Daily Bread 2011 - Revelation 2

To the Church in Ephesus
1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

What Does This Mean?

This is the first of the 7 churches and the words to it from him who holds the seven stars in his hand (Jesus). The Church in Ephesus was one of the most prominent 1st century churches. The apostle Paul spent three years there teaching and building them up, before handing over the reins to Timothy. Because Ephesus was in a highly commercial city with lots of travel through its area, there was lot of pagan influence. As was mentioned in the previous books of 1, 2 and 3 John and Jude toward the end of the 1st century many false teachers started to infiltrate the church denying among other things the divinity of Christ. They distorted the gospel by saying that since we were forgiven we could do whatever we wanted in the body, since it was evil anyways.

Their knowledge of God and Christ was more based on head knowledge than true conversion and being born of the Spirit. This is often called “antinomianism”. (Antinomianism: A belief that is based upon a recognition of the mercy of God as the ground of salvation, but it makes the fatal mistake that man can freely partake in sin because the Law of God is no longer binding.)

What Does This Mean For Us?

Importantly though they did well to fight this early heresy, they had forgotten their first love. They were concerned with deeds and that is why they were doing those deeds, out of love and response to God’s great love for them. They started doing a lot of stuff for God but forgetting why, and also forgetting just how far they had fallen and needed God’s grace.

So the question today is have you forgotten your first love? Have you forgotten why you are a Christian? When you do things for God is it motivated by the great grace He has given you or something else? Is there any part of antinomianism in you? Meaning do you the grace of God as an excuse for sinning? Because of our human nature there will always be this tendency in us and it is good to see it before it takes root in our lives!

Jesus, thank you for your great love for us. Help us to remember the first time we understood what You had done for us and realized amazing grace how sweet the sound. Help us to walk in the truth and recognize the error around us and speak the truth in love to those who are teaching outside of You. Amen.