Revelation 3
14“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation:
15“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! 16But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth! 17You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. 18I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. And also buy white garments so you will not be shamed by your nakedness. And buy ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. 19I am the one who corrects and disciplines everyone I love. Be diligent and turn from your indifference.
20“Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends. 21I will invite everyone who is victorious to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne. 22Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” (Revelation 3:14-22, NLT)
The Daily DAVEotional
The message to the church at Laodicea was the last of the seven different messages given to the seven different churches in Revelation 2 and 3. I’ve previously written about the messages to the church at Pergamum here and the church at Ephesus here.
The message to the church at Laodicea is unique for a couple of reasons. First, it is the only message of the seven messages given that does not include a commendation. While each of the other six churches had at least one thing that evoked a commendation from the Lord, the church at Laodicea apparently did not have any good thing that the Lord could honor them for.
The message to this church may be the most well-known of the seven church messages because it is the source for the popular term “lukewarm Christian.” In verses 15 and 16, Jesus tells the church they are lukewarm and as a result, He will spit them out of His mouth.
What exactly does Jesus mean when He calls the Laodiceans “lukewarm”?
The typical view is that the term is a sort of temperature gauge of our spiritual commitment. The lukewarm person is someone who is not completely on fire (hot) for God. Being lukewarm is often synonymous with a person who is indifferent or apathetic toward God. The lukewarm believer is often described as a person who has one foot in the world and one foot in the church. In this view, God hates spiritual indifference and apathy so much that He is going to spit (or vomit) that person out of His mouth!
There are a number of problems with this understanding.
First of all, if the idea of being lukewarm is describing a person’s wishy-washy, tepid commitment to God, then how are we to interpret verse 15, where God says that He wishes we were either hot or cold rather than lukewarm? This would seem to indicate that being cold toward God is somehow more desirable than being lukewarm and just as desirable as being hot.
Are we to believe that completely rejecting God (being cold) is just as preferable to God as us being totally committed and sold out to Him (being hot)?
While it might make some sense to think that God doesn’t like believers who are lukewarm (indifferent, apathetic, half-in & half-out), this understanding doesn’t seem to completely fit this passage.
There’s another problem with this understanding of being lukewarm, and that is that the Laodiceans are not described as being indifferent and apathetic. The issue that Jesus has with this church is that they were self-reliant and materialistic.
Verse 17 says:
You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.
The NASB says it this way:
‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
The problem with the Laodiceans is that they were focused on their material wealth while ignoring their spiritual poverty. They apparently had gained great material wealth which they ascribed to their own self-effort instead of viewing it as being a result of God’s blessings. God was not central to their lives, which were wrapped up in materialism, monetary gain and self-indulgence.
So what then is Jesus saying? If the term lukewarm is not describing the temperature of our spiritual commitment, what is meant by the term lukewarm?
To understand what Jesus means when he talks about being hot, cold and lukewarm, it’s helpful to know a little bit about the context of the church at Laodicea and some of the other churches in the area.
To the north of Laodicea was Heiropolis, whose water was supplied from hot springs that were known for their medicinal benefits. South of Laodicea was Colosse, which had a water supply from clear cold springs.
Laodicea’s water was imported by aqueduct and was neither hot nor cold. Instead, the water was lukewarm, dirty and nearly undrinkable.
Whereas cold water is refreshing and hot water has many medicinal health benefits, the lukewarm water from Laodicea was neither refreshing nor beneficial.
Jesus is using the poor tasting and uninviting water of Laodicea to describe HIS REACTION to their spiritual condition. Hence, being lukewarm is not meant to be an indicator of the relative hotness or coldness of our spiritual commitment toward God as most people have interpreted. If this is what Jesus is saying, then we have to conclude that Jesus would rather we be against Him (cold) rather than indifferent (lukewarm).
Instead, Jesus is saying that while both cold water and hot water have benefits, there is virtually nothing good or inviting about lukewarm water. In the same way, the spiritual condition of the Laodiceans is as disgusting to Him as drinking lukewarm water.
So being lukewarm has nothing to do with how “on fire” you might feel for God at this particular moment. If you are not experiencing the mountain high vibe currently, that doesn’t make you “lukewarm”.
The lukewarm Christian is any Christian whose lifestyle would evoke the response Jesus had for the Laodiceans. The lukewarm lifestyle is one where Jesus is not central and primary. The lukewarm Christian denies their spiritual need because they have put their hope in material things. The lukewarm believer is living according to the values of the world instead of the values of Christ. In short, the lukewarm Christian is worldly.
This is not a good look to Jesus. It is as distasteful to Him as drinking bland, lukewarm water.
Reflection
What has been your understanding of the term “lukewarm Christian”?
How has your view changed as a result of this new information regarding the water supply in Laodicea and surrounding area?
In what ways are you prone to become “lukewarm”? That is to say, what are some things in your spiritual life that, if not addressed and attended to, might evoke the kind of response from Jesus that He gave to the Laodiceans?
What can you do to ensure that you don’t slip into a state where you deny your spiritual need and become uber-focused on material gain and self-made wealth?
How can you protect yourself from becoming a lukewarm (worldly) Christian?
Photo of Laodicean ruins by Gray Clary on Unsplash
The Lowedown 