Neither Hot Nor Cold: The Cost of Compromise
“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.”
— Revelation 3:15-16 (KJV)
A church member in Lagos comes to Sunday service, sings the hymns, drops an offering, and shakes hands with the pastor. But Monday through Saturday, his business practices are questionable, his marriage is loveless, and his children see no difference between his life and that of unbelievers. He attends church—yet lives for the world. He prays—yet serves money. He knows Scripture—yet obeys it selectively. He is lukewarm, and his condition is more dangerous than he realizes.
Christ’s letter to the church of Laodicea diagnoses a sickness that kills from within. Lukewarmness is not coldness—the openly rebellious person knows he is lost and may yet repent. Lukewarmness is not heat—the zealous believer, burning with love for Jesus, is alive and effective. Lukewarmness is the nauseating middle ground: enough religion to feel safe, not enough surrender to be transformed. Enough church attendance to maintain respectability, not enough consecration to cost anything.
The Greek word for “spue” means to vomit, to reject with revulsion. Our Lord does not speak gently here. This is not disappointment—it is disgust. And notice the reason: “thou art neither cold nor hot.” The problem is not that the Laodicean church was struggling or falling short; it was that they had stopped struggling. They had made peace with compromise.
In Nigeria, lukewarmness often wears a familiar face. It is the Christian who tithes but cheats customers. It is the believer who attends prayer meetings but harbours unforgiveness. It is the church-goer who speaks in tongues on Sunday but speaks lies on Monday. It is the person who quotes Psalm 23 but ignores the poor at his gate. Our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
Lukewarmness is the illusion that we can. It whispers that we can have Christ and the world, holiness and compromise, kingdom values and market values. But Christ will have none of it. He calls us instead to a radical choice: cold or hot. Either turn away entirely—or turn completely toward Him.
The good news is this: Christ’s word to Laodicea does not end in rejection. He says, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be therefore zealous, and repent” (Revelation 3:19). There is a path back to heat. It is the path of honest repentance and renewed devotion.
Today, examine your own heart. Where have you made peace with compromise? What cost nothing has become acceptable? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the places where you are lukewarm, and choose today to burn again for Jesus.
Lord, set my heart on fire for You; let me never settle for the comfortable middle ground.