Bible Text: 1 Peter 4:7-11 | Preacher: Pastor Joe Ricchuiti | Series: 1 Peter, While We Wait

“No matter how difficult life may be, there is a job to do; and we must be faithful.” (Warren Wiersbe)
Some websites that are good for sound theology, Christian views on cultural issues, and help interpreting Bible passages are: equip.org; credohouse.org; and probe.org. For creation science and related issues visit: icr.org (the Institute for Creation Research) and answersingenesis.org (Answers in Genesis).
When Peter says “love covers over a multitude of sins, he is not saying that love atones for sin (only Calvary can do that, where the justice of God, not just the love of God was satisfied). Nor is he saying that we should condone sin in fellow Christians. Rather, he is saying that love sees and accepts the faults of others. A quotation of Proverbs 10:12, his point is that hatred stirs up and broadcast sins whereas love does not tear down the reputation of another. We are not to be fault-finding. There is a process for dealing with sin in the lives of brothers and sisters in Christ (Galatians 6:1ff) which emphasizes forgiveness and restoration. As some have pointed out, when we broadcast the sins of other believers we hinder the work of God and are a detriment to it.
Another duty which Peter enjoins upon God’s people is the duty to be hospitable. Biblical hospitality has the connotation of being a “lover of strangers,” which is the meaning of the Greek word for hospitality. “Without hospitality the early church could not have existed” (William Barclay). There was much itinerant ministry in the early days of the church; churches met in houses not church buildings; believers were displaced because of persecution; and what inns were available were dirty, immoral, dangerous, and expensive. For this reason believers were called to hospitality but not without guidelines to protect them from unscrupulous people who would take advantage of them. Believers were to be generous but also wise.