By: Raul Collado
What is the remedy for a Lukewarm condition?
In Revelation 3:16, Christ speaking to the church says:
“So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:16
What does it signify to be spued out of the mouth of Christ?
“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:10
“Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 10:32
Note- The word spue means to vomit. This illustrates the lukewarm Christian being ejected out of the Body of Christ. If we find ourselves lukewarm and continue to remain in that condition, Christ will no longer confess us or intercede on our behalf before the Father.
Clearly, we can see this is a very serious matter, and of the utmost importance that we understand from the Bible the remedy for this lukewarm condition.
Why is Christ going to vomit us out if we remain lukewarm?
“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” Revelation 3:17
How is the term poor and rich used other places in the Bible?
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3
“There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.” Proverbs 13:7
Note- The great danger is this, if I don’t know my wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked condition, I could be confessing that I am in a rich spiritual experience but in reality I’m having a poor spiritual experience as a Christian and know it not. To think you are okay when you are far from okay is certainly a tragedy. A wretched person needs deliverance! We too can cry out like the Apostle Paul who said, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24). We need deliverance from our lukewarm condition because we know not that we are wretched. There is still hope, no one can ever care for us like Jesus. He promised: “him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37). We can take comfort in that Jesus has given us assurance in what we can receive from Him.
What does Christ counsel us to buy?
“I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Revelation 3:18
Note- There are three items that Christ has, all of which we are in desperate need:
- Gold tried in the fire
- White raiment (a spotless robe covering)
- Eye-salve
How perfectly Christ meets our need because the plague of being Laodecian leaves us:
- Poor
- Naked
- Blind
Christ alone can provide gold for our poverty, white raiment for our nakedness, and eye-salve for our blindness. What a wonderful Saviour! Therefore being poor, blind, and naked is the real cause of not knowing that we are in a wretched, miserable lukewarm condition.
Which of these three items are the most important for us? The gold tried in the fire, the white raiment, or the eye-salve? Surely, all are important but if I am blind, how would I be able to appreciate the value of the gold tried in the fire? I wouldn’t even be able to see its shining purity. If I’m blind I wouldn’t be able to see the perfectly tailored white raiment or even know that I was in need of it in the first place.
What is this eye-salve that we must anoint our eyes with?
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Acts 10:38
“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,” Ephesians 1:18
“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 2:14-16
Note- The anointing of our eyes with eye-salve is to have spiritual discernment which is having the mind of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 “But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” What has God prepared for those who love Him? God has prepared gold tried in the fire and white raiment in Christ.
What is the mind of Christ?
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:5-8
Note- The mind of Christ is to humble oneself as Christ humbled Himself for us.
How do we obtain the mind of Christ?
‘The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” Psalm 119:130
Note- The word of God gives us light, and that light is understanding. When we have receive the enlightenment of the Spirit shining through God’s word it leads us to humble ourselves and have a deeper abiding trust in God.
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5
As I study the the Holy Scriptures with earnest prayer to God for enlightenment of the Spirit (which is our eyesalve), that which had before appeared dark to my understanding will be made clear. Only as I lean not unto my own understanding will I know the things freely given to me by God.
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