1 Corinthians 16:22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. I. REBELLION AGAINST THE HIGHEST AUTHORITY. "This is My beloved Son, hear ye Him." Want of love is therefore transgression of the will of God and rebellion against Him. II. CONTEMPT OF THE HIGHEST EXCELLENCE. Whether you consider the, Divine nature of our Lord, or His human nature, or His mediatorial character, there is in Him everything calculated to attract. "He is altogether lovely"; therefore not to love Him is to have a degraded mind, and to throw contempt on the highest manifestation of human excellence and Divine love. III. INGRATITUDE TO THE HIGHEST BENEFACTOR. Consider what we owe Him in connection with His incarnation, death, intercession. Think of the sinfulness of rejecting Him in the light of the truth that those who despise Him live because of His intercession. Conclusion: Is there anything to be said in extenuation of this guilt? The greatest argument for love is love. "We love Him because He first loved us." You cannot force the slave to love his master; but what do you think of the child that, after receiving increasing kindness, refuses to love a parent? One sees the guilt in such a case. God is not a hard Master; Christ does not treat us as slaves. Oh, if His love is not in our hearts we are indeed hard, unfeeling, thankless, justly under the anathema of God. (W. Cadman, M A.) Parallel Verses KJV: If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.WEB: If any man doesn't love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. Come, Lord! |
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