Last Words: Lukewarm Laodiceans

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. I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,’ not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 3:14-22).

One of the worst states a believer or church can fall into is self-deception. Self-deception is when one perceives himself one way, and the truth is far different. Such was the case with the church of Laodicea. They had given into the culture with endless compromise, and thought they were as spiritually wealthy as they were financially. Thus, they had become lukewarm. In His letter to them, Jesus set out to bring them back to life.

Laodicea was about 45 miles southeast of Philadelphia (and about 100 miles due east of Ephesus). Along with Colossae and Hierapolis, it formed a triad of cities in the fertile Lycus Valley. It was an important center for both trade and communication, and it had a large wool industry (its glossy black wool was famous throughout the world), as well as a large banking industry. The city was extremely wealthy, and had a famous school of medicine, which produced a special ointment known for its cure of eye defects.

The True Witness

As in all the previous messages, Christ begins with an introduction referring to His character. Here, He describes Himself as “the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.” These three descriptions all tie together.

The Amen. The word amen is a response to the divine Word. It typically means “it will be done” (when spoken by God or Jesus) and “let it be so” (when spoken by humans, thus standing in agreement with the divine Word). Jesus, then, is the ultimate Amen, in that He perfectly carried out the Father’s will, having said both let it be done and let it be so.

The faithful and true witness. A witness is one who testifies to what he as seen and heard. Jesus is the ultimate witness, knowing the truth of men’s heart, though they seek to hide it. When Christ speaks of what He has seen and knows, we can be assured that He speaks the truth.

The beginning of God’s creation. This phrase may cause confusion if one is not careful. While the Bible teaches that Jesus was begotten of the Father, He was not created in the sense that everything else was. More light can be shed on this phrase when we look at the Greek word translated “beginning.” The word archē can mean “first; beginning,” but it can also mean “principality; ruler.” Thus, the phrase may rightly be translated “the ruler of God’s creation.” Since Jesus often refers to the fact that all authority has been given to Him by the Father, this seems to be the preferred translation.

Taken together, these descriptions show Jesus as the One who holds the authority and power over all creation, and is the One who knows the innermost thoughts and intentions of the heart. He calls all to follow His example of not only saying “amen” but also living a life of “amen.”

Lukewarmness in the Church

As the true and faithful witness, Christ tells the church exactly what He has seen. “I know your works,” he says. He knows they are “neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm.” Because they are neither hot nor cold, he is going to expel them–vomit them from His mouth.

This verse is often misinterpreted, by assigning a state of salvation to being “hot” and a state of “unbelief” to being cold. Yet that would mean Christ would prefer one to be unsaved rather than lukewarm. Since God wills that none perish (John 3:16; 1 Pet. 3:9), and given that the idea of cold or hot as a measure of spiritual temperature would have been a foreign concept to them at the time, this interpretation is simply untenable.

The correct interpretation lies in the fact that Laodicea received water from the two other cities in the region–cool water from Colossae and hot water from Hieropapolis. Both are useful. But when they reached Laodicea, they would often have warmed or cooled to the extent that they were “lukewarm,” which is often useless. The sense, then, is that Christ is telling the church, “You are becoming useless to Me, with your spiritual indifference.”

The Testimony of the Witness

The cause of this lukewarm state is then described by Christ in verse 17. Notice the difference between the assessment by the church and the assessment by the Lord:

For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing. The Laodiceans had become as prosperous as the city around them. They had accommodated over and over, and now were just like the culture, indeed, a part of the culture.

Not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Not only did Christ give His own (true) evaluation, but He points out that the church is blind to their true state. This is self-deception, when one remains blinded to the true condition of his heart. These descriptions are in direct opposition to the Laodiceans’ evaluation of themselves.

The Counsel of the Witness

What can the church do to correct this state of affairs? Christ counsels them (not threatens, not warns, but counsels) to buy from Him the thing they really need:

Gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich. The gold that Christ offers is pure gold, for it has been refined by fire. Material wealth can never compare to what Christ offers. And the spiritual wealth that He offers is bought by obedience to His Word.

White garments so that you may clothe yourself. In the spiritual realm, the realm that counts, the black woolen clothing that the city was famous for was useless. Christ counsels the Laodiceans to buy white (spotless) clothing to cover their nakedness.

Salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. This was perhaps the biggest problem of all. The Laodiceans were blind to their true condition. And in this case, the special ointment of Laodicea would be useless. The church needed Christ’s salve to open their eyes.

The Exhortations of the Witness

Even in the wretched condition that the Laodiceans find themselves, Christ assures them of His love. “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent” (v. 19, emphasis added). He loves the believers. He calls them to have their eyes opened. To repent. The implication of this statement is that He will restore them if only they will show true zeal in repentance.

How should the Laodiceans show their repentance? By opening the door that Christ stands at knocking (v. 20). While some interpret this verse in an evangelistic manner (to unbelievers), it was applied to the church, to those who at least by profession were believers. To those who do repent and open that door to Christ, they are promised that “I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” In the culture of the day, sharing a meal was the highest form of fellowship. Christ is calling the church to true fellowship with Him, but that requires repentance and faith.

Finally, to the one who does open the door and remains faithful, Christ promises that such a one will reign with Him (“sit with Me on my throne”). In this verse, as with the other letters, conquer does not mean physical force; rather it means to hold fast to the faith and teachings of Christ, overcoming the fleshly desires of the world.

Let us then remain useful to Christ, not being lukewarm. Let us continue to have our eyes opened to His Word so that we may have fellowship with Him.