1 Corinthians 16:22

If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. A solemn closing warning added in his own hand: as in ; . THE LORD - who ought to be 'loved' above Paul, Apollos, and all other teachers. Love to one another is to flow from love to Him above all. Ignatius, 'Epistola. ad Romanos,' 7, writes, 'My love has been crucified' (cf. ). JESUS CHRIST. So C Delta G f g, Vulgate. But omitted in 'Aleph ('). LET HIM BE ANATHEMA - accursed with that curse which the Jews who call Jesus "accursed" () are bringing righteously on their own heads: doomed to Satan's...

22._If any man love not the Lord Jesus _The close of the Epistle consists of _three _parts. He entreats the grace of Christ in behalf of the Corinthians: he makes a declaration of his love towards them, and, with the severest threatening, he inveighs against those that falsely took upon themselves the Lord’s name, while not loving him from the heart. For he is not speaking of strangers, who avowedly hated the Christian name, but of pretenders and hypocrites, who troubled the Churches for the sake of their own belly, or from empty boasting. (176) On such persons he denounces an anathema, and he also pronounces a curse upon them. It is not certain, however, whether he desires their destruction in the presence of God, or whether he wishes to render them odious — nay, even execrable, in the view of believers. Thus in Galatians 1:8, when pronouncing o

19-24 Christianity by no means destroys civility. Religion should promote a courteous and obliging temper towards all. Those give a false idea of religion, and reproach it, who would take encouragement from it to be sour and morose. And Christian salutations are not mere empty compliments; but are real expressions of good-will to others, and commend them to the Divine grace and blessing. Every Christian family should be as a Christian church. Wherever two or three are gathered together in the name of Christ, and he is among them, there is a church. Here is a solemn warning. Many who have Christ's name much in their mouths, have no true love to him in their hearts. None love him in truth, who do not love his laws, and keep his commandments. Many are Christians in name, who do not love Christ Jesus the Lord in sincerity. Such are separated from the people of God, and the favour of God. Th...

Verse 22. _IF ANY MAN LOVE NOT THE LORD JESUS_] This is directed immediately against the _Jews_. From 1 Corinthians 12:3, we find that the Jews, who pretended to be under the _Spirit_ and _teaching_ _of God_, called Jesus αναθεμα, or _accursed_; i.e. a person who should be devoted to destruction: see the note there. In this place the apostle _retorts_ the whole upon _themselves_, and says: _If_ _any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ_, let HIM be αναθεμα, _accursed_, and _devoted to destruction_. This is not said in the way of a _wish_ or _imprecation_, but as a _prediction_ of what would certainly come upon them if they did not repent, and of what _did_ _come_ on them because they did not repent; but continued to _hate_ and _execrate_ the Lord Jesus; and of what still lies upon t...

IF ANY MAN LOVE NOT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST - This is a most solemn and affecting close of the whole epistle. It was designed to direct them to the great and essential matter of religion, the love of the Lord Jesus; and was intended, doubtless, to turn away their minds from the subjects which had agitated them, the disputes and dissensions which had rent the church into factions, to the great inquiry whether they truly loved the Saviour. It is implied that there was danger, in their disputes and strifes about minor matters, of neglecting the love of the Lord Jesus, or of substituting attachment to a party in the place of that love to the Saviour which alone could be connected with eternal life. LET HIM BE ANATHEMA - On the meaning of the word anathema, see the note at 1 Corinthians 12:3. The word properly mean

EXPOSITION 1 CORINTHIANS 16:1 _Directions and arrangements._ 1 CORINTHIANS 16:1 NOW CONCERNING THE COLLECTION FOR THE SAINTS. "The saints" are here the poor Christians at Jerusalem (Romans 15:26). The subject weighed much on St. Paul's mind. First, there was real need for their charity, for at Jerusalem there was as sharp a contrast between the lots of the rich and poor as there is in London, and the "poor saints," being the poorest of the poor (James 2:5), must have often been in deep distress. Not many years before this time, in

IF ANY MAN LOVE NOT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST,.... The Vulgate Latin, and the Syriac and Ethiopic versions, read "our Lord". The apostle here does not so much mean profane and unregenerate sinners, who are destitute of love to Christ, from ignorance of him; nor such who, from the same principle, might persecute him in his members, for such are to be even prayed for, and wished well unto; and oftentimes such are called by grace, and become true and sincere lovers of Christ; and the apostle himself was an instance of it: some think the Jews are intended, who were the mortal enemies of Christ; hated his name and person, his Gospel and interest, and maliciously persecuted the same; they called Jesus accursed, and therefore deserved an anathema to be pronounced on them; it was prophesied of them, that their name should be left for a curse; and it was threatened to them, in case of non-repentance,...

ANATHEMA Accursed. MARANATHA Our Lord cometh. Christ is God's final test....

2. EXHORTATIONS AND CONCLUSION. CHAPTER 16 _ 1. Concerning Collections. (1 Corinthians 16:1)_ 2. Ministry. (1 Corinthians 16:5) 3. Greetings. (1 Corinthians 16:19) First, in concluding this Epistle, he writes them about collections for the Saints. The same directions, he had given to the assemblies in Galatia. The collection for the Saints was to be taken on the first day of the week in connection with the remembrance of Him who had said, “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” He did not want to have any collections when he came, His presence might have influenced them in some way and he wanted to avoid this. How different is the collecti

1 CORINTHIANS 16. VARIOUS BUSINESS AND PERSONAL MATTERS. SALUTATION. First (1 Corinthians 16:1) he gives instructions as to the collection for the poor Christians at Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8 f.*, Romans 15:25; Acts 24:17, p. 771). The Church had apparently consulted him on the matter. We have no information as to the injunctions given to the Galatian churches. Every Sunday something should be laid by at home for the purpose. This is the first indication we have of any special importance being attached to Sunday. The term the Lord's day (Revelation 1:10) had not apparently as yet come into use. The term Day of the Sun, w