The church in Ephesus was planted sometime around AD 52 by apostle Paul with the help of Aquila and Priscilla. The book of Revelation was written by the Apostle John sometime in the mid 90s. The church had existed in a very difficult city for many years; a city where Christians did not have rights, emperor worship was mandatory, and the economy was heavily dependent on the worship of Artemis. From the time the apostle brought the gospel to the city and the letter to Ephesus, written to the church and included in the book of Revelation, the challenges the church faced in Ephesus did not get easier. Yet in its 40th year (relatively speaking), they were known for doing some really good things and what they were most known for was their doctrinal purity.
It would have been easy for any church present in a city like Ephesus to have fallen prey to the sin of the city had its doctrine not been rock solid. The church was commended by Jesus for her doctrinal purity: “I know your deeds and your labor and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people, and you have put those who call themselves apostles to the test, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured on account of My name, and have not become weary” (Rev. 2:2–3). Jesus praised the Ephesian Church for not tolerating evil people, their ability to sniff out false apostles, and perseverance to hold the line doctrinally in a city that was utterly demonic.
It is only because their doctrine as a church was pure that they were able to persevere and stand against the onslaught of evil people, false apostles, and every other demonic force that threatened their congregation. Sound doctrine is good theology, and good theology is known as orthodoxy. As a church, we spent 46 weeks in Ephesians. Throughout the epistle were encouraged to make sure that our doctrine is pure! We are told in Ephesians 5:26 that Jesus is cleansing and purifying His people “through the washing of the water of the word.” We, the church of Jesus Christ, are being, “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone...” (2:20-22). Sound doctrine cannot and must not be substituted by what others feel is less offensive and more agreeable.
However, there was something that Jesus did have against the church in Ephesus, and it is a danger each of us face even today.
Their Love Was Found Wanting
There was a lot of good the Ephesian Church was doing that was praised by Jesus, but the thing that threatened the church most in Ephesus was not the temple of Artemus, it was not the demonic idols and sorcery the city was known for, and it was not even the Roman Empire that saw Christianity as a threat. The thing that threatened the church was from within, and it is what threatens us today. The church looked healthy on the outside, but there was a cancer that if left untreated could turn terminal, and it was the only antidote that keeps orthodoxy from becoming dead legalism. Listen again to Jesus’ loving but stern rebuke of this church: “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (v. 4).
Now, there are three questions you need to answer before you can be helped and encouraged by Revelation 2:1-7, and verse 4 is at the center of those three questions. Here are the three questions that must be answered:
- “What is meant by ‘first love’”?
- “Whose love abandoned who?”
- “Who is it that was no longer loved?” The question is this, “What is the object of their love that they left?”
What is meant by “first love”?
If the Bible you are using is the NIV or ESV, then your translation reads, “...you have abandoned the love you had at first.” But the KJV and NASB versions of the Bible translate the Greek in such a way to suggest that the Ephesian Christians have left their first love. Is the love that has been abandoned a person or is it the depth and quality of love? Well, one way you can answer that question is to see if there are any clues in the epistle to the Ephesians that help us understand what kind of love is being talked about here, and thankfully there are two clues given to us at the beginning and end of Paul’s letter to this church. The first clue is found in Ephesians 1:15-16, “For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you...” The second clue is found in the very last verse in Ephesians: “Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love” (6:24).
So what kind of love is it that has been abandoned? I believe it is the quality of love they once had for another person or people. This is why I believe the NLT version of the Bible offers the best translation of Revelation 2:4, “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!”
Whose Love Abandoned Who?
This is an easy question to answer. The Ephesian church is who “left” their first love. What Paul thanked God for in Ephesians 1:15-16, they had lost. Love is what keeps orthodoxy from becoming legalism. Legalism is a perversion of orthopraxy (right living) that is devoid of mercy and grace. You also need to understand that love for Jesus and His people with orthodoxy is also a deadly cancer that threatens the church.
The Ephesian Church abandoned their first love, and I do not think that they did it intentionally. I believe it happened somewhere along their journey and participation in God’s mission that they did not even realize that it happened. During my church planting years Sundays were always hard work just to make it happen. We had to set up our platform, chairs, and equipment every single Sunday for years. One particular Sunday, Seth wanted to go home with me so that he could play with his friends whose parents were helping me tear down. When I was finished with what I had to do to wrap up, I headed home but it wasn’t long before I received a call from Julie (my administrative assistant at the time) who asked me if I had forgotten anything. I immediately realized that I had forgotten my Bible to which she replied: “Yes, you did forget your Bible. Did you forget anything else?” At that moment, I realized I had forgotten Seth, who was about five at the time. Somewhere along the way the passion and love for Jesus had been left behind while they held tight to their orthodoxy, but what they were left with was a legalism that threatened from within the church.
Who was no longer loved?
You probably already guessed by now the answer. I believe it was their love for Jesus and His people. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was by a group of legalistic religious leaders, he answered: “And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matt. 22:37–39). Your love for God will create in you a love for people; you cannot claim to love God and at the same time refuse to love others. Your vertical love for God will overflow into a love for others, this is especially true for those who Christ died for and are now His church (people). If you are struggling to believe what I just said, then believe the apostle John who said, “If someone says, ‘I love God,” and yet he hates his brother or sister, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen’” (1 John 4:20).
I believe the Ephesian church, who was first known for their faith in Jesus and incorruptible love for Him was the catalyst that created in them a love for one another that they were known for in the early days of the church’s existence. Their love infused faith in Jesus and their love for all the saints was the cocktail God used to push back evil and transform lives!
What Revelation 2:1-4 teaches us is that Jesus wants our obedience, but He also wants our hearts! In fact, if Jesus has you heart, He will have your obedience.
The Way Back is Always Jesus
What about you dear Christian? Have you lost your love for Jesus and His people? Has your love for Him waned over the years? Have you gotten sidetracked? Think about the days when you first encountered Jesus and believed in Him. Remember the excitement of those days. In many respects, it is very similar to any relationship where you experienced love.
If you are married, think back to the days when you first met your spouse. Try to remember what you felt on your first date. Can you recall the day you were engaged? Revelation 2:1-7 reminds me of a funny little article titled, “The Seven Years of the Married Cold.” I am not sure who wrote it, but I first heard about in through a sermon Pastor Greg Laurie preached; here is how the article described the first seven years of marriage dealing with the common cold:
First year of marriage: “Sugar dumpling, I’m really worried about my baby girl. You’ve got a bad sniffle and there’s no telling about these things with all the strep going around. I’m putting you in the hospital this afternoon for a general checkup and a good rest. I know the food’s lousy, but I’ll be bringing your meals in from Rozzini’s. I already have it all arranged with the floor superintendent.”
Second year: “Listen darling, I don’t like the sound of that cough. I’ve called Doc Miller to rush over here. Now you go to bed like a good girl, just for Poppa.”
Third year: “Maybe you had better lie down, honey. Nothing like a little rest when you feel lousy. I’ll bring you some soup.”
Fourth year: “Now look, dear, be sensible. After you’ve fed the kids, and done the dishes, and washed the floor, you better lie down.”
Fifth year: “Why don’t you take a couple aspirin?”
Sixth year: “I wish you’d just gargle or something instead of sitting around barking like a seal all evening.”
Seventh year: “For Pete’s sake, stop sneezing! Are you trying to give me pneumonia?”
I am not sure what you may be feeling concerning your marriage, but my relationship with Jesus has also had its ups and downs. The problem in all my 33 years since the day I entered into a relationship with Jesus was never with Jesus and always with me. I was the one who found myself growing cold. But when I first came to faith in Jesus, I could not get enough about Jesus, nor could I stop talking about Him.
Who is Jesus to you today? Have you grown weary of spending time with Him? When you sing in church is it more about what you like about the song than it is about who we are singing about? Do you find reading your Bible to be boring? Do you find being around His people to be irritating? Is it possible that your problem is less about music, the church you attend, and your spiritual lethargy, and more about what you have forgotten and left behind?
I don’t want you to feel worse about where you are at spiritually. But if you are experiencing a loss of awe and wonder, if you are less grateful for the miracle of your salvation, if you are motivated by duty instead of delight for God, and if you feel pressure to perform, you have lost your first love just as the church in Ephesus did. But here is the good news: it doesn’t have to be that way any longer! Listen to what Jesus said to the church in Ephesus and what He is saying to you: “Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and I will remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent” (Rev. 2:5).
Here is what Jesus tells us we can do to get back to our first love: Rember where you have fallen, repent by recognizing what led you away from Jesus so that you do not do it again, and return to Jesus by serving and loving on His people. It is quite simple:
- Remember the things you did that deepened your love for Jesus and His people.
- Repent by beginning to do the things that fueled your love for Jesus and His people.
- Return by finding ways to spend time with Jesus and ways you can serve with His people.
