1 Corinthians 16:22 Meaning: Love the Lord Jesus Christ

Two Greek words and one Aramaic phrase carry the weight. First, the verb for love is phileo, the kind of warm, personal affection you have for a close friend or family member. It is the word Jesus used when he asked Peter, 'Do you love me?' in John 21. Paul is not demanding a distant loyalty; he is asking for heartfelt attachment to Christ. Second, anathema translates the Hebrew cherem, meaning something set apart for God's judgment, like the city of Jericho. It is not a personal curse Paul wishes on anyone; it is a solemn truth: to reject Christ is to place oneself under God's judgment. Then comes maranatha, an Aramaic phrase meaning either 'Our Lord has come' or 'Our Lord is coming.' It functions as both a creed and a hope. The Lord who came in humility will come again as Judge and King.

Christians across traditions have read this verse with the same seriousness. Some, like Adam Clarke and Albert Barnes, see the anathema as a prediction of judgment, especially toward those who rejected Christ, fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem. Others, like John Calvin, read it as a warning against false teachers who claimed Christ but did not love him from the heart. The Cambridge Bible notes that the love required is intimate and personal, not mere admiration. The Aramaic phrase maranatha has been used as a watchword in liturgy across traditions. What unites these readings is the conviction that the condition of our heart toward Christ matters eternally, and that his coming is both the basis for hope and the reason for urgency.

Some read this verse as Paul pronouncing a personal curse on his enemies, as if he were saying that anyone who disagreed with him was damned. In fact, Paul is not issuing a vendetta. He is stating a sober truth: a life that does not love Christ is separated from the life of God. The anathema is a declaration of what is already true about someone who rejects the Lord, not a wish. And the maranatha that follows reminds both Paul and his readers that it is the coming Lord, not any human, who will judge.

This week, ask yourself one honest question: do I really love the Lord Jesus Christ? Not just believe in him, or agree with doctrines about him, but love him, the way you love a person you long to be with. That love shows up in how you speak of him, how you obey him, and how you look forward to his return. The warning of this verse is not meant to frighten you into guilt, but to wake you up to what matters most. Let the cry Maranatha become your own: 'Come, Lord.' Look for one moment today to say that prayer with your whole heart.