Faith is Demonstrated Via Love - 1 Corinthians 15-16

 Faith is Demonstrated Via Love

1 Corinthians 16:21-24 (ESV)
21 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Paul is ending his letter to the church at Corinth.    In the contents of the letter he has challenged them and has inspired them and he has instructed them.  He has even corrected them.   As he draws the letter to a close he gives them one last instruction and admonishment. After all he has said, these last words were the exclamation point.   Weaved into the typical farewell he gives them this final statement of clarity:
If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed.   

That is a very easy way to distinguish the sheep from the wolves.  This approach might remind us of Jesus’ conversation with Peter after His resurrection.  Note:

John 21:15 (ESV)
15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”

Jesus goes on to ask Peter, the same question, two more times.  Our love for the Savior separates us form the world around us.  Notice how the writer of the book of Hebrews states it.  He realizes that the love for the name of Christ takes priority over all things we do:

Hebrews 6:10 (ESV)

10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.

God wants us to love Him.  Jesus summarized the entries Old Testament Law as follows:

Matthew 22:37 (ESV)
37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

So, when Paul ends his letter with and admonishment to that those who do not love Jesus, we see why they are accursed.   By not loving Jesus with all their heart, soul and mind they are rejecting Him.  That rejection amounts to being accursed.   Paul is not just wishing ill on his enemies (and he did have some that had snuck into the Corinthians church).   Paul is saying this and ending the letter this way because those who do not love Jesus ARE accursed.