The Test of Our love
rEVELATION 2:1-7
Main Idea: Christ calls us to hold fast to orthodoxy without neglecting our first love.
I. The Concern of Christ (2:1 | cf. 1:20)
Because Jesus dwells in the midst of the lampstands that represent the church (1:13, 20), he knows intimately their true situation (seen and unseen), and gives a report to each church. The words to these 7 churches are addressed to particular Christians in the 1st century, while also having a universal, timeless application to the church in all times and all places.
The same pattern is (typically) repeated from Jesus through the Spirit to the churches:
An identification with an aspect of his glory in chapter 1, applicable to the specific issues in each church
A commendation and encouragement
A confrontation and challenge (cf. 3:19)
A promise to those who ‘conquer’ (cf. 21:7) and endure faithfully to the end
Ephesus was a major port city in the Roman Empire, steeped in idolatry and the cult worship of Caesar. The church faced social and economic pressure from Rome as a result of their faith in Jesus.
II. The Commendation of Orthodoxy (2:2-3, 6)
The church in Ephesus is commended by Jesus for their:
Toil, patience endurance, and “bearing up” for the name of Christ
Doctrinal faithfulness; they had an intolerance for evil and rejected false teachers & teachings (‘apostles’ and ‘Nicolaitans’; cf. 2:15)
Ephesus had a rich legacy of holding fast to orthodoxy (Acts 20:28-32) and was well-taught under apostolic leadership; Apollos, Paul, Timothy, and John all ministered in Ephesus. Their doctrinal discernment and commitment to the “faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3) was the foundation for their faithful endurance in a chaotic and confused world.
III. The Correction of Love (2:4-5, 7)
Christ warns that he has something against them: “you have abandoned the love you had at first.” This “first love” is likely holistic, entailing a love for God (vertically), a love for one another in the church (horizontally), and a love for those outside the church (outwardly). A true love for God necessarily results in a love for others (cf. 1 Jn. 4:20-21, Mk. 12:29-31, 2 Cor. 5:14ff).
It’s possible to have the body of orthodoxy and yet not the beating heart… There is a pseudo-orthodoxy that masquerades under doctrinal precision and theological certainty but lacks vibrancy and power. Saying the right things can hide a heart unwilling to perform the right actions. The problem, of course, is not in what we say, or the pursuit of doctrinal precision or the deepening of theological conviction. The problem is not what is there, but what’s not: an experience with the living God, a heart set on fire by the gospel.
~ Trevin Wax, The Thrill of Orthodoxy
Matthew 5:14–16: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Jesus urges the church in Ephesus to “remember from where you have fallen” (cf. Acts 19:10, 21ff) and to “repent, and do the works you did at first,” or their lampstand will be removed from its place.
Removing the lampstand means the church will lose its status as a Christian church; the light of Christ will no longer shine, and the message of the gospel will no longer resound from a church that has lost its first love. It will harden into a parody of a Christian church, for a church without love is a church without the gospel – a church animated by the gospel is full of love, as the continued need for mercy and grace echoes throughout the church.
~ Tom Schreiner, ESV Expository Commentary: Revelation
Jesus promises that those who “conquer” will be granted to eat of the “tree of life” (Gen. 2:9, Ex. 25:31-36, Rev. 22:1-5), which represents the presence of God dwelling with his people in eternal joy and love.
