How to interpret the words "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."
Revelation 3.15-16 "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."
The letter to Laodicea is addressed to the society in which we currently live. It is the last of the letters to the churches that represent periods in Christianity. Verses 15 and 16 contain strong words that should awaken anyone reckless in their approach to faith. The end of those who die as lukewarm or cold is a foregone conclusion - eternal death.
Hot - is a person who with his heart and deeds proves that he loves God, acts/tries to act impeccably. Everyone sins, even a hot, but repents of his sins, asks God for forgiveness, helps others in need, even those who have caused him much annoyance.
Cold - is an atheist who does not hide that he does not believe in God, as well as, for example, a Satanist who rejects the Creator and worships demons.
Lukewarm - is a hypocrite who with his mouth professes to be a believer, maybe even prays and goes to church, but with his heart and actions he is far from God. The Lord has no joy in such an attitude. What is the use of attending church every week, praying every day, giving to the tray, if nothing else is done. Among other things, this is why we came into the world, to testify with our lives that God's love is at work in our hearts. How many people attend sermons, masses, church meetings every week, only to become more and more hypocritical with their behavior on the other days of the week. God does not accept such behavior.
Lukewarm is worse than cold
A lukewarm person by his behavior influences a hot person much worse than a cold person. A hot Christian, when he sees a cold person, will not so easily give up God's high standards, will try to keep the commandments, behave according to God's will. But what if a hot person finds himself in the lukewarm group? He will begin to undersell the standards, the teachings he followed, make simplifications, distortions and concessions inconsistent with what the Lord taught. Such a person becomes lukewarm after a while, falling into a trap from which it is difficult to get out.
Let's use an example:
The hot one stays with the cold one for a long time. He sees his godless behavior and finds it easy to separate truth from falsehood. Giving up on God, he would have to make a diametric choice, turn away completely, doing so with full knowledge. In this case, he is not trapped, he knows what decision he will make.
The hot one stays with the lukewarm one, who does not keep all the commandments. The hot one seeing this may be encouraged by the fact that since the lukewarm one is supposedly a believer, after all, he too can make an exception and reject one of the commandments while keeping the others. In this way we want to be smarter than the Creator, we exalt ourselves above His wisdom. Lukewarmness applies not only to the commandments, but also to our daily conduct.
The world becomes numb, our consciences shrug at the sight of suffering children, dramatic television reports, etc. We are then able to help sometimes, but when no one asks us for help, we don't give it from ourselves, what's worse we also refuse it to strangers, and in the Bible we read that the needy person can be an angel in human form checking our heart. Who is able to go out to help, for a person who has done him evil. We also read that we are to pray for our persecutors, those who malign us. How many people act this way?
Lukewarmness causes a hot person to cease to be hot, become lukewarm, and thus trump salvation, move away from God. Every concession, the rejection of God's teaching in favor of man's, is a backward step that can lead to being a believer in name only.
Death eternal for the lukewarm and the cold
At the same time, the words I will spue thee out of my mouth indicate that not everyone will be saved. Those who are lukewarm will be rejected by God, for them there is no place in heaven. How sad and unpleasant that place would have to be if hypocrites were to be found there. God is love, but He is also guided by justice, He will not let into heaven people who with their future lives have poisoned the lives of others, for them there is eternal death, which they themselves have chosen. Not God is to blame for such a choice, but ourselves.
