Lukewarm believers and faith

[Ghada]

Rev
{3:15} I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. {3:16} So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Notice in His address to the churches, Jesus only says He knows our works. He never says, I know your faith. That's because the righteous Lord judges our faith only by our works, as in James 2.

Lukewarm faith of lukewarm believers therefore, is known by works, that are neither cold nor hot, neither good nor evil.

Lukewarm works neither do only good, nor only evil, but do both evil and good.

Gen
{3:5} For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

The promise of the devil is made when a son sins and disobeys God: to be as a god knowing they are now doing both evil and good.

The Lord's command to the lukewarm doers of both good and evil, is the same to all men everywhere: Get hot and repent from all the sinning and trespassing, and only do His good will on earth.

Lukewarm faith is with lukewarm repentance, that only results in doing both evil and good, more or less.

The lukewarm religion is by the lukewarm faith of only seeking to sin less than before, not to sin no more and only do that which pleases the Father and the Son.

John
{8:29} And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

The pure religion of Jesus Christ is only hot to sin not and do His good pleasure. Being hot and alive in Christ Jesus, is keeping ourselves from sinning with the world, by doing His will only.

The faith of lukewarm repenters only seeks to do more good than evil, and sin less. The sinless faith of Jesus Christ is is only for them that repent of all sins and trespasses, so as to only do good for His name's sake.

 

[CrowCross]

Rev
{3:15} I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. {3:16} So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Notice in His address to the churches, Jesus only says He knows our works. He never says, I know your faith. That's because the righteous Lord judges our faith only by our works, as in James 2.

Lukewarm faith of lukewarm believers therefore, is known by works, that are neither cold nor hot, neither good nor evil.

Lukewarm works neither do only good, nor only evil, but do both evil and good.

Gen
{3:5} For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

The promise of the devil is made when a son sins and disobeys God: to be as a god knowing they are now doing both evil and good.

The Lord's command to the lukewarm doers of both good and evil, is the same to all men everywhere: Get hot and repent from all the sinning and trespassing, and only do His good will on earth.

Lukewarm faith is with lukewarm repentance, that only results in doing both evil and good, more or less.

The lukewarm religion is by the lukewarm faith of only seeking to sin less than before, not to sin no more and only do that which pleases the Father and the Son.

John
{8:29} And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

The pure religion of Jesus Christ is only hot to sin not and do His good pleasure. Being hot and alive in Christ Jesus, is keeping ourselves from sinning with the world, by doing His will only.

The faith of lukewarm repenters only seeks to do more good than evil, and sin less. The sinless faith of Jesus Christ is is only for them that repent of all sins and trespasses, so as to only do good for His name's sake.

Now I could be wrong...but if I remember correctly there were 2 sources of water that fed laodicea. One was a cold spring and the other was a hot spring....and they mixed and were lukewarm.
Some say this mixing was a mixing of the Gospel truth and other beliefs of the day. Making their faith "lukewarm".

 

[Two-Edged Sword]

I haven't studied it closely but I've always assumed "lukewarm" was having a mixture of worldliness and holiness. We are called to be separate from the world (2 Cor 6:17)

I would argue it's a prevalent condition of the churches today.
I don't know all churches but using the closest church to my house as an example, they do Halloween decorations, pictures with the Easter Bunny on Easter, and taco nights.
A friend's church has events like comedy night and other various entertainment event you can pay to go to, has a shop you can buy coffee at inside the church and have all types of secular activities they throw the word "Ministry" behind (I went to the beach with their "surf ministry" once).
Many churches have cowered to world changes such as allowing homosexual marriages and teach clichés such as "love, not judge" to avoid confronting sin.
There's other debatable topics like contemporary worship music, incorporated churches as a business, allowing divorce and remarriage after divorce, etc.
The church's main job is to plant the word of God and help it to grow in people (1 Cor 3:6), not to make it more inviting to the world by incorporating world activities.

 

[CrowCross]

I haven't studied it closely but I've always assumed "lukewarm" was having a mixture of worldliness and holiness. We are called to be separate from the world (2 Cor 6:17)

I would argue it's a prevalent condition of the churches today.
I don't know all churches but using the closest church to my house as an example, they do Halloween decorations, pictures with the Easter Bunny on Easter, and taco nights.
A friend's church has events like comedy night and other various entertainment event you can pay to go to, has a shop you can buy coffee at inside the church and have all types of secular activities they throw the word "Ministry" behind (I went to the beach with their "surf ministry" once).
Many churches have cowered to world changes such as allowing homosexual marriages and teach clichés such as "love, not judge" to avoid confronting sin.
There's other debatable topics like contemporary worship music, incorporated churches as a business, allowing divorce and remarriage after divorce, etc.
The church's main job is to plant the word of God and help it to grow in people (1 Cor 3:6), not to make it more inviting to the world by incorporating world activities.

I don't disagree. While some of the culture mixing can be good there is a limit as the church can become a social event rather than a worship/teaching center.
Some churches have mixed false religion with the truth of the bible and as you put it "cowered to world changes".

The church has also been called to be the salt...and for the most part have recently failed...as demonstrated by the continued collapse of America and other countries around the world. Many sermons are now "feel good" sermons.

 

[Ghada]

I haven't studied it closely but I've always assumed "lukewarm" was having a mixture of worldliness and holiness. We are called to be separate from the world (2 Cor 6:17)

True. The idea of being lukewarm by living rightly, but not 'zealous' toward ministry is false.

The zeal needed is to repent of remainging dead works mixed with good, not to 'repent' of lukewarm 'evangelism'.

The beginning of transgression was to become lukewarm by doing both good and evil. Choosing for ourselves when to do good or evil, as well as judging for ourselves what is good and evil, rather zealous towards God's command to only do good, and judging all things according to His good word.

And so far as 'zealou' ministry goes, it's the proselitizers that are rebuked by Jesus for being so hot about converting people to their own faith. More Christian ought study the work of evangelism in the NT, rather than being 'pumped up passionate' about local church recruitment.

I don't know all churches but using the closest church to my house as an example, they do Halloween decorations, pictures with the Easter Bunny on Easter, and taco nights.

I don't see these things as real problems, since we are free to judge any day for ourselves, and so long as events are not corrupted with lust for the flesh, then to each his own faith before the Lord.

1Co 8:8
But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.

Many churches have cowered to world changes such as allowing homosexual marriages and teach clichés such as "love, not judge" to avoid confronting sin.
There's other debatable topics like contemporary worship music, incorporated churches as a business, allowing divorce and remarriage after divorce, etc.
The church's main job is to plant the word of God and help it to grow in people (1 Cor 3:6), not to make it more inviting to the world by incorporating world activities.

Here is the lukewarmness toward evil, and refusal to separate distinctly between doing good and evil.

The lukewarm churches are those that repent in part, but not all. They only seek to be less evil, not all good.

The hot gospel of Jesus Christ is repent of all sinful works for His faith, to do good always as Him and please the Father.

The lukewarm gospel is to only believe in the name of Christ to be saved, with some personal repenting down the road at leisure.

 

[Ghada]

I don't disagree. While some of the culture mixing can be good there is a limit as the church can become a social event rather than a worship/teaching center.
Some churches have mixed false religion with the truth of the bible and as you put it "cowered to world changes".

True. The false religion of sinful man being the old one of the serpent: doing good works and bad together. It's practiced by lukewarm repentance only in part, and never wholly complete:

Gen
{3:5} For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

1 Thess
{5:22} Abstain from all appearance of evil. {5:23} And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. {5:24} Faithful [is] he that calleth you, who also will do it.

It's spued out by Lord as half-hearted and feigned repentance only:

Jerem 3:10
And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.

Jesus went wholeheartedly to the cross unto death for our sins. He deserves, and most importantly demands, the same from us on our own cross for Him.

Lukewarm Christianity is conditional surrender on our own terms, by our own faith alone. God commands unconditional surrender to repent from all sinning, now, today. Not later and only in part, when we get around to it by our own faith and will alone.

Running the good race of life in Christ Jesus only begins with whole hearted repentance. It's not run at any time by 'gradual' repentance at our own pace.

Progressive Christianity is the religious version of liberal humanitarianism in the name of Christ.

The church has also been called to be the salt...and for the most part have recently failed...as demonstrated by the continued collapse of America and other countries around the world. Many sermons are now "feel good" sermons.

Exactly. From what I've heard from them, they're too busy inviting everyone to 'celebrate' their grace with them, than to preach repentance from dead works against Christ.

Once they have someone new celabrating with them, then they talk about some sort of life change to fit in. Some don't even call for that.

 

[Two-Edged Sword]

The beginning of transgression was to become lukewarm by doing both good and evil

Perhaps, but we are not called just to be "good" but to be holy, both ourselves (Eph 1:4) and as a church (1 Cor 7:34, Eph5:27). Rev.3:16 where it address "lukewarm" was written to the church.
We exist in this world but are not to be worldly (Rom 12:2, Col 3:2, 1 John 2:15, John 17:16 & others). How much worldliness can the church incorporate before it goes from a chaise bride to a harlot?
It sounds harsh but looking back through the old testament, problems addressed in churches in the new testament, conditions in the church in medieval times and other periods, the church is often on the wrong side of Godliness while obstinately insisting it's holy.
I personally believe God has removed the candlestick (Rev 2:5) from many, perhaps most, modern churches for cowering to, and incorporation of, the world.

 

[Ghada]

Perhaps, but we are not called just to be "good" but to be holy, both ourselves (Eph 1:4) and as a church (1 Cor 7:34, Eph5:27). Rev.3:16 where it address "lukewarm" was written to the church.
We exist in this world but are not to be worldly (Rom 12:2, Col 3:2, 1 John 2:15, John 17:16 & others). How much worldliness can the church incorporate before it goes from a chaise bride to a harlot?
It sounds harsh but looking back through the old testament, problems addressed in churches in the new testament, conditions in the church in medieval times and other periods, the church is often on the wrong side of Godliness while obstinately insisting it's holy.
I personally believe God has removed the candlestick (Rev 2:5) from many, perhaps most, modern churches for cowering to, and incorporation of, the world.

True for some whole churches and denominations of churches, but the Lord always has a remnant:

Rev
{3:4} Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. {3:5} He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.