Revelation 3 Difference Between Hot, Cold, Lukewarm

[Terry_from_Ypsi]

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea, 10 write this: " 'The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source of God’s creation, says this:15 "I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. 11 I wish you were either cold or hot.16 12 So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.17 13 For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,’ and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.18 I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire 14 so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed, and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Is “Lukewarmness” an attitide reflected in deeds or is it a lack of deeds ?
For example: If a person does not pray for 1 hr a day, read scripture for 15 minutes each day, does not go to daily mass are they being “lukewarm ?”

How does one identify being “lukewarm” if they have a problem with scrupulosity ?

In the account of the two men who went up to pray, the Publican does not seem to be guilty of “lukewarmness” but it was the tax collector who was viewed more positively.

It sounds like from the following:
I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire 14 so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed,

a) How does a person buy from God gold refined by fire ?
b) What are the “white garments” needed to be bought and “put on” to cover the “shameful nakedness.” ?

Regards,

 

[centurionguard]

Saint John of the Cross elaborates on lukewarmness of the human spirit or soul in his book Ascent to Mount Carmel… Wherein is described how the desires of the flesh weaken the soul in virtue and make it lukewarm.

(“Something I believe myself all of us need to ascribe to in mortifying are attachments to what feeds our desires of the flesh and this world.”)

THE fifth way in which the desires harm the soul is by making it lukewarm and weak, so that it has no strength to follow after virtue and to persevere therein. For as the strength of the desire, when it is set upon various aims, is less than if it were set wholly on one thing alone, and as, the more are the aims whereon it is set, the less of it there is for each of them, for this cause philosophers say that virtue in union is stronger than if it be dispersed. Wherefore it is clear that, if the desire of the will be dispersed among other things than virtue, it must be weaker as regards virtue. And thus the soul whose will is set upon various trifles is like water, which, having a place below wherein to empty itself, never rises; and such a soul has no profit. For this cause the patriarch Jacob compared his son Ruben to water poured out, because in a certain sin he had given rein to his desires. And he said: +Thou art poured out like water; grow thou not.’[170] As though he had said: Since thou art poured out like water as to the desires, thou shalt not grow in virtue. And thus, as hot water, when uncovered, readily loses heat, and as aromatic spices, when they are unwrapped, gradually lose the fragrance and strength of their perfume, even so the soul that is not recollected in one single desire for God loses heat and vigour in its virtue. This was well understood by David, when he said, speaking with God: I will keep my strength for Thee.[171] That is, concentrating the strength of my desires upon Thee alone.

1. And the desires weaken the virtue of the soul, because they are to it like the shoots that grow about a tree, and take away its virtue so that it cannot bring forth so much fruit. And of such souls as these says the Lord: Voe proegnantibus, et nutrientibus in illis diebus.[172] That is: Woe to them that in those days are with child and to them that give suck. This being with child and giving suck is understood with respect to the desires; which, if they be not pruned, will ever be taking more virtue from the soul, and will grow to the harm of the soul, like the shoots upon the tree. Wherefore Our Lord counsels us, saying: Have your loins girt about[173] – the loins signifying here the desires. And indeed, they are also like leeches, which are ever sucking the blood from the veins, for thus the Preacher terms them when he says: The leeches are the daughters – that is, the desires – saying ever: Daca, daca.[174]
2. From this it is clear that the desires bring no good to the soul but rather take from it that which it has; and, if it mortify them not, they will not cease till they have wrought in it that which the children of the viper are said to work in their mother; who, as they are growing within her womb, consume her and kill her, and they themselves remain alive at her cost. Just so the desires that are not mortified grow to such a point that they kill the soul with respect to God because it has not first killed them. And they alone live in it. Wherefore the Preacher says: Aufer a me Domine ventris concupiscentias.[175]
3. And, even though they reach not this point, it is very piteous to consider how the desires that live in this poor soul treat it, how unhappy it is with regard to itself, how dry with respect to its neighbours, and how weary and slothful with respect to the things of God. For there is no evil humour that makes it as wearisome and difficult for a sick man to walk, or gives him a distaste for eating comparable to the weariness and distaste for following virtue which is given to a soul by desire for creatures. And thus the reason why many souls have no diligence and eagerness to gain virtue is, as a rule, that they have desires and affections which are not pure and are not fixed upon God.[176]

 

[centurionguard]

Taken from Haydock’s Biblical commentary: haydock1859.tripod.com/index.html

Apocalypse 14-22. The seventh and last letter is to the Angel of the Church of Laodicia. Christ here takes the title of the Amen,[3] as if he said, I am the Truth. — The beginning of the creation, or of the creatures of God, to which is added in the first chapter, the beginning and the end. — Thou art neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm. A dreadful reprehension, whatever exposition we follow. According to the common interpretation, by the cold are meant those who are guilty of great sins; by the hot, such as are zealous and fervent in piety and the service of God; by the lukewarm or tepid, they who are slothful, negligent, indolent, as to what regards Christian perfection, the practice of virtue, and an exact observance of what regards the service of God. On this account they are many times guilty in the sight of God of great sins, they forfeit the favour and grace of God, fancying themselves good enough and safe, because they live as others commonly do, and are not guilty of many scandalous and shameful crimes, to which they see others addicted. — I would thou wert either cold or hot. This is not an absolute wish, because the condition of the cold is certainly worse in itself; but it is to be taken with regard to the different consequences, which oftentimes attend these two states, and to signify to us that the lukewarm may be farther from a true conversion, inasmuch as they are less sensible of the dangers to which they remain exposed, than such as commit greater sins. Their careless indevotion becomes habitual to them, they live and die with a heart divided betwixt God and the world; whereas greater and more shameful sinners are not without an abhorrence of such vices which they commit; a fear of punishment, of hell and damnation, strikes them by the mercies of God offered even to sinners, and makes them enter into themselves like the prodigal son; they detest their past lives, and by the assistance of God’s graces become both fervent and constant in the duties of a Christian life. (Witham) — Tepidity in a Christian life, and in the service of God, is oftentimes more dangerous than absolute wickedness. The open sinner is easily made sensible of his danger; he experiences the stings and reproaches of conscience, whilst the tepid Christian lives without remorse, fear, or apprehension, and listens not to those who wish to shew him the danger of his situation. I dare venture to affirm, says St. Augustine, that to fall into some public and manifest sin would be of advantage to the proud, that so those who by their self-complacency had so often fallen before, may now become displeased with themselves and humble. (Calmet) — To the lukewarm it is said, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth; i.e. if thou continue in that state, I will permit thee to run on and be lost in thy sins. Thou blindly sayest within thyself, I am rich, &c. A false conscience generally attends a lukewarm soul and those who serve God by halves; they flatter themselves that all goes well enough with them, when they see they are not so vicious, as many others: but here the spirit of God, who penetrates the secret folds and windings of slothful souls, admonisheth them of their dangerous mistakes, that they are wretched, poor, blind, and naked, when God, by his grace, does not inhabit their souls, though they may have millions of gold and silver in this world. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, the love of God purified by trials and troubles in this life, to recover thy lost innocence, to be clothed with the habit of grace, to anoint thy eyes with eye-salve, by a serious reflection on what regards thy eternal salvation. — I chastise those whom I love. He concludes all the former admonitions by telling them: first, that to be under trials and troubles, is a mark of God’s favour and his paternal care; secondly, to hearken to the voice of God, when he knocks at the door of their heart; and thirdly, he promises them the reward of eternal happiness—he that overcomes, shall sit with me on my throne: though this does not imply an equality of happiness, not even to all the saints, much less with God himself, but only that the elect shall be in the throne as it were of heaven, and partakers of heavenly happiness according to their past good works.

 

[juliamajor]

tThis is just my opinion but usually when the Bible speaks about metals being refined they are speaking about purification; the impurities in metals are burned off by firing at higher temperatures-so our souls improve with testing and purification.
White garments in the NT usually refers to a baptismal garment…
Sounds like they have a bunch of people who won’t commit to becoming christians but neither do they leave.As cathechumans there was a processing of testing-it took a while to become a Christian.Here it looks like the people lacked enthusiasm.
Jesus demands committment in order to be a true Christians.No half measures but full throttle ,fire in the belly ChristianityNo pragmatism but total submission to the Lord and what he asks of us in the Gospels.

 

[centurionguard]

tThis is just my opinion but usually when the Bible speaks about metals being refined they are speaking about purification; the impurities in metals are burned off by firing at higher temperatures-so our souls improve with testing and purification.
White garments in the NT usually refers to a baptismal garment…
Sounds like they have a bunch of people who won’t commit to becoming christians but neither do they leave.As cathechumans there was a processing of testing-it took a while to become a Christian.Here it looks like the people lacked enthusiasm.
Jesus demands committment in order to be a true Christians.No half measures but full throttle ,fire in the belly ChristianityNo pragmatism but total submission to the Lord and what he asks of us in the Gospels.

You made an excellent point which is why so few realize that much that has to do with mortification of the soul requires much profound contemplative prayer and abstaining from the desires of the flesh that keep us grounded in this mundane primitive world. See: newadvent.org/cathen/10578b.htm

 

[Josh128]

This passage seems directly related to Pauls message to the Corinthians:

1 Cor 3:10-15 If anyone builds on the foundation of Christ with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, the work of each will come to light, for the Day will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. If the work stands that someone built upon the foundation, that person will receive a wage. But if someone’s work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire"

In other words, to “buy gold and silver from God”, it would seem

1.) One must be strong in faith
2.) One must be able to demonstrate his faith by the quality of his works (not by boasting!)
3.) Pray fervently and stand up for our Lord Jesus and the Almighty Father at every opportunity!

Hopefully you buy more silver and gold than wood and straw in your lifetime…lest you be burned to 1/10th your size to a fragment of gold (or none at all!) in purgatory.

 

[COPLAND_3]

Here is what I wrote in my commentary litteralchristianlibrary.wetpaint.com/page/Chapter+3

Cold means unbelieving while hot means fervent in faith. Lukewarm means neither, which is worse than cold because the unbelieving does leave a hope of attaining the faith while lukewarm means withdrawl from the faith through idleness, which is much harder to recover from. To spew them out is to repel them from Himself as something repulsive.

 

[Reuben_J]

. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Is “Lukewarmness” an attitide reflected in deeds or is it a lack of deeds ?
For example: If a person does not pray for 1 hr a day, read scripture for 15 minutes each day, does not go to daily mass are they being “lukewarm ?”

Neither or both. It got nothing to do with deeds. Lukewarmness is what it is - neither hot nor cold. You can have all the deeds yet can be lukewarm. Similarly you don’t have much of it and yet you don’t forgo it at all.

Lukewarmness is when we lost our first love – God. The opposite of lukewarmness is zealous. God want us to spring to action, to be zealous in living out our faith. We can make a show of deeds and yet not zealous, you see.

How does one identify being “lukewarm” if they have a problem with scrupulosity ?

In the account of the two men who went up to pray, the Publican does not seem to be guilty of “lukewarmness” but it was the tax collector who was viewed more positively.

This can be hardly an example of lukewarmness as understood in Rev 3. But yes, the Publican was lukewarm in his faith – he was laid back and contented instead of trying to spring to action to do more to serve the Lord. The tax collector was better – he realized his fault unlike the Publican and asked God for forgiveness.

It sounds like from the following:
I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire 14 so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed,

a) How does a person buy from God gold refined by fire ?
b) What are the “white garments” needed to be bought and “put on” to cover the “shameful nakedness.” ?

The key word here is to buy from him. Our own riches (gold and silver and fashionable clothes) will not satisfy us nor will our clothes cover our nakedness, our sin. The Lord ask us to turn to him. We need gold and silver from the Lord and white garment that can cover our nakedness. Righteousness and the justice of the Lord will only satisfy us. Someone say Baptism which might be well true but if you are Baptized already it really means a life of purity, without sins. And you have to be zealous in wanting to achieve that.

Hope that helps.

God bless you.

 

[centurionguard]

St. John Vianney describes a lukewarm soul as one who would like to be worldly without ceasing to be a child of God…a creature who gives one hand to God and the other to the world, so that he can call both to his aid and promise his heart to each one in turn. Then, weary of wanting to give his allegiance to both, ends by giving it to the world alone (Sermons of the Cure of Ars).
The state of being lukewarm, according to the book of Revelation, is a very dangerous one. The Holy Spirit spoke to the angel messenger saying, “I know your works and what you are doing; you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm … I will spew you out of My mouth!”
St. John Vianney describes the state of the lukewarm soul as “not yet dead in the eyes of God because its spiritual life of faith, hope and charity are not altogether extinct but it is faith without zeal, hope without resolution and charity without ardor…” (Sermons of the Cure of Ars)
For the lukewarm, religious acts are merely habit and routine done out a sense of duty so that the word of God or even long prayers are distasteful and boring. A lukewarm soul may be filled with good intentions without doing anything to correct its habits. His mind is so wrapped up in the things of earth that the thought of God has no place in it and he is rendered incapable of doing anything to gain heaven. After having received Holy Communion, the lukewarm will hardly give another thought to God in all the days to follow. His manner of life tells that he did not know the greatness of the happiness which had been his. (Sermons of the Cure of Ars)
Because God revealed his great love by saving his creation from bondage, delivering them from death, and showing the way to new life, he deserves to be loved in return and above all things. Lukewarmness, then, is a sin against charity. When prompted to act charitably, the lukewarm may refuse or neglect to respond (Catholic Catechism 2094). They like doing good but wish it did not cost them anything or at least very little. They know quite well that a certain person has a need for help but they wait until she comes to ask for it rather than anticipate her. The lukewarm may do plenty of good works and even frequent the Sacraments, but in all this one sees only a weak, languishing faith, hope which the slightest trial will upset and love of God and neighbor without warmth or pleasure. (Sermons of the Cure of Ars)
The rich seem to be particularly susceptible to this particular sin as Revelation continues: “For you say, I am rich; I have prospered and grown wealthy, and I am in need of nothing; and you do not realize and understand that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”
Jesus spoke of the lukewarm when he said, “No man can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other: or he will sustain the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and the world. Therefore I say to you, be not solicitous for your life, what you shall eat, nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than the meat: and the body more than the raiment? Be not solicitous therefore, saying what shall we eat: or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the heathens seek. For your Father knows that you have need of all these things. (Matt. 6:24-25, 31-32).
The book of Revelation continues and gives advice for the lukewarm - “Therefore I counsel you to purchase from Me gold refined and tested by fire, that you may be [truly] wealthy, and white clothes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nudity from being seen, and salve to put on your eyes, that you may see. Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I tell their faults and convict and convince and reprove and chasten . So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude] - Revelation 3:18-19