Lukewarm Christians
What is a lukewarm Christian and how does Jesus feel about them?
Revelation 3: 15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I would that you were cold or hot. 16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
The Scripture speaks of a Christian’s attitude toward Christ using the terms hot, cold, and lukewarm so first, let us look at some definitions. In terms of emotion, the English definitions of lukewarm, hot, and cold are as follows:
lukewarm- lacking conviction or enthusiasm; indifferent
hot- marked by intensity of emotion; fiery; having or displaying great enthusiasm
cold- lack of emotion; having no appeal to the senses or feelings
Now let us look at the definitions of the words used in the original Greek text that have been translated into lukewarm, hot, and cold.
Definitions of the original Greek words for:
lukewarm- literally lukewarm
hot- fervent
cold- frigid, phlegmatic (unemotional)
Throughout Scripture, we see that God is very black and white. There is no gray area with God so, He prefers a person’s attitude toward Jesus be either hot, spiritually on fire for Him, or cold, outright rejecting Him. In speaking of the lukewarm, our Scripture above states He will vomit them out. What does that mean…to vomit them out? In referring to the Jamieson, Fausset, Brown commentary, we see, “reject with righteous loathing”; and from Matthew Henry, “lukewarm professors turn the heart of Christ against them. He is sick of them and cannot long bear them. They shall be rejected, and finally rejected; for far be it from the holy Jesus to return to that which has been thus rejected”.
From my study, I find that a lukewarm Christian is one who intellectually believes the Gospel of Jesus Christ but does not have faith in it. I reach this conclusions as these are people who profess Christ yet the Scripture says they will ultimately be rejected. Since we are saved through faith, and the lukewarm will be rejected rather than saved, it stands to reason they do not have saving faith.
How do you know if one is a lukewarm Christian? I believe that is evidenced in one’s life. Let us consider the picture of a “hot” Christian…one who is on fire for Jesus. One who is on fire for Christ loves Jesus, is excited to speak of Him, learn about Him, and spend time not only reading the Word of God but studying It. This is someone who lives every day in the Word…reading it, studying it, thinking about it, meditating on it, and talking about it. Someone who is “cold” toward Christ rejects Him. They want nothing to do with the Word of God, do not want to speak of Him or hear about Him, and are disobedient to his ways. Lukewarm Christians would fall somewhere in between…in a gray area. They claim Christ and so considers themselves Christian. They may attend church on Sunday morning but generally out of a sense of obligation. Outside of that Sunday morning obligation, their lives tend to be worldly and more self-reliant rather than God-reliant. They spend little to no time in the Word and rarely speak of God, Jesus, or the Bible.
I encourage you to look to your own “temperature”. Are you on fire for Christ? Have you completely rejected Him? Or, do you fall somewhere in that gray area of lukewarm?
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God,
Romans 10:17 Then faith is of hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
If you are cold, I pray you hear the Word of God and by His grace, you come to Christ in faith.
If you are lukewarm, I fear you are in danger. Having been deceived into believing you are with Christ but will, in the end be “vomited out”. I pray, you too, get into the Word of God, and come to Christ through true, saving faith.