Jesus Christ says, “I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.” [Rev 3:14-16]
Heat is associated with passion and energy. When we’re in that state, our bodies release adrenaline, which increases blood flow, causing us to feel warmer all over while increasing oxygen to our brains and muscles.
Someone who is “on fire” with love for God is deeply engaged in the relationship, devoting every physical, emotional, mental and spiritual resource toward knowing Him, loving Him and serving Him.
People who are “on fire” with hatred for God are just as deeply engaged in the relationship, devoting every physical, emotional, mental and spiritual resource toward knowing Him, hating Him and defying Him.
Rage also comes in a cold variety, one which is just as intense, but a lot more controlled.
Think about what it means to give someone the cold shoulder, that form of body language in which you ignore another person completely. How is such a thing possible? If you truly have no interest in that person, chance will dictate that at least some of the time you will notice him or her. Therefore, in order to ignore another person completely, you must be obsessively aware of that person at all times.
I’m reminded of how much energy it takes to run a freezer or air conditioner. Those things put out a lot of heat keeping stuff cold!
So what’s neither cold nor hot? What does lukewarm-ness toward God look like?
Might it not be the oh-so-famous TOLERANCE that the Left-wingers preach?
The word tolerance means to bear, or to bear with. It is the opposite of respect and is the enemy of both love and hate.
I think of it like the way we all behave when we’re squashed into an elevator. For a time, we have to tolerate what elsewhere would be an intolerable intrusion on our personal space. And how do we accomplish this? By avoiding conversation and eye contact while holding our bodies rigid.
This is the exact opposite of what God says He wants. In the passage above, He says He prefers people who are actively engaged in hating Him. I get that.
Haters are obsessed with Him, which gives Him opportunities to reach them and win them over with His love.
But people who are doing that tolerance thing have shut Him out completely.
It’s no wonder the Left has elevated TOLERANCE to its highest virtue!
Notes:
“Jesus Christ says” … the passage actually says, “The Amen, the faithful and true witness”, but Rev 1:5 tells us “the faithful witness” is Jesus Christ.
“Vomit” … Most translations use either spit or spew here, but the footnote in the New American Bible says the original word literally meant vomit. A number of Bible commentaries cite some allegedly well know “fact” that lukewarm water is nauseating. I’ve never known it to be, so I googled and found: “In between the bouts of vomiting … you should sip lukewarm water from time to time.”
Sources:
http://bible.cc/revelation/3-16.htm
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