CHRISTIAN 5
CHRISTIAN 5
Now let us examine how Christ evaluates the church at Laodicea (CP Rev 3:14-22). The Laodicean church is representative of "nominal" Christians throughout church history; they are neither hot nor cold. Their lives revolve around luxury living and accumulating material wealth and possessions, while all around them souls are dying and going to hell in need of the gospel. Laodicean Christians are indifferent to Spiritual things. In fact, Jesus is so shut out of their lives He has had to issue an invitation for them to fellowship with Him, "… behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (CP V 20). The irony of this scripture is that Christians use it to lead sinners to Christ to get saved, when in fact Jesus is addressing Christians who need saving themselves (CP Lu 12:35-40; Jn 14:23; 2Cor 6:14-18). There can be no argument about what Jesus teaches in His letter to the church at Laodicea: those Christians have failed God's grace and forfeited their salvation (CP V 14-16).
The sum of the teaching in the letters to the seven churches is that Christ promises to save only those Christians who have repented, overcome the evil in their midst, persevered in faith and remained faithful to God's word in spite of persecution, and love other Christians unconditionally and self sacrificially. These Christians belong to the church at Philadelphia, the only church out of the seven He wrote to, that Christ promises to save from the tribulation - the hour of temptation that is to come upon the world to try them that dwell upon the earth (CP Rev 3:7-13 (See also author's comments on Rev 1:4, 2:1-7, 2:8-11, 2:12-17, 2:18-29, 3:1-6, 3:7-13 and 3:14-22 in his book A Question and Answer Study of the New Testament. Also see author's studies The cost of discipleship: forsaking all for Jesus, The significance of the seven churches in Revelation, and Conditions of entry into Heaven in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 1), Christians - flee from idolatry and Christians, love not the world in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 2)).
As stated at the outset, the scriptures subject of the study are not exhaustive but representative of the many in God's word warning Christians against failing God's grace and forfeiting their salvation. The scriptures we have studied here will suffice for the purpose of this exercise, but Christians are urged to search the scriptures for themselves to see what other conditions apply. Christians cannot afford to be under any misapprehension concerning the security of their salvation if they are not strictly conforming to God's word.
These Studies by Br Val Boyle may be downloaded and freely distributed but not sold for profit.