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Context is important when reading the Bible (as we’ve discussed in my 3 step guide for understanding the Bible). Without knowing why something is being said, we’ll often misunderstand what is being said. There’s a passage in Revelation that often falls victim to missing the historical context, leading Christians to believe something strange. That passage deals with the temperature of water.
The typical understanding
The passage takes place in Revelation 3 when Christ addresses 7 churches in the Asia Minor region. Of those 7, Laodecia receives some of the harshest words:
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot! So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth!” (Revelation 3:15-16)
When this is read without historical context in mind, it’s quite easy to apply a modern metaphor to the words:
- When someone is hot about something, they have a great passion. “Be a Christian who’s on fire for God!”
- Someone cold wants nothing to do with it. They won’t even associate themselves with what they’re cold to. “If you aren’t going to be on fire for Christ, then just walk away so you don’t give Christians a bad name!”
- A lukewarm person is a fence-sitter. They like the idea of something, but not enough to get excited about it. “Don’t be a lukewarm Christian – God says it’s worse than being a cold one!”
That’s an easy interpretation, but is that really what’s being said?
3 kinds of Christians?
First, we need to see if the Bible supports the idea of Christians having 3 temperature settings. There’s a saying that “Scripture interprets Scripture.” In other words, the Bible’s teachings don’t sit in isolation – they’re beautifully woven throughout the whole book. So let’s see what God has revealed in places other than Revelation.
On fire for Christ
This is an easy one. Genesis to Revelation focuses on humans having a right relationship with God through the sacrifice of Christ. Over and over again, God desires that His people have an absolute desire and passion for Him.
You must love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5)
God knows that we need Him as our primary focus for joy in this life. What we focus on tells us where our desires are.
“Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
It’s clear we need to be “on fire” for God as far as where our lives and desires are focused. We could go all throughout Scripture and find God’s clear command for His people to separate from the world and pursue Him. There’s simply no disputing that God wants our hearts, minds, and lives.
What about the rest?
Here’s where the “lukewarm” interpretation gets sticky. If we take it to its full conclusion, people assume it says something they probably don’t really believe. That’s because the interpretation dances a fine line of heresy.
If the interpretation is true, here’s what’s really being said: God would prefer that His children hate Him than have them wavering in their faith. He’d rather they be cold, distant, and live in denial of who He is. It’s better to completely cut yourself off from God than to live at the edge of His goodness where other believers can encourage you to grow.
Of course, that’s not how we talk about this passage, yet that’s the ultimate conclusion that must be made. As we discussed earlier, Scripture interprets Scripture. So let’s see what God’s word says to those who aren’t actively pursuing Him:
- Those who have been in the faith long enough are expected to teach truth to others, rather than still being weak in their own faith. (Hebrews 5:12-14)
- The church of Corinth was chastised for still needing the basics of the Bible rather than being ready for deeper truths (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)
- Peter encouraged believers to keep growing in their faith (2 Peter 3:18)
- The apostles saw their lack of faith and asked Christ to increase it (Luke 17:5)
On and on we could go, but every example would share one common theme: God’s people are given no choice but to grow. There are no “cold Christians” anywhere in the Bible. There are simply those living in obedience and those who need to become obedient (Hebrews 12:5-11).
The church in this passage is suffering from the same issue. These aren’t unsaved people (notice that they are called out for their actions and worldly beliefs, not their lack of faith in Christ). They may have been saved, but they weren’t living for Christ. We don’t want to be like them.
Again, there’s a common theme here: a person’s fruit is an obvious indication of their heart (Matthew 12:34). That’s not to say that someone sinning implies they aren’t saved, but the overall trajectory of their lives is a clear display of whether the Holy Spirit is inside them, making them more like Christ each day.
In the end, God is very clear that there aren’t varying degrees of Christians. God calls for all of us to grow and leaves no option for being “lukewarm” or “cold.” We are all growing, it’s just a matter of whether we grow with joy or difficulty.
What’s really being said here
Just as my 3 step guide for reading the Bible looks at the context of the very popular Jeremiah 29:11 to understand what God means, Revelation 3:15-16 deserves the same treatment. The implications of water temperature were very significant to the people reading this at the time, meaning that knowing the people will help us understand what’s being said to them.
At the time, Laodecia had 2 sources of water. There was a nearby river that was fed from a source far to the south. They were also familiar with nearby hot springs.
When God is speaking of water here, he’s referencing their current situation. Hot water is useful because it can clean garments, purify items, or even just be used for relaxing. On the other hand, cold water is soothing and refreshing in a culture without air conditioning. Hot and cold water aren’t opposites, but are both incredibly useful and desirable temperatures for water to be at. In this context, both kinds of water are good things.
However, they were also very familiar with the usefulness of lukewarm water. The distant location where their river started had cold water that could be used by those nearby. Yet after traveling several miles to reach the area of Laodecia, the people being addressed here, the water was lukewarm. Later studies even show that the water was filled with sediment and mineral deposits, making it nearly undrinkable.
This lukewarm water, like the lukewarm church, was almost completely useless.
That is what God is saying to these people. It’s not that they needed to either warm up or abandon God. It’s that they needed to repent of their love of the world and the security and satisfaction they found outside of God. They were a church so drenched in idolatry that they were barely distinguishable from God’s enemies. They were living as people of the world, not people of God.
Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, from your passions that battle inside you? You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask; you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions.
Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? So whoever decides to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy. (James 4:1-4)
They thought themselves to be righteous because of their material wealth. They had blended in with the culture, making themselves friends with the world and therefore enemies of God. They fit everything that God warns us about regarding false converts and false teachers. They may have been saved, but the basis of their salvation were all that set them apart from God’s enemies who preach a false version of Christ.
One kind of Christian
It’s clear that Christ didn’t die so that we could wallow in sin. He didn’t take God’s wrath for our sin so that we could keep pursuing it, thinking ourselves free when we’re really its slave. He set us free from sin so that we can do the one thing we were never capable of – pursuing God with all our might.
As Christians living in a culture drenched in modern-day idolatry, we have much to learn from this church. Those who appear to be saved, whether individuals or entire churches, aren’t safe just because they pray to something named God. It’s not enough for us to have our “get out of jail free card,” but instead we are called to live as people who believe what God’s word says about Christ and our identities in Him.
Those who are truly God’s have His mark on their lives. While we can’t judge ourselves or others on a moment-by-moment basis, we can see what someone worships by how they live their lives. The question is, what do we do with those whose words say “I belong to Christ,” but whose lives show they may not truly know Him (Matthew 7:21)?
Because you say, “I am rich and have acquired great wealth, and need nothing,” but do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked, take my advice and buy gold from me refined by fire so you can become rich! Buy from me white clothing so you can be clothed and your shameful nakedness will not be exposed, and buy eye salve to put on your eyes so you can see! All those I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent! (Revelation 3:17-19)
Christ calls for them to put aside their false assurances. Instead of focusing on what temporary riches they can acquire in this life, they needed to put their hope in the eternal Christ. What they need is what everyone living outside of God’s will needs – genuine repentance.
Christ’s response to the church in Laodecia models how we should respond today. Those who claim to have Christ, but live like they don’t, are called to repent and set their hope on Christ. It doesn’t matter if it’s a legalistic person who thinks their good works will get them to Heaven or someone who preaches that Christ died to make us healthy and wealthy in this life. Whatever false thing someone puts their hope in, every one of them needs to hear the truth of the gospel, given in love and boldness.
For those who are truly redeemed by the blood of Christ, our calling is clear. God isn’t content to let us settle into a routine, nor is His plan for us to ever leave Him. God’s desire for us is singular: to continue growing in Christ so that we can be used for the glory of His kingdom.
He will reward each one according to his works: eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality, but wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition and do not obey the truth but follow unrighteousness. (Romans 2:6-8)
