Charles Spurgeon Commentary 1 Peter 4:7-8

"But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore of sound mind, and be sober unto prayer: above all things being fervent in your love among yourselves; for love covereth a multitude of sins:" — 1 Peter 4:7-8 (ASV)

And watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves:

For, when Christ comes, he will know you as his disciples if you love one another; but if there is an absence of Christian affection when he comes, he will say at once that you have missed the main mark of discipleship.

But the end of all things is at hand; be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

It covers them sometimes by not seeing them. For where there is much love, we are blind to many faults which, otherwise, we might see. In such cases, we do not exercise the sharpness of criticism which malice would be sure to exercise. Moreover, when love applies herself to prayer, and when, in addition to prayer, she kindly gives admonition to a beloved friend, it often happens that true Christian love does really prevent a multitude of sins.

The apostle does not mean that, by loving another person, I will cover my own sin; nor does he mean that the exercise of charity, in the usual sense of that word, can cover my sin. But if I have much love to others, I may be the instrument, in the hand of God, for covering many of their sins in one or another of the ways I have mentioned.