J
These scriptures have always been key in answering this question for me:
Revelation 2:2 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. [SUP]2 [/SUP]I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. [SUP]3 [/SUP]You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
[SUP]4 [/SUP]Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.[SUP]5 [/SUP]Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. [SUP]6 [/SUP]But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
[SUP]7 [/SUP]Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Rev 3:
[SUP]14 [/SUP]“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. [SUP]15 [/SUP]I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! [SUP]16 [/SUP]So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. [SUP]17 [/SUP]You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. [SUP]18 [/SUP]I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
[SUP]19 [/SUP]Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. [SUP]20 [/SUP]Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
[SUP]21 [/SUP]To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. [SUP]22 [/SUP]Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Matthew 24: Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
@--->-------
For me, cold means to be completely void of a relationship with God, hard hearted and unrepentant. Hot means to maintain the fire of first love of God referred to in Rev 2:4. To be lukewarm means to have a knowledge of God, but an apathetic regard for God. Allowing our love for Him to wax cold as Jesus told us in Matthew 24.
We need to hold fast to our first love of God and the things of God. Spend time with Him in prayer, with His people and in His Word. Do the things He has asked us to: share the gospel and love one another as He has loved us. He said if we loved Him, we would obey Him.
If we ever find our love for Him waxing cold, we must remember these verses and pray that He will break up the hard ground of our hearts, open our ears to hear His voice again, and repent of whatever things or actions drew us away from Him.
Psalm 51:17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.
Revelation 2:2 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. [SUP]2 [/SUP]I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. [SUP]3 [/SUP]You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
[SUP]4 [/SUP]Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.[SUP]5 [/SUP]Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. [SUP]6 [/SUP]But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
[SUP]7 [/SUP]Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Rev 3:
[SUP]14 [/SUP]“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. [SUP]15 [/SUP]I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! [SUP]16 [/SUP]So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. [SUP]17 [/SUP]You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. [SUP]18 [/SUP]I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
[SUP]19 [/SUP]Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. [SUP]20 [/SUP]Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
[SUP]21 [/SUP]To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. [SUP]22 [/SUP]Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Matthew 24: Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
@--->-------
For me, cold means to be completely void of a relationship with God, hard hearted and unrepentant. Hot means to maintain the fire of first love of God referred to in Rev 2:4. To be lukewarm means to have a knowledge of God, but an apathetic regard for God. Allowing our love for Him to wax cold as Jesus told us in Matthew 24.
We need to hold fast to our first love of God and the things of God. Spend time with Him in prayer, with His people and in His Word. Do the things He has asked us to: share the gospel and love one another as He has loved us. He said if we loved Him, we would obey Him.
If we ever find our love for Him waxing cold, we must remember these verses and pray that He will break up the hard ground of our hearts, open our ears to hear His voice again, and repent of whatever things or actions drew us away from Him.
Psalm 51:17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.
Last edited by a moderator:
