1 Corinthians 16:19-23

Butler's Comments

SECTION 4

Embrace (1 Corinthians 16:19-23)

19 The churches of Asia send greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. 20A11 the brethren send greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

21 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 22If any one has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! 23The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

1 Corinthians 16:19-20 Dearly: Paul wanted Christians in every nation, culture, race and language to acknowledge their common citizenship in the eternal kingdom of God. Wherever he went, whenever he wrote, he promoted Christian unity and fellowship. Christians are united. The fellowship or communion of believers is an accomplished work which took place in the redemption Christ finished. Unity is the Christian calling because Christ created in himself one new man in place of the two.. Christ broke down the dividing wall of hostility and reconciled all who will accept this reconciliation as one body, (Ephesians 2:11-22). Now, it is the responsibility of Christians to give diligence to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-16).

The oneness of the universal brotherhood in Christ was not dependent on material things. The first century church did not have church buildings but usually met in people's houses for congregational worship. Aquila and Prisca had a church in their house. This does not mean, of course, that church buildings are not good. Anything in God's creation which can be used to honestly and faithfully further the preaching of the Gospel should be used to its best advantage. But we must never think we have to have things to follow Christ. We must never think that one culture and people has to use the same methods or tools another one uses to follow Jesus.
Paul wanted the Corinthian church to know that the churches (Christians) of Asia Minor (foreigners) sent them hearty (Gr. polla, much) greetings in the Lord. Politically and socially, the people of Asia Minor and Greece were enemies, and had been for centuries. But Paul expects the power of Christ's love to make them brothers, eager to love one another and eager to be one body in the Lord.

He orders them, You greet (Gr. aspasasthe, imperative mood, meaning, salute, embrace) one another with a holy kiss (Gr. philemati hagio). This is the kind of warm embrace brothers and sisters in the flesh often give one another. It is not the kiss of passionate lovers. It is an exhortation for Christians to break down the walls of formality and hypocrisy, to free themselves of prejudice and partiality, and embrace one another as brothers. We are to receive one another as Christ has received us (Romans 15:7); we are to be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgives us (Ephesians 4:32); we are to have a sincere love of the brethren, loving one another from the heart, fervently (1 Peter 1:22); we are to do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10). And a proper display of emotions toward Christian brethren is always in order! Telling and showing our love aids our Christian brethren.

1 Corinthians 16:21-24 Discreetly: This is an ominous way to close a letter! He writes, If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. The Greek word is anathema, literally, let him not stand; the word came to mean, let him be cursed or damned, (see Galatians 1:8-9; 1 Corinthians 12:3; Acts 23:14; Mark 14:71; Acts 23:12; Acts 23:21). Christians are to give aid to all men, especially the brotherhood, but with discretion, Paul does not pronounce this curse upon unbelievers, but upon those who profess to be Christians. It is interesting that Paul uses the Greek word philei, affection, friendship here instead of agape for love. Phileo is the word Jesus used to challenge Peter's profession of love for his Master (John 21:15 ff.). It is the word to denote a love involving personal, emotional affection. Paul is challenging the reality of love professed but not expressed. Christianity is not merely a series of philosophies or doctrines to be taught and learnedit is a Person to know and love. If anyone knowing Christ, has not developed an affection for him, something is seriously wrong in his life. He is, in fact, on his way to being damned. This was the damnation of the Pharisees. They professed a love for God but did not have it (cf. John 5:42; John 8:39-47). Christian love is discerning. It will not aid hypocrisy or anti-christs. It will not condone apostasy or immorality. Christian love will give aid to honest seekers and those making honest errors, because that is what Christians, themselves, are.

In what appears to be a play on words, Paul follows the Greek word anathema with the Aramaic word marana tha. Marana tha, according to the Didache (Teaching of the Twelve, written between 80 and 120 A.D., not written by the apostles, but held in high regard by the early church), was a word used in the early Christian observance of the Lord's Supper and meant, Our Lord has come! Thus, it would refer to the Lord's first advent, not his second coming. Anyone who has no affectionate love for Jesus Christ is damned because there is no other redemption to be offered. Redemption has already come in the person of Jesus Christ. Love him or be damned!

And that is how Paul concludes this letter to Corinth. That is how he sums up all he has taught them. This is what he desires they remember above all else. If any one has no love for the Lord, let him be damned! It may seem rather an ugly tone with which to finish a letter, but how else can you interpret the impact of the Christian gospel? The unique feature of the Christian faith is that it requires a resolute adherence and a constant devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. Merely to use a title, to call him the Lord and yet have no personal love or devotion, to show no regard for him in one's life, is the worst form of hypocrisy. When a man truly loves the Lord Jesus, his emotional attachment is always matched by readiness to obey Christ's revealed word. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me (John 14:21). Why do men call him Lord, Lord, and do not the things which he says? (Luke 6:46).

So this is what Paul would underline: the secret of a happy life, a holy life, a victorious life, a Christian life, is a personal, real devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. If you do not have that, you have nothing, and you will stand condemned on the Judgment Day.
Not to love the Lord Jesus means that in one's heart he is in rebellion against the highest throne in all the universe. Not to love the Lord Jesus is to reject the loveliest character of all history. In Christ is every possible beauty; there is nothing lacking in him. Not to love the Lord Jesus is a refusal of the greatest Lover of one's soul. Not to love Jesus is to curse oneself and be under the curse of Almighty God.
There was another church, working hard, patiently enduring persecution, orthodox in doctrine, bearing up for Christ's name-sake, and not complaining. But it had abandoned the love it had at the first. It was threatened that its lampstand would be removed unless it repented (Revelation 2:1-7). That was Paul's warning also to the church at Corinth.

The apostle's last words of this letter to the saints in Corinth are The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. So be it! The KJV italicizes the word be, to show it is supplied by the translators. In both sentences, the Greek preposition meta would literally be translated simply, with. Could Paul not be inferring, The grace of the Lord Jesus is with you; My love is with you all in Christ Jesus, instead of inferring he is wishing it to be so? The Christians at Corinth were having some serious problems; they had made serious errors; but they were mostly honest errors (not with a high-hand). Some of them were wanting apostolic guidance in order to repent and correct their sins, So Paul addresses them as the church of God. those sanctified. called to be saints (1 Corinthians 1:2). The grace of the Lord Jesus was with them even when they were in error, so long as they did not deliberately continue in the error after the apostle gave them divine direction. The love of Paul was with them even though their immaturity, jealousy, ignorance, and indifference to immorality troubled his soul.

So closes the immortal letter of the apostle Paul to the church of God at Corinth. It analyzes most of the problems that plague the saints. Times and cultures may differ through the centuries, but human nature never does. Problems that plague the saints remain essentially the same; causes of the problems and manifestations of the problems remain practically the same. And, because this apostolic letter, sanctioned by the Holy Spirit, is the revealed word of God as to the source and implementation of principles which will resolve the problems, it is forever relevant. It is imperative that today's church regularly study this epistle in its entirety. Christians must read this letter; preachers must feed their congregations through expository sermons from this book; congregations must put into practice the divine directions, because I Corinthians is a book in the imperative mood.