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How came the tender-hearted Paul to throw those red-hot words at the Corinthians? Not to love Christ is —

I. UNREASONABLE AND UNNATURAL. Tradition tells us that He was the most infinitely beautiful being that ever walked our small earth, and to a lovely exterior He joined all loveliness of disposition. The sunshine of His love mingling with the shadows of His sorrows, crossed by the crystalline stream of His tears and the crimson of His blood, make a picture worthy of being called the masterpiece of the eternities. He was altogether lovely — always lovely, and lovely in everything. Lovely in His sacrifice. Why, He gave up everything for us, and He took everybody's trouble. Now suppose that, notwithstanding all this, a man cannot have any affection for Him. Why "After all this, 'if a man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maran-atha.'"

II. UNJUST. Just look at the injustice of not loving Him. There is nothing that excites a man like injustice. If there ever was a fair and square purchase of anything, then Christ purchased us. If anything is purchased and paid for, ought not the goods to be delivered? And you will go to law for it, and, if need be, hurl the defaulter into jail. Such injustice as between man and man is bad enough, but between man and God it is reprehensible and intolerable. After all thin purchase "if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha."

III. SUICIDAL. If a man gets into trouble, and he cannot get out, we have only one feeling towards him, sympathy and a desire to help him. But suppose the day before he failed, W. E. Dodge had come into his store and said: "My friend, I hear you are in trouble. I have come to help you," and suppose the man were to say, "I don't want it; I would rather fail than take it; I don't even thank you for offering it." Your sympathy for that man would cease immediately. Now Christ hears of our spiritual embarrassments. He finds the law saying, "Pay me what thou owest." Pay? We cannot pay a farthing of all the millions of obligation. Well, Christ comes in and says, "You can use My name." Now suppose the soul says, "O Christ, I want not Thy help. Go away from me." You would say, "After all this ingratitude and rejection, 'if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maran-atha.'"

IV. CRUEL. The meanest thing I could do for you would be needlessly to hurt your feelings. Now, Christ is a bundle of delicacy and sensitiveness. Oh, what rough treatment He has received sometimes from our hands! Every time you rejected the Lord you struck Him. How you have broken His heart! Do you know there is a crucifixion going on now? You say, "Where?" Here! When a man refuses to love Christ and rejects Him, the apostle intimates that. He "crucifies the Lord afresh." By our sins we have done this. When I think of all this, my surprise at the apostle ceases.

(T. De Witt Talmage, D. D.)

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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!