And to the angel of
the church in Laodicea write: “The words of the
Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of God’s Creation.”
Revelation 3:14
A Common Misconception
It is here that we find one of
the most misunderstood and misapplied statements in Scripture. This is, what
many have called, the thermometer of the spiritual life. Are you cold, hot, or
lukewarm? That is the question.
At least in my personal
experience, I have heard this statement used many times to call out and
confront the so-called, “on-the-fence” Christians. The typical message is as
follows: “God wants you to either be hot or cold for Him. He desires that you
be either completely in love with Him or one hundred percent against Him.” Now,
would God enjoy some consistency in our lives? Probably.
If I am honest, I often see
political posts on Facebook by people who are anti-this or pro-that, yet they
are inconsistent in how they decide
which things they are for and what they are against. I tend to allow myself to
become frustrated with the world’s inconsistency. Would I appreciate the world
to be somewhat more uniform in their decision making? Yeah, and it is possible
that God is like that too. He wants us to see when we are acting in an
illogical manner. His desire is that we would recognize the contradictions
which are constant in our lives and turn to Him to be saved.
However, this truth is not
necessarily what John is going for within this passage. If you understand the
geographical layout of Laodice, then you are aware that they are located in a
valley. Therefore, they designed an aqueduct to bring in the cool water from
the mountains. Further down the valley there are hot springs. The problem was
that when the cool mountain water reached the city it was already lukewarm. Likewise,
the water from the hot springs could not be carried back to the city
maintaining its hot temperature. Thus, John compares this church with its
surrounding environment.
As a result, being hot or cold takes on a new meaning. Both are seen, from John’s point of
view, as being good qualities. The hot springs offered natural healing
properties while the cool water from the mountains made for a nice refreshment.
A friend of mine gave the example of milk and various drinks that we tend to
enjoy. In our culture, milk is generally enjoyed either as straight from the
fridge [cold] or warmed up [hot]. We warm up milk for babies and even drink hot
milk ourselves in the form of a latte. However, no one that I know of drinks
milk that has been sitting out for awhile and is now room-temperature. We would
normally call that, “spoiled.” In other words, if we drank lukewarm milk, then
most of us would follow the Lord’s example and spit that out while we hastily scour
the fridge for anything to remove the awful taste.
The issue with these believers is
that they had lost perspective. They had come to a point where they had stopped
seeing and savoring the Gospel as a refreshment to the soul. As a result, the
world around them was no longer benefiting from the rejuvenation that Christ
offered. Also, they were missing out on the healing message of grace and truth.
Conclusion
God’s Word is intended to be the
foundation upon which believers build their lives; the basis for decisions and
the compass for direction. Even unbelievers recognize that those who live
according to God’s principles [they would refer to this as morals] have a
blessed life. “Blessed” is not synonymous with “easy” but it does mean one of
peace and a clear conscience. The world looks at believers and should see that
there’s something different which often causes them to want that change in
their own lives. However, the unbelievers in Laodicea were missing out on this blessing
because the Christians there had become stagnant in their faith. They were not
portraying God’s truth accurately and they had ceased to experience all that He
had for them. They were made for so much more, yet were living mediocre lives.
You were made for so much more. God’s desire is for us to enjoy Him
and to live life to the fullest. Not to simply go through the motions everyday
but to embrace His joy. If you feel stagnant in your Christian life, ask God to
revitalize you with His refreshing Word like a glass of ice cold water on a hot
summer day. If you feel broken and hurt, ask the Lord to heal you with His
truth like time spent in a relaxing warm medicinal hot spring.
·
The Church in
Laodicea (3:14-22)
- They were rebuked for being lukewarm and thinking of themselves as better than they were.
- They were commanded to repent.
- They were informed of future glory to those who conquered.
*Click here to read the purpose of this blog series.
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