1 Corinthians 16:22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. I. WHAT ARE THE CLAIMS OF CHRIST UPON OUR LOVE? 1. He is God. If this were the only ground, He would surely have every right to expect our love. He who is the Author of every mercy therefore demands our love. 2. And yet, having failed of obtaining it as Creator, having had His laws insulted and His majesty dishonoured, He hath sought to win our love by such an act of love as even exceeds the mercies of creation, viz., redemption. Whatever you require for your admission into heaven, His love hath done it all. And now He offers His salvation freely. 3. Now, is this Friend of our lost souls unreasonable when He asks our hearts of us? We give them to our friends on earth. II. WHO ARE THE MEN THAT "LOVE NOT" THAT LOVER OF THEIR SOULS? 1. The world. Here are a great variety of characters, but all are alike in this, they "love not the Lord Jesus Christ." They live without Him, neglect His Word, discountenance His cause, love and follow practices which are His abomination. 2. Hypocritical professors, Christ's own definition of those who "love Him not" is "He that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings." True, they may say high things of Him, yet all this is like the kiss of Judas, whilst they are doing all things in their life and practice to dishonour and affront Him. They love sin. III. THE GUILT THESE MEN INCUR. Who can fathom the depth of their ingratitude! To have forgotten the mercies of creation is an awful blot upon our nature; but when He dies for our iniquities, and calls us to His pardoning mercies, who shall estimate the blackness of his guilt who treats this Saviour lightly? "If I had not come and spoken to them they had not had sin"; all our other sins look nothing when compared to this. IV. THE AWFUL DOOM OF ALL THOSE WHO "LOVE NOT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST." "Let them be accursed at the second coming of the Lord." There is a curse which rests upon the head of every man by nature as a breaker of the law of God (Deuteronomy 27:26); and to deliver our souls from this was the great end of our Redeemer's death (Galatians 3:13). To those therefore who receive Him and rely upon Him this curse is turned into a blessing (Romans 8:1). But they who "love not the Lord Jesus Christ" remain under that curse from which He died to set them free (John 3:36; 1 Corinthians 15:17). To reject a Saviour, as it is a more aggravated sin than to reject the law, so will it meet with a more aggravated condemnation (Hebrews 10:28, 29). "The curse of the law" is terrible; but "the wrath of the Lamb"! what will that be? (A. Roberts, 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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