Key Verse
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of My mouth.”
— Revelation 3 : 15–16 (NIV)
1. A Church of Comfort
Laodicea, situated in the prosperous Lycus Valley of Asia Minor, was a commercial and banking centre famous for its black wool and eye-ointment industry. Its church enjoyed wealth and civic influence, yet its spiritual temperature reflected its water supply — tepid, piped from distant springs and unrefreshing.
Jesus’ letter to Laodicea (Rev 3 : 14–22) stands as the severest of the seven messages to the churches in Revelation. Unlike others, it receives no commendation. Outwardly successful, inwardly indifferent, it epitomised the peril of complacent belief: faith that has form without fervour.
2. The Disease of Self-Sufficiency
Christ’s indictment is precise:
“You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” (Rev 3 : 17)
Laodicea’s material prosperity had anaesthetised spiritual perception. Its people believed in God but relied on wealth. Their religion required no repentance because their comfort concealed their need. Pride replaced prayer, affluence displaced awe.
The church’s blindness is tragic: they possessed the very products (eye-salve and textiles) that symbolised what they lacked — spiritual vision and righteousness.
3. The Lukewarm Condition
The metaphor of lukewarmness implies ineffectiveness: water too warm to refresh, too cool to heal. The faith of Laodicea neither invigorated nor confronted; it merely co-existed. Christ’s response — to “spit out” (Greek emeō) — conveys divine revulsion at half-hearted devotion.
Unlike persecution or heresy, lukewarmness kills faith quietly. It is the comfort of moderate religion: belief sufficient to soothe conscience, but insufficient to transform conduct. The church remained in existence but not in intimacy.
4. The Merciful Rebuke
Despite His disgust, Christ’s tone turns tender:
“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.” (Rev 3 : 19)
He stands at the door and knocks (Rev 3 : 20) — a picture not of invitation to unbelievers but of Christ seeking re-entry into His own church. Grace still calls, yet Laodicea’s door must be opened from within. The tragedy lies not in rejection by Christ but in exclusion of Christ.
Lukewarm faith does not drive Him away; it simply forgets to let Him in.
5. Theological Reflection
- Affluence without dependence breeds apathy. Material comfort numbs spiritual desire.
- Lukewarmness is more dangerous than hostility. The indifferent believer is harder to awaken than the opposing sceptic.
- Divine rebuke is an act of love. The Lord’s threat to “spit out” is disciplinary, not dismissive — a final call to rekindle zeal.
Laodicea symbolises the modern church’s temptation: to measure success by prosperity rather than purity, and to equate comfort with blessing.
6. Lesson for Today
The most perilous state of faith is complacency disguised as contentment.
Laodicea warns every generation that belief without passion becomes unbelief in slow motion. When gratitude fades into entitlement, when prayer becomes optional and holiness inconvenient, the heart grows tepid.
Christ still stands at the door, not far away but outside. The remedy remains the same: repentance, renewed zeal, and restored fellowship. To the one who hears and opens, He promises intimate communion: “I will come in and eat with that person, and they with Me.” (Rev 3 : 20)
Even for the lukewarm, the possibility of return endures — but the choice must be made before the flame dies.
Key References
- The Holy Bible (NIV). (2011). London: Hodder & Stoughton.
- Beale, G. K. (1999) The Book of Revelation: NIGTC. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
- Mounce, R. H. (1997) The Book of Revelation: NICNT. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
- Wilcock, M. (1986) The Message of Revelation: The Bible Speaks Today. Leicester: IVP.
- Wright, T. (2011) Revelation for Everyone. London: SPCK.