LOVE COVERS SINS

Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirreth up strifes; but love covereth all sins.

Hate and love are emotions as are anger, contentment, fear and many others that we could include in this category. Human beings experience all sorts of emotions daily. There are some people that are easily aroused and are said to be "emotional." Others may contain their emotions to the extent that they are referred to as "cold natured" individuals. However, in this passage we will take a look at two of these human emotions - hate and love, especially as they apply to other human beings.

Hate, can be described as a strong dislike for another person; to loathe, despise or detest someone. When put into action, it can simply be avoiding a person, or, to the extreme of wishing ill will to another, or even doing physical harm to the person. When mutual hate is found in a group of people, mob actions can result and riots may occur. Wars break out between clans, as well as between religious, ethnic and social groups. Even wars between nations break out that result in hundreds of thousands of deaths as well as extensive property destruction. Hate is a devastatingly destructive human emotion.

Love, as it applies to others, is that strong affection, attachment, caring, or bonding one has for another. It is that benevolent concern that one has for the welfare of others. Generally this emotion is, or should be, demonstrated within one's immediate family. And this is good. It certainly results in that strong family relationship that God intended to exist from the beginning. However, love for others should not end here. It should exist with all mankind, regardless of race, color, or creed. It should extend beyond family, beyond ethnicity, beyond religious cultures, beyond boundaries of states, regions, countries and continents. Love should be universal. This is also what God intended to exist from the beginning. With love existing to this extent, there would be no riots or wars. The emotion of love is God's gift for worldly peace.

With true love, there would be no evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies (Matt. 15:19). There would not be people filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity. People would not be whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful (Rom. 1:29-31). There would be no adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like (Gal. 5:19-21). In other words, there would be no sin! All sin would have been covered up with love.

There would be no jails, no divorce judges, no child abuse, paternity cases, no violence, or terrorism. Fear would not exist. There would be no reason for locks on doors, burglar alarms or barred windows. There would be no reason for security guards in banks or stores. Armored vehicles would not be needed to transport money and other valuables. There would be no reason for credit card insurance. Bombs, tanks, guided missiles, hand grenades, or other weapons designed for war would not be necessary. Nations would not need early warning systems, central intelligence agencies, and surveillance systems. Utopia would exist and we would be able to live in an ideal world.

Do we live in an ideal world? No. Do we ever expect to live in such world? No. The sinless state of universal love will only exist in Heaven. While on earth, there will always be wars because love does not prevail - rather sin exists. As long as the sins of covetousness, greed, and envy exist, there will be wars. Does this mean that love has failed? Does this mean that we should not show our love for our fellow man? Definitely not! Universally, we may never see world peace, but peace and love can abound between individuals, families,neighbors, and especialy among fellow Christians. It starts with you and me. We can demonstrate love for our family and our neighbor - our concern for the physical and spiritual wellbeing of each other. Between you and I, love can exist. Between you and I, love will cover all sins. Let us spread love as far as possible in this sinful world. Let us cover as many sins as possible during our sojourn here on earth as members of God's family.