I am also aware that you have persisted steadfastly, endured much for the sake of my name, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you: You have departed from your first love! Therefore, remember from what high state you have fallen and repent! Do the deeds you did at the first; if not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place – that is, if you do not repent. Revelation 2:3-5 NET
This is a warning to the church in Ephesus. They appear to be a reputable group. Jesus commends them for their resilience in the face of adversity and their perseverance. He is grateful for their commitment to sound doctrine and their opposition to evil.
After all that, He informs them that they have lost their first love. There is a divergence among scholars regarding whether He is referring to their love for Him or their love for others. I believe he is referring to both.
The single new commandment that Jesus gave the church was to love one another as He loves us. He informed the disciples that the world would be able to identify them as His followers by their selfless love for one another. (John 13:34-35)
As I reviewed His admonition to the Ephesians, I realized that while maintaining sound doctrine is undoubtedly essential and enduring hardship for His Name is laudable, it is possible to do both and miss the point.
When we break fellowship and publicly condemn one another over issues such as women preachers, speaking in tongues, differing tastes in worship style, or the timing of the Lord’s return, I have to wonder if we might merit the same warning.
I know some wonderful women who are great teachers. You don’t have to listen. I speak in tongues; you don’t have to. We will meet again in Heaven. I’m a warmed-over hippie, so our tastes in music and the decorum in our gatherings may differ. Here’s the deal: If it glorifies the Lord, conforms to His Word, and has the glorious taste of anointing, I’ll do my best to sing it with you. And hopefully we can all agree that Jesus is coming back and we should live ready.
What I do know is that the same John who was Jesus’ scribe for the love command and for this warning to the Ephesians also wrote in a letter to the church:
“If anyone says “I love God” and yet hates his fellow Christian, he is a liar, because the one who does not love his fellow Christian whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And the commandment we have from him is this: that the one who loves God should love his fellow Christian too.” 1 John 4:20-21 NET
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