HOT, COLD, LUKEWARM?
Understanding the message TO US through LAODICEA
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are LUKEWARM, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”
-Revelation 3:15-16
What does it mean to be hot or cold? And why is it that being lukewarm is the worst?
Let’s look at the first question: What does it mean to be hot or cold?
This part is simple; to be hot is to be for God, abiding in Him. To be cold is to be against God, apart from His will.
When Bishop Myers, a dear figure that I worked with at the Post Office and would later become my mentor, first asked me to speak at his youth program (which I didn’t know would ignite my ministry…pun intended) the theme was - Youth On Fire For Christ. For me, it was always common knowledge that fire is referring to some connection to God.
At Pentecost (in Acts) the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples as “a fire.”
In Egypt (Exodus 3) the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses by the “burning bush.”
From burning sacrifices throughout the OLD TESTAMENT, to kindling and to not quench the Holy Spirt in the NEW TESTAMENT, Fire is mostly connected to God.
On the other hand, cold isn’t referenced as much. But the one time it is mentioned is grand on it’s own.
Matthew 24:11-12 - Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow COLD.
This leads into a difficult question for many of us- why would God RATHER us be cold?
Doesn’t God want all of us to turn to Him? (Of course)
Is He planning on some of us to just be an enemy? (Nope)
To understand this, we have to first answer; what is being lukewarm? In today’s time, we have been blessed with temperature control. So for us, warm is just a medium in going from one extreme to the other. And while this is just a place holder in regards of temperature preference, it poses a danger biblically.
Revelation 3:17 - 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,
Like the church in Sardis, Laodicea believes they are in the right; but in reality, they are far from Him. They believe they are rich in the Lord, but Christ tells them they are poor. Now God isn’t addressing material wealth, but the nature of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Because this church’s idea is completely opposite of who God exposes them to be, they find themselves in the middle…..and this is dangerous.
Think of Matthew 15(verses 1-9). Jesus is in another debate with the Pharisees and scribes, this time on the manner of tradition. These are people who believe by upholding these things (yet also unknowingly corrupting God’s commandments) they are in the right. But Jesus reminds them of Isaiah 29:13 to address them, saying “This people honors Me with their lips, but their hearts is far away from Me.”
Still Christ, in His love for Laodicea, tells them this to repent of this nature. He tells them to buy the spiritual things opens their eyes. (Again, the transaction Jesus is speaking of here is by one’s abiding in His will. )
Ultimately, Laodicea was lukewarm because while they thought they were “hot,” God showed them they were actually “cold.” So they were found in the middle, at the crossroad of righteousness and deception. Praise God He gave revelation to Laodicea!!
I know what you’re thinking: we haven’t answered why God would RATHER us be cold.
To answer this, we have to look at another perspective of something becoming lukewarm.
For things to have become lukewarm, one of two things will have had to occur. One, that something was once hot and it was left to become lukewarm (like leaving your coffee out); or two, something was hot and was intentionally dosed with cold to become lukewarm. The biblical caution here is the idea of being hot and losing it. When you parallel that into being of God and turning from Him, there is scripture that speaks sharply on this matter.
Hebrews 6:4-6 - For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.
2 Peter 2:20-21 - For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.
For Laodicea, they were already a church, and they were at risk of falling completely away from God because they weren’t abiding as they thought they were.
This is why God would rather us be COLD. Because if we fall into the trap of quenching the fire of God in us, there is no longer hope for us. God is loving and patient in hopes that all of us would turn to Him. The same God is just and true, His sacrifice was to rid sin ONCE and for all.
God doesn’t WANT anyone to be Cold. He desires all to come to Him and become Hot. And for God,
