Comfort, here to mean complacency, is one thing people really enjoy but God hates. Yet, many local churches strive to gain or keep congregants by making people comfortable. We do this by teaching easy things, neglecting accountability, offering entertaining programs, playing politics based on human preferences, offering ways for people to be righteous, and appealing to the worldly desires of those outside the community of faith in our outreach. Many local churches strive to be comfortable. What is God’s desire?

Revelation 3:14-22

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:

“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. 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, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore 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 will dine with him, and he with Me.

He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

The indictment (v. 14-19)

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:

John addresses the messenger, or teaching pastor, at the church in Laodicea. He identifies Jesus as the Amen (a word meaning “truly”), the faithful and true witness. We often make the mistake of thinking the Gospel hinges on our lips and fails to go forth if we fail to preach. John, here, writes to a local church that is lukewarm, no good to the kingdom concerning kingdom work, and he identifies Jesus as the faithful witness. Even if the church fails to fulfill its missional function on this earth, Jesus is the one speaking, waging war with the sword of His mouth, and testifying about Himself. Even when a local church is unfaithful to His work, He is faithful. John also identifies Jesus as the beginning of God’s creation. Jesus is not created first; He is the beginning—all of creation began with Him. John indicates that creation is from Jesus, and Jesus renews or progresses His creation throughout time despite human unfaithfulness. He created the world in order to establish it (Cf. Jeremiah 33:2), not in order to destroy it.

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. 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, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.

When we think about a church metaphorically being hot or cold, it is tempting for us to think in opposites. Many preachers and teachers read something into the text that is not there to be read—that God prefers people to either exult Him or oppose Him outright rather than “riding the fence” by not choosing a side. Not only is this the wrong way to interpret this metaphor but is a dangerous application. First, to teach that we must choose a side ignores what John has already claimed about the person and work of Jesus—that He is faithful to His work despite human unfaithfulness. Second, it opposes the doctrine of monergism or Solus Christus—Christ alone is building His church (Cf. Matthew 16:18) and trades the Gospel of Jesus Christ for decisionism. To be hot or cold simply means to be useful. Cold water is useful for drinking. Hot water is useful for baths. Lukewarm water, possibly a reference to the lukewarm water coming from the aqueducts in Laodicea, is undesirable; It is icky to the touch and not refreshing to drink. Becuase this church is good for nothing, Jesus will symbolically spit the local church out of His mouth.

John reproves the church at Laodicea because she is lukewarm, complacent, and believes herself to be good. The church at Laodicea prefers comfort over following hard after Christ, and this makes her good for nothing. She sees herself as spiritually rich and highly blessed. She does not recognize that, like everyone else, she is actually wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. In Christ’s address to the healthy church (v. 7-13), He praised the local church for her humility. Humility means not thinking too highly of one’s self. The church at Laodicea is exalting herself as good enough and spiritually superior. When we look at ourselves and claim to be good or spiritually rich, we put on blinders that keep us from seeing our true condition—essentially depraved. Without recognizing our depraved condition, we will not recognize our real need for a savior. If we assume to be spiritually rich, we cannot see our need for a Messiah who fulfilled all righteousness on behalf of His people.

If the local church is poor, I wonder how she can buy purity and sight from Christ. Was Christ not already identified as the only one who builds His church? Has He not already identified Himself as the one faithful and true witness and the beginning of God’s creation. If anyone teaches this as some sort of works-righteousness or legalism, that teacher ignores the doctrines already presented and forces his interpretation to contradict the Bible–even in this passage. Jesus must supply what is needed because the local church is poor and naked. Then, after receiving regeneration from Christ, some in the local church can invest in Christ’s kingdom by seeking first His kingdom and righteousness.

When God takes the time to reprove us, we should be glad. He does so because He loves us. If we were never reproved and left to believe we are basically good people, we would show that God does not love us particularly. God loves those He reproves. If we are never convicted of sin, we are not the beloved of God. Christ alone provides the refined gold, white garments, and eye salve (essential purity and sight) people need. Jesus instructs the local church to get what she needs from Him rather than trying to live a blessed life in the world. The church does not need riches or comfort; she needs purity and eyes to see. Jesus is reproving and disciplining His church because He loves her. The church’s response, if she loves Christ, is zealous repentance.

The promise (v. 20-22)

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

The church at Laodicea is a church that doesn’t have fellowship with Jesus because she cares more about comfort and blessing in the world. No local church can have fellowship with both Christ and the world. So, Jesus symbolically stands at the church door and knocks. If any congregant opens the door for Him, Christ promises to open fellowship with that congregant (“he” and “him” are singular) and cause that congregant to have fellowship with Him. Opening the door to Christ does not mean working to earn Christ. Those who have spent much time in church have doubtless heard the well meaning preacher or evangelist invite them to follow Jesus during a time of invitation. “Jesus is standing at the door of your heart and knocking,” they say, “Will you let Him in?” The door in this passage is the door of the local church. Christ does not call each individual to let Him into his or her heart but, instead, to sincere repentance (v. 19). Christ’s knock on the door of the local church is His reproof. For each one in the local church who repents of his or her self-sufficiency and comfortable idolatry according to self-preference, Christ will open fellowship between the repentant at heart and Himself. The prerequisite for fellowship with Jesus Christ is a recognition of our depravity instead of thinking we are good enough or spiritually rich.

He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

The one who overcomes (1 John 5:1-5) will reign with Christ like Christ reigns with the Father. Those who have fellowship with Christ through sincere repentance will be His representative rulers on the earth. We have seen this truth in the other addresses. John sees the bondservants of Christ (1:1) as coheirs and rulers with Christ (2:26-27) and as the New Jerusalem that is currently coming down from Heaven to occupy the whole earth (3:12). John recognizes and instructs that those who have been given ears to hear will hear. He identifies the Holy Spirit as being one with Christ; they speak, together, to every local church.

In this passage, we see that to be lukewarm or comfortable in our faith is to not have fellowship with Christ. We do not profit by thinking ourselves good enough or spiritually rich. By reproving His people, He knocks on the door of His local church. By repenting of our self-exaltation, we open the door and have fellowship with our king. Are you a comfortable Christian or concerned more about your comfort than the good of Christ’s kingdom? Repent and follow hard after Christ without reservation. He promises to have fellowship with us when we reject the comforts of this world, our own preferences, our own outward spirituality, and repent.