1 Peter 4:8
8 And [de] above [pro] all things [pas] have [echo] fervent [ektenes] charity [agape] among [eis] yourselves [heautou]: for [hoti] charity [agape] shall cover [kalupto] the
multitude [plethos] of sins [hamartia]. KJV-Interlinear
8 Above all, keep fervent in your
love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. NASB
The activities of the
sin nature stir up nothing but trouble.
All of your life, when lived under the power of the sin nature (out of fellowship),
is a source of trouble, and results in trouble, regardless of the activities of
your life.
The activities of the
spiritual life, serve nothing but good.
By definition, the spiritual life is a life, which functions sin free, within
the will of God.
The content of the Word
of God is truth.The principles of
truth, the sum total of the content of the Bible, make up the concept of love. Review our study of 1, 2, and 3rd
John.
There are generally
three terms used for love, 'phileo', 'agapao', and 'eros.'
The first refers to the
emotional responses or reactions of ones life.
The second, agapao, refers to the principles of life, the rights and
wrongs, the knowledge of good verses evil, the discernment of what one should or
should not do.The third word is used in
reference to intimate relationships between husband and wife, for example.
Fervent, is a word used
for urgency, for something of huge importance, for something, right now, that
takes precedence over all else.For
example, when a person falls or is hurt severely with a life threatening injury,
then the only thing that matters is medical attention, right now. That is what urgent
means.
Peter calls the use and
application of Bible doctrine in ones life, with respect to all things, with
respect to relationships between people, with respect to ones relationship with
God, as urgent.The love used here
includes the concepts, the content, of the Bible.
You can only utilize
that which you have learned, and learning requires the priority of, and being
consistent in, ones daily study.
In other words, your
spiritual life needs to be your highest priority in life. The urgency of your spiritual life means that
each time you ignore your spiritual life, you are placing yourself at
risk.Why?
Because time is short.
Time is short for your
own personal life, because you do not know the details of tomorrow, nor do you
know the details of the future of humanity.
And what is the
significance of this urgency?Because
you are going to be evaluated by Christ one day.
Everything you do in
this life is irrelevant and meaningless if you ignore and do not advance in
your spiritual life.
Therefore, your daily
study, learning, obedience, prayer, etc, should all be high on your daily to-do
list.
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