Rev 3:16 But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth.?

Question

Please explain what a lukewarm Christian is and what "spit you out of my mouth" means. How will God spit out the lukewarm Christians. What exactly will he do to them.

Answer 1

My interpretation is that if we are not about our duty to witness we are not doing our Christian duty and Jesus will turn His back on us. On the other hand if we are really committed to our Lord and not ashamed to say so He will also acknowledge us to His Father.

Answer 2

I heard a sermon about this last week. Here is how it was explained:
That text was written to the church at Laodicea. Remember that when something is written to a specific person or group of people you have to keep their frame of reference in the back of your mind when you are exegeting (drawing conclusions) about the text.
Laodicea was in a region near Hieropolis and Colosae. Hieropolis was known for bubbling, hot springs. People came from all around to bath in the hot springs. They had medicinal purposes.
Collosae was known for a mountain in that region (I think it was called Mount Cadmus) and the water flowing into the city was ice cold and refreshing.
Laodicea on the other hand did not have an adequate water supply. It had to have its water pumped through the roman aqueducts. By the time it reached Laodicea it was lukewarm and even a little bitter tasting (due to large mineral deposits in the aqueduct system).
When the writer of Revelation talked about hot and cold the readers of Laodicea would have thought about Hieropolis and Colossae. They would have understood that to be hot or cold meant that both the hot water and the cold water had good purposes and were useful. But to be lukewarm would have meant you were useless (if you were drinking it you would probably spew it out of your mouth).
The admonition here is that christians should be useful - actually living out their faith. It is not okay to just live a "religious" life that doesn't mean anything to anyone except yourself.

Answer 3

Kait, being lukewarm is not acceptable when you take this scripture back to the root words!

Jesus is saying He wants us HOT or COLD....we cannot ride the fence! There must be a decision.

If you claim to be a Christian, and yet, you are "lukewarm" then you truly have not received Jesus as your Savior! No Christian can be lukewarm and serve HIM too!

Now, about the "spit you out of my mouth." In other text's we read the word "spew you from my mouth." When I took this back to the original meaning...it means to VOMIT you from His mouth! I think we all understand that this is not a good thing!

To me, this says that one cannot be a true Christian if they are lukewarm as they are riding the fence (not allowed). To "spit", "spew" them...I believe that this will be condemnation to those who never truly picked up that cross and followed Him and His ways!

I pray that noone is lukewarm! That all would surrender their will to His! That all seek Him through prayer, scriptures and with an opened heart.

Answer 4

I am a christian and prefer to think of all my brothers/sisters in the family but the lukewarm water infers that many are fine with not speaking up: Hey I am a Christian and this is my belief!! Everyone has their ways of living and doing things the lukewarm ones bend to try to keep everyone happy!

Answer 5

He refers to christians as food as to their spirit. Some are hot (spicy) others are cold (ice cream). He would like them to be something or another; but lukewarm sits in your mouth undetected. So he spits them out and procedes to make them colder or hotter. In this process the christian is revitalized, that is he personally receives more attention to his betterment. As God "chews" a christian, they are being used, but this makes them lukewarm and lose flavor so they must be revitalized.

Answer 6

those Laodiceans need to bestir themselves, for they have become spiritually indolent, apparently taking too much for granted. Jesus, whom they as Christians should have imitated, always displays a fiery zeal for God and his service. Further, meek ones have found him to be always gentle and mild, as refreshing as a cup of cold water on a swelteringly hot day. (Matthew 11:28, 29) But the Christians in Laodicea are neither hot nor cold. Like the waters that flow down into their city, they have become tepid, lukewarm. They are liable to be completely rejected by Jesus, ‘vomited out of his mouth’! May we for our part always strive zealously, as did Jesus, to provide spiritual refreshment for others.

The Laodiceans were reproved for being “neither cold nor hot” spiritually. Because they were lukewarm, Christ was going to vomit them out of his mouth. It should not have been hard for them to grasp that point. Nearby Hierapolis had hot springs, and Colossae had cold water. Since water had to be piped to Laodicea over quite a distance, however, it was likely lukewarm when it reached the city. Part of the way, it was conveyed by an aqueduct. Closer to Laodicea, it ran through bored stone blocks cemented together.

Answer 7

The way "I" understand this scripture to mean: I take it as a way of judging!?! & or say for instance God testing the water!?! for instance if you'd see a glass of water,'You may be thirsty!?! You pick the glass up taking some water in your mouth: & since it might not be cold.. Or even warm from it being on lets say a table!?!.. Your testing lets you know how long it may have been at the location you saw it .. You may spit it out because of it not being as you hoped it should!?! Maybe not being GOOD to you so you may reject it/do away with the water/do away with it !?!. So maybe we can see us as being the water in question!?! >~!!! maybe the few verses before or after it will give you a slightly better understanding !?!.."R"r`r'a`,wWw rRr..

Answer 8

lukewarm is straddling the fence. you trying to serve Him but yet your still living in sin too. this would have to do with the verses, you cant serve two masters and you cant sit at the Lord's table and satan's also. "spit you out my mouth", thats not literally, thats saying judgement day you wont be accepted in His kingdom. your either fully for the Lord or your against Him. you cant have your cake and eat it too. you either serve the Lord or you serve satan.

Answer 9

Rev. 3:16 So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am about to spew you out of My mouth.


* (1)spew
To be spewed out of the Lord's mouth is to be rejected by the
Lord and to lose the enjoyment of all that the Lord is to His
church.

Answer 10

Great question. Lukewarm Christian is when we kind of believe in Him but not really show it in our life and that kind of Christian gives such a bad example. We have money but we do not use it to help others, we are competing with neighbors with what we have.

Those are the people who try to follow the middle ground rather than do business with God.

Answer 11

Rev 3:15 - I know thy works,.... Which were far from being perfect, and not so good as those of the former church:

that thou art neither cold nor hot; she was not "cold", or without spiritual life, at least in many of her members, as all men by nature are, and carnal professors be; she was alive, but not lively: nor was she wholly without spiritual affections and love; to God, and Christ, to his people, ways, truths, and ordinances; she had love, but the fervency of it was abated: nor was she without spiritual breathings and desires altogether, as dead men are; or without the light and knowledge of the Gospel, and a profession of it, and yet she was not "hot"; her love to God and Christ, and the saints, was not ardent and flaming; it was not like coals of fire, that give most vehement flame, which many waters cannot quench the had not fervency of spirit in the service of the Lord; nor was she zealous for the truths of the Gospel, and for the ordinances of it, and for the house of God and its discipline; nor did she warmly oppose all sin, and every error and false way,

I would thou wert cold or hot; which must be understood, not absolutely, but comparatively; and not that it was an indifferent thing to Christ whether she was one or the other; but he alludes to what is natural among men, it being generally more agreeable to have anything entirely hot, or entirely cold, than to be neither; and so uses this phrase to show his detestation of lukewarmness, and that it is better to be ignorant, and not a professor of religion, than to be a vain and carnal one; Christ desires not simply that she might be cold, but that she might be sensible of her need of spiritual heat and fervency.

Rev 3:16 - So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,.... A lukewarm professor is one that serves God and mammon; that halts between two opinions, and knows not what religion is best, and cares little for any, yet keeps in a round of duty, though indifferent to it, and contents himself with it; and is unconcerned about the life and power of godliness, and takes up with the external form of it; and has no thought about the glory of God, the interest of Christ and truth; and this was too much the case of this church, at least of a great number of its members; wherefore it was very loathsome to Christ, hence he threatens:

I will spew thee out of my mouth; this shows how nauseous lukewarmness is to Christ, insomuch that on account of it he would not own and acknowledge her as his; but even cast her out, unchurch her, and have no more any such imperfect church state upon earth, as he afterwards never will, this is the last; nor is there any church state, or any remains of one in Laodicea; it is indeed quite uninhabited.