Lukewarm, Hot, or Cold?

[blhowes]

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

I use to think "hot" in these verses meant that you were really "on fire" for the Lord, witnessing, active at church, etc. Is this correct?

1. What are the characteristics of a Christian that is lukewarm?
2. What are the characteristics of a Christian that is cold? (if what I said above about being "hot" is correct, why would Jesus rather that we be cold, than lukewarm?)
3. What are the characteristics of a Christian that is hot?

 

[PointyHaired Calvinist]

Hot water is healing and soothing. Cold water is refreshing. Lukewarm water is gross and useless.

"Lukewarm" Christians are those who are nominal; they are useless to the kingdom because they don't do anything for it.


A good quick survey:

 

[blhowes]

Hot water is healing and soothing. Cold water is refreshing. Lukewarm water is gross and useless.

"Lukewarm" Christians are those who are nominal; they are useless to the kingdom because they don't do anything for it.

That's interesting. I'd never heard that before. Makes sense.

A good quick survey:

Thanks for the link to the article. Interesting. He addresses some of the questions I've been thinking about lately.

Just wondering:

In all likelihood, “hot” and “cold” don’t refer to the spiritual “temperature” or religious “mood” or “attitude”, as it were, of the believer and the unbeliever, as has traditionally been thought. Rather, the word “hot” refers to the well-known medicinal waters of Hierapolis, whose “hot springs” reached 95 degrees. The word “cold”, on the other hand, points to the refreshing waters of Colossae.

What he says makes sense, but is there something in the passage that would link hot and cold with Hierapolis and Colossae?

 

[Andres]

probably not explicitly in the passage, but in the context of that time, background,etc. Because the readers at that time would have already understood what John was referencing, he did not need to make it specifically known.

 

[Skyler]

It's part of the historical context of the writing, as mentioned--which, technically, could be considered "part" of the passage, when taken in its entire context...

 

[blhowes]

probably not explicitly in the passage, but in the context of that time, background,etc. Because the readers at that time would have already understood what John was referencing, he did not need to make it specifically known.

Good point.

I was thinking after I asked that question that I should ask that same question about whether or not the passage would link hot to being "on fire" for the Lord. Perhaps in the minds of the Laodiceans (sp?) Hierapolis and Colossae would more readily come to mind.

 

[CharlieJ]

Background

I was thinking after I asked that question that I should ask that same question about whether or not the passage would link hot to being "on fire" for the Lord. Perhaps in the minds of the Laodiceans (sp?) Hierapolis and Colossae would more readily come to mind.

Yes, Laodicea had a very poor natural water source. So, the citizens constructed a series of pipes to two other towns to bring in hot and cold water. (Note: They wanted both hot and cold water.) However, it didn't really work. By the time the water got to Laodicea, both pipes delivered slightly dirty lukewarm water, probably still better than the local supply though. John MacArthur preached a sermon on this in which he goes into considerable background detail.

On another note, it is the imposition of a modern idiom into an ancient document to read "hot" as "zealous for." I don't know of any place in the Bible where heat is connected with an emotional state of religious zeal. I think it might be used for anger a few times.

 

[Iconoclast]

31And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.

32And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

praying , learning the scriptures, serving, should move us to action wherever we find ourselves. it is a heart matter. in Laodicea their works were lukewarm,because their heart was/

 

[KMK]

Here is a very helpful sermon by Dr. Tom Schriener on the church at Laodecia called, "Three Marks of a Dead Church." Find it here: View Audio :: Clifton Baptist Church

The entire series is worth listening to.

 

[Amazing Grace]

Hot water is healing and soothing. Cold water is refreshing. Lukewarm water is gross and useless.

"Lukewarm" Christians are those who are nominal; they are useless to the kingdom because they don't do anything for it.


A good quick survey:

I too have recently taken this verse to speak of both hot and cold as positive instead of the 'traditional' reading that hot is good and cold is bad. It NEVER sat right with me that the Lord would 'wish' one be cold towards Him; meaning an unbeliever.