“Anathema” isn’t a word we throw around in regular conversation. You’re not going to hear it at the grocery store or in small talk. But in Scripture, it hits like thunder. When you see that word, you know something serious is being said. In Greek, it’s ἀνάθεμα (anathema), and it means something that’s been set apart, but not in a holy way. It means cursed. Devoted to destruction. Cut off entirely. That’s heavy. And when the Bible uses a word like that, we ought to stop and really let it sink in.
You can feel the weight of it when Paul writes to the Galatians. He’s not just teaching doctrine, he’s crying out from his guts. These weren’t strangers to him. He loved these people. But they had started listening to people – rabbi’s – that twisted the Gospel, adding to it, changing it, trying to blend the Good News with old laws that had already been fulfilled in Messiah. And Paul couldn’t stay quiet.
He said something that still makes me catch my breath every time I read it.
“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8-9 KJV)
That word “accursed” there? That’s anathema. That’s Paul saying, “I don’t care who it is, if they mess with the Gospel, even if it’s me, even if it’s an angel, don’t listen. Let them be under the curse of God.”
Now that sounds intense. But it needs to be. Because the Gospel of Jesus Christ isn’t just some nice religious idea. It’s life or death. It’s the only message that has the power to save a soul from eternal separation from HaShem (His Name). If you twist that message, if you add anything to it, like circumcision, like works of the Law, you take away the power of grace. You tell people that Yeshua’s sacrifice wasn’t enough. And that’s a dangerous lie.
Paul was dealing with folks who think they meant well, at least some of them did. But meaning well doesn’t make a false gospel true. He was watching people walk back into bondage, trying to earn what had already been freely given through faith in Jesus. And he knew where that road led. Not just into confusion or error. Into destruction.
Anathema is the word the Holy Spirit used to show just how high the stakes are. This isn’t about being slightly off in theology. This is about someone standing up and preaching a version of the Gospel that cannot save. And if it can’t save, it can only destroy.
Paul brings that word up again in 1 Corinthians 16:22, and this time it’s even more personal. He says:
“If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha.” (1 Corinthians 16:22 KJV)
Now that’s a strong pairing. Anathema, cursed. Maranatha, Our Lord, come. It’s like he’s saying, “If someone doesn’t love Jesus, really love Him, they stand cursed, and the Lord is coming.” The return of the King is tied right to the judgment. And this one isn’t about teaching false doctrine; it’s about the heart. Do you love Him? That’s the question. Not just do you know about Him, or talk about Him, or even preach about Him. Do you love Him?
Because if you don’t, then you’re cut off from the only One who can rescue you. And that, again, is anathema.
Yeshua said something that echoes this in a different way (Matthew 7:15-20). He warned us about false prophets, folks who look good on the outside, maybe even say all the “right things”, but inside they’re wolves. He said you’d know them by their fruit. Not their charisma. Not their popularity. But their fruit. What they produce. What they teach. What comes out of their lives and their mouths. And if it doesn’t line up with the truth of the Gospel, it’s poison.
That’s what’s at the heart of anathema. It’s not just a label, it’s a consequence. When someone teaches a twisted gospel, or refuses to love the One who died for them, they’re choosing separation from God. They’re choosing destruction. And Paul isn’t being cruel by saying it, he’s being honest. He’s fighting to protect the only message that can pull people out of darkness and bring them into the light.
The Gospel is not complicated. It’s beautiful in its simplicity. Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, came to earth, lived a sinless life, laid down that life as a sacrifice for us, and rose again. He conquered death so that we could have life. That’s the Good News. It doesn’t need to be dressed up or tampered with. And it can’t be improved. It’s perfect just the way He gave it.
But when someone says, “That’s not enough,” or, “You also need to do this, or that, or keep these rules,” they’re not helping. They’re cursing people with burdens they were never meant to carry. And Paul, by the Spirit of God, says anathema to that. Let them be cursed, because their message leads to destruction.
That sounds hard. But love doesn’t lie. And the Holy Spirit doesn’t sugarcoat the truth.
These days, we hear a lot of voices. Some are sincere. Some are slick. Some sound good until you listen a little closer. And that’s why we have to know the real Gospel ourselves. We can’t protect what we don’t know. We need to be rooted in Scripture, filled with the Spirit, and grounded in our love for Jesus. That’s how we stay anchored.
And when we hear something off, we don’t need to scream and condemn, we need to hold tight to the truth. Not back down. Not blend in. But speak the truth in love, and never give an inch when it comes to the message that saves.
This Gospel is too precious. Too holy. Too powerful. And too costly to let anyone mess with it. Whether it’s Paul, an angel, or someone on a stage with a microphone, if the message isn’t the Gospel of Jesus Christ, let it be anathema. Not because we hate them, but because we love the truth, and we love the people who need to hear it the right way.
And the right way is this: Jesus is enough.
And THAT, is….
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