“So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3:16)
Cold, unprofitable yet saved. Hot, profitable, energized to serve with great vigor. If there was a dictionary for that verse, this is how I believe those two words would be expressed, those that are cold truly do love the Lord, they are indeed born-again, but as best as I can put it at this time, they would be as what was said of Mary, “But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19)
Those that are hot I might relate to Elijah, “And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.” (1st Kings 18:27) No fear, no trepidation, called by God to serve and serve well, no matter the consequences to themselves.
Those that are lukewarm, well, it is quite evident from the Scriptures that they will not be entering into the Kingdom of the Most High, they would not choose to serve Christ, neither would they accept the path of Satan, wishy-washy it was once called, fence riders, those who will go along with whatever crowd they are running with at the time decides is best. They will put something in the offering plate as it passes by, but take something they want when no one is looking, when they are sure they will not get caught.
I believe many of those lukewarm individuals can be described in 2nd Timothy 3:5, “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” They are like an untrustworthy insurance agent who shakes your hand with a smile as they take your money for their services, but when it comes time to file a claim, they show you the small print and then deny it, still with a smile.
I believe that many who profess to have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ fit into this category, deceiving perhaps even themselves, counting those sins as “white lies,” as of no real consequence in the eyes of the Living God, for after all, no one was actually hurt, no one saw them, they were completely in private when the deed was done, and after all, God is a forgiving God, He understands that sometimes impulses can just get the better of us. But on Sunday morning they are there with a smile on their face and a firm handshake.
We are watching the world march towards the great Tribulation, evil is abounding, and the lukewarm will be here to witness those days.
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Rev. 12:11) Hot.
“But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.” (Luke 10:40) Cold.
Both saved, both will sing His praises throughout all eternity, one of a simple abiding faith, the other ready to die for His glory at a moments notice. Their rewards I cannot say, that is for God to decide, but I do know the reward of the lukewarm, for they have received their reward here.
Ask yourself this question, are you a Christian in front of some people and just a regular, nice and polite, easy to get along with person in front of others. Do you play both sides of the field, always wanting to fit in, never wanting to possibly offend for any reason? Cold or hot, neither one is very comfortable to be around for long, but lukewarm, well, you can rest easy there, can’t you.
“For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” (1st Cor. 11:31)
