Anathema. Maranatha.

The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines the word “anathema” as “a thing or an idea which you hate because it is the opposite of what you believe”. Notice the use of the word hate. Something that is anathema is hated, and the definition explains why-it is the opposite of what that person believes, which means there is no room to reconcile that thing or idea with what is believed. The thing or idea which is anathema is not just different from the viewpoint of the subject, it is opposite thereto. It is like light and darkness, good and evil, heaven and hell, God and Satan, peace and war, prosperity and poverty, living or dead etc. Anathema signifies such an extreme from the subject’s viewpoint that there is no room for reconciliation!

Now what does all this have to do with anything? Why are we trying to write a thesis on such an obscure word-“anathema”? Well because I suddenly found that God has such a strong view on some thing that he actually declares it anathema! Well that is for those who believe the Bible to be the word of God, and written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In rounding up his first epistle to the Corinthians, Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 16: 22, (KJV) “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.” At first, I simply did not understand what this verse was saying. I had a sense for the dictionary meaning of “anathema”, but what was the word “maranatha” doing right after it? And is this verse using “anathema” in its dictionary meaning? That calls for an investigation, doesn’t it?

Checking out a cross reference linked to “anathema” takes us to 1 Corinthians 12: 3 where the verse says, “…no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed…” and in the margins, there is a note that the word “accursed” means the same as “anathema”. Trouble, Trouble!!! For the man who doesn’t love Jesus Christ that is! We can now read our original scripture to be saying, “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed”. The Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary confirms this interpretation. It explains that “anathema” is the transliteration of a Greek word that means “accursed” or “separated” and could also refer to someone “devoted to destruction” or “false beliefs”. The New King James Version of course makes everything clear, “If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed…” it simply says.

So what was the word “maranatha” doing in the verse? Let’s read the whole verse in the Amplified Version-“If anyone does not love the Lord (does not have a friendly affection for Him and is not kindly disposed toward Him), he shall be accursed! Our Lord will come! (Maranatha!)”. Hmmm. The MacArthur Study Bible confirms a view that “accursed” means “devoted to destruction” and explains the verse as “Paul perhaps appeals for the Lord to take away the nominal, false Christians who threatened the spiritual well-being of the church. This was also an expression of eagerness for the Lord’s return”. The word “Maranatha” according to our Nelson’s Bible Dictionary is an Aramaic expression meaning “Our Lord Come!” and the contextual meaning is that “Our Lord is coming soon, and he will judge all those who do not love him”

What should all these mean to us? Do I love the Lord? Do you? Are we sure? How can we be sure of our love for him? Can we risk God considering us anathema to him? Accursed? Devoted to destruction? Separated from him? It is not a risk worth taking. The ultimate test of our love for Jesus Christ is; do we obey his commandments? “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” (1 John 5:4).