The Church of Laodicea: Revelation of the Grace and God and the Gift of Righteousness

A while back, I received a profound revelation about the Church of Laodicea.

Granted, it may not seem at first glance that there is any good news to glean from this account. Of the seven church whom Jesus communicated to in the early chapters of Revelation, five of the churches receive correction from Jesus--and the Laodicean church receives the harshest.

Today, there are many pastors and preachers which are warning about churches becoming like the Laodicean church.

However, I did some research on the church in Laodicea, and I found some very good news!

From Biblical Archaeology:

Yet the Laodicean church’s “lukewarm” legacy was not its final legacy.

The church at Laodicea survived Domitian’s reign. The city became a bishopric (seat of a Christian bishop), and a Christian council was even held there in the fourth century C.E. Archaeologists have discovered about 20 ancient Christian chapels and churches at the site. The largest church at Laodicea, called the Church of Laodicea took up an entire city block and dates to the beginning of the fourth century.

The Church of Laodicea. Dated to the beginning of the fourth century C.E., the Church of Laodicea spanned an entire city block. The church faced east and was decorated with marble floors. Photo: © Mark R. Fairchild, Huntington University.

Laodicea remained an important city until the seventh century C.E. when it was struck by a devastating earthquake and subsequently abandoned. 

Imagine that? Jesus had some harsh words for this church, but in this revelation that I received from Daddy God, you will find that there is great grace even in our worst failings, and even for a church which was so summarily chastised as the church in Laodicea.

First, let's look at the passage as a whole.

14And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

15I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17Because 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: 18I 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. 19As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20Behold, 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. 21To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 22He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

First, it is important to establish that when Jesus communicates with the Seven Churches, He speaks specifically, directly to the "angel" of the church, i.e. the minister or the pastor of the church. Second, in other letters, Jesus does say that if the angels, the ministers do not repent, He will take their candle out (Revelation 2:5). This does not mean that the pastor or the members of the church will lose their salvation, It does mean that the pastor will lose his place and the church will close.

Around the world and over many decades, we have witnesses many churches close. They no longer preach the Gospel, the focus on man-made causes and concerns. They do not focus on Jesus, but rather on man and his efforts, or the perfection of man through his efforts. All of this is a clear abandon of the Gospel of Grace (Galatians 1:6) which we receive through Jesus Christ (John 1:17).

Now, let's look at what Jesus says to the church of Laodicea.

First, about the word "Laodicea" itself, the word means "The people rule." This name speaks to the types of churches in which the pastor panders to the people, giving into their demands, and also to the types of churches where man's interests, where the interests of the population, what is popular, take precendence instead of the Word of God. 

What is the first thing that Jesus says to Laodicean church?

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

Many of construed this passage to indicate that the church members were not on fire for God or cool and refreshing in what they had to offer.

Let's look further:

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

The word "lukewarm" in the Original Greek is:

chliaros: tepid, warm

Original Word: χλιαρός, ά, όν
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: chliaros
Phonetic Spelling: (khlee-ar-os')
Definition: tepid, warm
Usage: warm, tepid; of persons: lukewarm.

Thayer's dictionary provides more information:

χιλιαρος, χιλιαρα, χιλιαρον (χλίω, to become warm, liquefy, melt), tepid, lukewarm: metaphorically, of the condition of a soul wretchedly fluctuating between a torpor and a fervor of love, Revelation 3:16. (Herodotus, Pindar, Diodorus, Plutarch, Athen., Geoponica.)

What we have here is a church that is wavering, that is going back and forth between two extremes. A clear example of this occurs in the Galatian church, in which the Galatians went from grace back to law (Galatians 1:6, 3:3)

James warns about men who are double-minded, as well (James 1:8).

This wavering is all about going from grace to law, from faith to works, from trusting in the Lord's Finished Work to man's self-effort. That is what is happening here!

Then comes this very harsh pronunciation from our Lord Jesus:

[B]ecause thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

The King James Version gives off a harsh, inexorable stance from Jesus. The Greek more accurately reads "I am about to spit you out of my mouth,"

Jesus is about to, but He does not! Right away, that should inspire relief and respite for all who read this. Think aboout it, besides: if Jesus was going to spit out the pastor at the Church of Laodicea, why would He have bothered to send them a letter in the first place?

Consider how the New International Version renders this verse:

So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Even when Jesus has to issue a stern warning to a pastor, He is all about grace. He wants to help them--He wants to help all of us even when we are lost in our self-serving delusions.

Next, Jesus says:

17Because 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:

Ouch! Quite an indictment!

It does sound like some of the churches we see in our world today. Church leaders are talking a great deal about "Name it and Claim it," they share a great deal on tithe, tithing, and tithers. They even make the case that God does not bless you unless you give first. Of course, even the first mention of tithing in the Bible clearly illustrates that God blesses us, and then we tithe in response to His goodness! (Genesis 14)

Sadly, there are so many pastors and church leaders who assume that they are great and are all taken care of simply because they are wealthy, have lots of stuff, and they really think that they don't need anything. And yet they are:

1. Wretched: 5005 talaípōros (an adjective, derived from talaō, "to bear, undergo" and pōros, "a callous," J. Thayer) – properly, wretched (beaten-down) from continued strain, leaving a person literally full of callouses (deep misery) – describing a person with severe side-effects from great, ongoing strain (significant hardships).

Many people who boast in their wealth have relied on their own strength and have harmed themselves, their health, their families in the process. God's kind of prosperity never causes such harm:

"The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it." (Proverbs 10:22)

Amen! How silly for people to boast in their wealth, when it cost them so much more attain it through their own means. Besides, God's heart is for all of us to prosper and be in health--even as our soul prospers (3 John2).

2. Miserable: Cognate: 1652 eleeinós (from 1656, eleos, "mercy") – pitiable, wretched; in great need of mercy (because desperate).

This church leader thinks that they do not need more mercy, more grace, and yet Paul urges us to receive--and keep receiving--the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness (Romans 5:17). Peter's last words urge his readers to "Grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord." (2 Peter 3:18).

3. Poor: 4434 ptōxós (from ptōssō, "to crouch or cower like a beggar") – properly, bent over; (figuratively) deeply destitute, completely lacking resources (earthly wealth) – i.e. helpless as a beggar. 4434 (ptōxós) relates to "the pauper rather than the mere peasant, the extreme opposite of the rich" (WP, 1, 371).

Wow! What we find, then, is that this Laodicean church was truly "all talk." They said that they were rich, but in fact they actually were not! They had lots of pride, but in reality they were in great need!

4. blind: Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 5185: τυφλός
τυφλός, τυφλοῦ, ὁ (τύφω, to raise a smoke; hence, properly, 'darkened by smoke'), from Homer down, the Sept. for עִוֵּר, blind;

Throughout the Bible, blindness is a sign not just of someone who cannot physically see, but more importantly represents someone who has forgotten that all of his sins have been forgiven:

"But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." (2 Peter 1:9)

5. Nake: gumnos: naked, poorly clothed

Original Word: γυμνός, ή, όν
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: gumnos
Phonetic Spelling: (goom-nos')
Definition: naked, poorly clothed
Usage: rarely: stark-naked; generally: wearing only the under-garment; bare, open, manifest; mere.

When we think of nakedness, what comes to mind is not merely a lack of clothing in itself, but it reminds me of Adam and Eve, who became naked because their eyes were no longer looking at God's goodness and provision, but rather at themselves and their inadequacies in themselves. They wanted to depend on their own knowledge and wisdom, and what they found was inevitably inadequate.

Nakedness speaks to our sinful state in ourselves, our weakness on our own without Christ. In trusting ourselves with everything, we find ourselves lost, losing, and lacking in so many ways.

But Jesus does not stop there and just shame them for their current status.

18I 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. 

Now, this passage is confusing!

First, Jesus tells the messenger of the church that he is poor and blind and wretched (might as well as throw in 'sloppy, dumpy, and stupid.') And now Jesus is telling him to buy something from Him? And not just anything, but "gold tried in the fire" and "white raiment" and "eyesalve."

We are not talking about cheap goods here.

Let's take a look at the first part of the verse "I counsel thee to buy ..."

Counsel:

sumbouleuó: to take counsel together, advise

Original Word: συμβουλεύω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: sumbouleuó
Phonetic Spelling: (soom-bool-yoo'-o)
Definition: to take counsel together, advise
Usage: I give advice, exhort; mid: I take counsel together, consult.

HELPS Word-studies

4823 symbouleúō (from 4862 /sýn, "identify with" and 1011 /bouleúō, "to plan," which is derived from 1012 /boulḗ, "a resolute plan") – properly, to consult (counsel) together, like when people plan something out together with high resolve (keeping to their pre-set goals).

Jesus was not just on the outside giving advice. Here, Jesus is working with the pastor: "Let's do this together."

And what about that word "buy"?

agorazó: to buy in the marketplace, purchase

Original Word: ἀγοράζω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: agorazó
Phonetic Spelling: (ag-or-ad'-zo)
Definition: to buy in the marketplace, purchase
Usage: I buy.

HELPS Word-studies

59 agorázō (from 58 /agorá, "the ancient marketplace, town-center") – properly, to make purchases in the marketplace ("agora"), i.e. as ownership transfers from seller to buyer.

59 /agorázō ("acquire by purchasing") stresses transfer – i.e. where something becomes another's belonging (possession). In salvation-contexts, 59 (agorázō) is not redeeming ("buying back"), but rather focuses on how the believer now belongs to the Lord as His unique possession (J. Thayer). Indeed, Christ purchases all the privileges and responsibilities that go with belonging to Him (being in Christ).

We are not talking about a mere exchange of goods here. We are talking about a deeper revelation of Christ's redeeming work. In effect, one could more precisely translate the phrase:

"Agree with me to receive from me something that I have bought for you."

This verse, this revelation reminds me of Isaiah 55:

"1Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

2Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

3Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." (Isaiah 55:1-3)

How exactly do we buy something 'without price'? We receive it by grace, through faith! YES!

Now, let's delve more deeply into what Jesus is provided to the Church in Laodicea:

Gold: that speaks of the Gift of righteousness, our sure foundation based on Jesus' Finished Work

The white raiment speaks of the Robe of righteousness, which clothes us, YES!

And what about the eyesalve?

Well, this is a very interesting word in the original Greek:

eyesalve:

kollourion: eye salve.

Original Word: κολλούριον, ου, τό
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: kollourion
Phonetic Spelling: (kol-loo'-ree-on)
Definition: eye salve
Usage: eye-salve.

kollurion: a small bread roll, an eye salve (shaped like a roll).

Transliteration: kollurion
Definition: a small bread roll, an eye salve (shaped like a roll)

What is the eyesalve for? Obviously, to heal a person's sight, soo that they can see clearly.

Notice also that this eyesale is the same word for bread, a small bread roll specifically. Where have we read about this connection between eating bread and seeing?

In The Gospel of Luke!

"30And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight." (Luke 24:30-31)

Here, we have the breaking of the bread, commmunion! When Cleopas and his wife broke the bread with Jesus in their midst, they saw HIM! They did not see their sins, they did not see their failures, they did not see their losses. They saw HIM!

And that is what Jesus is so determined to restore to the Laodicean church. They need to see Him. They need to see all their needs can only be met in Him. Their needs are far greater than food and cleathing. Consider what Jesus said to the Israelites of His day during His earthly ministry:

"25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?  .... 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:25, 33)

The issue is righteousness! This righteousness is something that Jesus has purchased for us! In fact, not just any status of righteousness, but because of Jesus, we have been made the righteousness of God in Him! (2 Corinthians 5:21)

What was plaguing the Laodicean church? They thought that they were righteousness becaused of their great wealth and status. They were depending on their own efforts, and boasting in their own works. They did not have a revelation of the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness (Romans 5:17). They had works, and they thought they were alive, but they were actually dead.

They were mixing up law and grace, trusting in their own efforts. This Galatian errror receives the harshest rebuke, and yet let us not forget that this church not only learned the lesson, received correction, but thrived for centuries afterwards. AMEN!