The Problems Part 6

REVELATION Number 51
The Problems Part 6

The problem at Laodicea was that they were lukewarm, neither cold nor hot as we read in Revelation 3:15 “you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.” (NASB 2020)

Many have taught from this passage that the Lord Jesus is telling us “Pick a side.” Others have focused on the hot side of the equation and declared that this is an instruction for us to “be on fire for the Lord.” Later in this letter the Lord says, “So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” Revelation 3:16 (NASB 2020). This is often interpreted to mean that unless we are “on fire” and full of zeal for the Lord we are at risk of being excluded from our eternal reward, instead finding ourselves laying in a pile of vomit. We know Father better than that though, don’t we?

Holy Spirit has told us through the Apostle John that God is Love. While He lived on earth, Jesus was often “moved with compassion.” He also called Holy Spirit “the Comforter” and “Helper.” None of these attributes of God is consistent with Him vomiting out His children because they fail to perform at an acceptable level—whatever that would be. Since we can be sure of all these things, we need to look elsewhere for understanding.

Exodus 24:12 informs us that “the LORD said to Moses, ‘Come up to Me on the mountain and stay there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the Law and the commandments which I have written for their instruction.’” (NASB 2020)

In Ezekiel 36:26 the Lord says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (NASB 2020)

Stone is unbending, unfeeling, and unforgiving. It is hard, resistant to change, and cold. This is what the Law handed down by Moses was. The penalty for violation was death. Indeed, the Apostle James was inspired to write that “whoever keeps the whole Law, yet stumbles in one point, has become guilty of all.” James 2:10 (NASB 2020). And it wasn’t only James who said that. Paul put it another, perhaps more graphic, way when he wrote to the Galatians that “every man who has himself circumcised … is obligated to keep the whole Law.” Galatians 5:3 (NASB 2020)

Conversely, the new heart God promised is said to be one of flesh. Soft, warm, and loving. Jesus declared not that He is a pitiless taskmaster, but rather that His yoke is easy and the burden He placed on us is light. He calls Himself meek and lowly-hearted. The Spirit He has given us is one of comfort.

The difference being described in the “cold”, “lukewarm”, and “hot” language in the letter to Laodicea has to do with the Law and grace.

The Law is cold and unbending. It is pitiless and demanding and it has a single purpose—to demonstrate to people that they cannot make themselves righteous. Romans 3:19–20 makes this clear, saying, “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes knowledge of sin.” (NASB 2020)

On the other hand, the Gospel of the grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ is warm and loving. Love is demonstrated by the Lord Jesus Himself. He came and laid down His life so that we would have the right to become His children. Conquering death by His resurrection, the Lord Jesus provided righteousness as a gift to us.

When people try to mix the cold unbending law with the soft loving grace of God, the result is an unappealing lukewarm parody of Life in Christ. This all-too-common malady infests our churches and deceives many into thinking that salvation is by grace through faith but sanctification, righteousness, or even maintenance of salvation is conditioned on keeping the rules, rites, and rituals of religious observance and performance. This is the worst possible state because it lulls people into a false sense of security on the one hand, or it burns people out from trying to be someone they are not on the other.

It would be better for people to be completely under the cold law so that they can see the hopelessness of their situation apart from the Lord Jesus or for them to be fully committed to the hot life of dependence on Holy Spirit for everything.