loving sinners

A friend of mine often says, “My church is full of dirty, rotten sinners, and that’s why I fit in.” It’s his way of saying Christians, himself included, aren’t any better than anyone else. Apart from Jesus, we struggle with sin.

Fortunately, one key characteristic of Christians that may be found less often outside the church is love. 1 Peter 4:8-10 says, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

Love works two ways in the church. It covers over my sins because by my love I help others see the best in me and not the worst. But in loving, I’m prompted to see others at their best and excuse their worst.

Peter also tells us some good ways to love. We can offer hospitality. Although some are especially good at it, this is a basic requirement of every Christian.When we see people who are lonely or don’t have much, we can always invite them in for a meal and some fellowship.

But each of us has specific gifts too, and those were give to us not for our own benefit, but for the church’s. Whatever that special area is, it’s a direct way that God intends us to show love.

It makes for a neat formula, the kind of thing I find nice for applying scripture to life: in order to cover over a multitude of sins, mine and other people’s, I show love through hospitality and by using my gifts. Sounds simple, but imagine if we all did it.