of sins." This is because, besides such a doctrine being contrary to the uniform teachings of the Scriptures elsewhere, it is a departure from the obvious meaning of the passage.

The subject on which the apostle is focusing is the advantage of love in our conduct towards others. He reinforces this by saying that it will make us kind to their imperfections and lead us to overlook their faults.

It is nowhere taught in the Scriptures that our "charity" to others will be an atonement or expiation for our own offenses. If it could be so, the atonement made by Christ would have been unnecessary.

Love, however, is of inestimable value in our treatment of others. Imperfect as we are, and liable to go astray, we all have occasion to cast ourselves on the charity of our brethren and to avail ourselves, much and often, of that love which covers over a multitude of sins.