A lukewarm Christian is someone who claims to be a follower of Jesus but lives as though they are sufficient in themselves and don't need Him. They might attend church, but they're content in their own ways and rarely apply what they learn.
They hear the word of God, they live on it for a little while then they get back to their normal life of living an independent life other than what the word of God says.
Are you doudtful that you are sometimes a lukewarm christian? here’s how you can know.
What does it mean to be a lukewarm Christian?
As we dive into this question I want you to know, I have nothing but love for those of you reading this. The topic of being a lukewarm Christian can be a hard one to work through because it means confronting a lot of behaviors that have become normal for many of us.
I say us because admittedly, I’ve been there too.
This article is a combination of I’ve learned through my own experience and through personal Bible study.
A few things we need to know about lukewarm Christianity; let’s start with the lukewarm Christian definition.
Lukewarm means neither hot nor cold. In the context of faith, the lukewarm meaning in the Bible describes someone who hasn’t blatantly denied Jesus but isn’t blatantly living for Him either. They have lukewarm faith; faith in name, but not in action.
You can find what the Bible has to say about being hot or cold in Revelation chapter 5:14-22. We’ll be examining those verses more in this article as well.
To sum it up in a simple sentence: lukewarm faith is faith that doesn’t affect the way you live.
It’s interesting that the term lukewarm Christian even exists, because what makes Christian a Christian is their belief in Jesus, their love for Him. and they’re commitment to the will of God.
Affection shapes our actions. There are several ways to identify a lukewarm Christian but all of them point to an even greater concern.
You become a lukewarm Christian when you allow your love of God to fade.
You become a lukewarm church when your reverence for God fades.
Both of these are indicators that you’re about to slide down a very slippery slope.
The Dangers of Lukewarm Christianity
A lukewarm Christian might attend a worship service, but they treat it like a concert only engaging if the music fits their preference; treating it more like a concert. They might do charitable deeds but only after weighing how it will benefit them.
A Christian in a healthy relationship with the Lord will do these things because of their commitment and love for God. A lukewarm Christian dismisses their need for God and disconnects from the concept of a relationship with Him because they believe they are sufficient in and of themselves.
We see this type of behavior described in Revelation chapter 3.
“Because you say, I am rich, I have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ – and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked -” Revelation 3:17
This text describes people who are so confident in themselves, they seemingly have no need for God. Because they believe they have no need for Him, they remain neutral when they should be standing for Him. Instead of standing for righteousness, they compromise.
That is why being a lukewarm Christian is so dangerous. Lukewarm Christianity teaches Christians that compromising our faith is acceptable. Instead of standing for righteousness, lukewarm Christianity encourages the body of Christ to remain neutral.
When the body of Christ becomes neutral we also become ineffective. In addition, we relinquish power and authority to those who wish to change the standards of righteousness to fit their own agendas.
A lukewarm church aids the agenda of the enemy without even knowing it. And when the Lord reaches out to convict and correct – a lukewarm church will reject His helping hand. They believe they are sufficient in themselves.
Are Lukewarm Christians Saved?
Salvation is a beautiful gift. Although God did His part to make it available to everyone, scripture makes it very clear that there will be people who miss out on it.
In Matthew chapter 7 Jesus is talking to His disciples about the Kingdom of Heaven and He says to them,
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14
Shortly after that Jesus warns again,
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Matthew 7:21
A lukewarm church is a church that believes a polluted gospel, one that leads them away from doing the will of God and away from a relationship with Jesus.
If a relationship with Jesus and commitment to walking with God’s ord are two essentials for salvation (see John 14:6, Matthew 7:21, Revelation 3:15-16) then lukewarm church has a big problem!
I believe that’s why God had this message writing to the church of Laodicea and preserved through the Bible.
He wanted to warn them that complacency and compromise could cost them more than they could imagine. This is why in the next portions of Revelation chapter 3 He offers the people both correction but hope.
“I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your wickedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.” Revelation 3:18-19
God is not willing to embrace a lukewarm church. He is however willing to embrace a repentant church!
Signs of Being a Lukewarm Christian
1. You’re content without Jesus. A lukewarm Christian doesn’t have any desire to spend time with Him in prayer, worship, in the Bible, or to serve alongside Him.
2. You ignore the teaching and conviction. You don’t allow others, Holy Spirit, or even the Bible to counsel you.
3. You welcome and value teachings of philosophers and motivational speakers over the full counsel of God. A lukewarm Christian allows philosophies and ideologies to be the foundations of their choices. They expect God’s grace to uphold them even when they oppose Him with their choices. They most times believe in facts rather than the truth of God's word.
4. You would rather remain neutral than live “set apart.” A lukewarm Christian will not pick sides. They’ll run from the responsibility of choosing between righteousness and worldliness and will fight to create a middle ground. They remain neutral in an attempt to gain the best of both worlds.
5. You use your voice to advocate for your preferences even when those preferences cause you to oppose God’s moral standards.
6. Your confidence lies in your possessions, connections, and influence instead of in the Lord.
7. You expect God to conform to the will of people instead of encouraging people to conform to the will of God. What God has spelled out clearly, a lukewarm Christian will allow society to alter and redefine. A few examples, the definition of marriage, gender identity, social justice and reformation.
How to Not Be A Lukewarm Christian
Overcoming spiritual lukewarmness will challenge you because it will require you to give up a lot of the things you’ve become accustom to.
Below are 7 steps that will help you answer the question, how to stop being a lukewarm Christian. I’ll list them individually first, and you can keep reading to get the full break down.
1. Acknowledge your need for Jesus.
2. Delight in sound biblical teaching.
3. Value the wisdom and counsel of the Lord.
4. Prioritize choices that protect and honor your relationship with Jesus.
5. Choose Jesus over and over again.
6. Treasure the giver over the gift.
7. Model righteousness. Model love. Encourage both.
Acknowledge Your Need for Jesus
We all need Jesus. There isn’t one person in this world who can be saved for eternity without Him. In Romans 3:23 Paul teaches, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
A few chapters later in Romans 6:23 Paul states, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Salvation for eternity can only be found in Jesus. We are not sufficient on our own.
Overcoming spiritual lukewarmness requires us to confess our need for Jesus. Next on the agenda is building a relationship with Him.
If you confess with your mouth that the Lord Jesus and believe in your hearts the God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9
Delight in Sound Biblical Counsel
There are a lot of voices that fight for space in our minds. Some of them are intentionally deceptive, some of them have good intentions but are misleading, others are ignorant; and then there’s the Bible, the counsel of the Lord.
Find joy in obtaining wisdom that comes from God.
In Psalm 1:1-3 David says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law, he meditates day and night.”
One way to not be a lukewarm Christian is to find joy in studying the Bible and spending time with God.
Value the Wisdom and Counsel of the Lord
We live in a society that teaches us to find wisdom in people. Unfortunately, people fail. Our wisdom fails. That’s why it’s important for us to value God’s wisdom the counsel of the Bible and Holy Spirit above any other voice.
In Proverbs 1:7 we’re advised, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…”. Wisdom starts and ends with the counsel of the Lord.
A lukewarm Christian will lean on the unstable guidance philosophers, thought leaders, and world figures. A genuine Christian will lean on God’s wisdom even when it requires them to go against the grain.
For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly.
Proverbs 2:6-7
Prioritize Choices that Protect and Honor Your Relationship with Jesus
Aim to be a friend of God over a friend of the world (James 2:23 and James 4:4). Be a co-laborer (1 Corinthians 3:9). Those are two precious pieces of our identity in Christ we should not give up so easily.
Of course, building a friendship with God means learning to hear His voice and consider His heart, and acknowledge His ways. Two primary ways we hear His voice are through the Bible and through prayer.
Choose Jesus over and over again.
Your choices are a reflection of what you love. Love Jesus more than anything. Be passionate about what He’s passionate about. Love what He loves, hate what He hates, and advocate for the things He stands for.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.”
Matthew 6:33
Treasure the giver over the gift.
We are only whole when we are walking in a relationship with Jesus. Be thankful for what God has provided and allowed you to enjoy, but keep your confidence in Him.
When we have nothing we still have Him. When we have everything, genuine Christians will still value God most.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
James 1:17
Model Righteousness. Model Love. Encourage Both.
The ways of the world will lead us astray every single time. That’s why Paul instructs us in Romans 12:2, “…Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Don’t allow the world to redefine what God has already set in stone. Love God enough to stand by Him. Love people enough to encourage them in truth.
Reasons as to why you should avoid being a lukewarm
There are countless people all over the world whose potential has been wasted simply because they never were decided on what they wanted to do with their lives. It’s one of the worst feelings to look back and realize that you could have done things differently. Imagine what it must be like being in your old age and carrying regret for not doing something significant with your life.
Think about what God says about being lukewarm in the Bible,
“So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.” ~ Revelation 3:16
Lukewarm water or any lukewarm food is not nice at all if you know what I’m talking about. The scripture above today relates to the lukewarm Christian. Double minded and half hearted he cannot be counted on for anything and because of that God cannot use a person like that.
Look at your own life today and see if there are any areas of lukewarm Christian character in you that need to be dealt with. It really doesn’t pay to be half hearted at anything you do in life. The Bible also speaks about how a double minded man receives nothing (James 1:8) which goes to show that when you are like that you do yourself and the people around you a disservice.
Here are a couple of reasons why you need to avoid being lukewarm by all means:
1. No one can count on you
Take for example at your place of employment. You are assigned responsibilities to carry out with the view that you can get the job done. If you are constantly tossing and turning about whether or not you want to be working where you are your productivity goes down which means you subsequently fail to deliver on your responsibilities.
As a result you may get warnings and if it gets worse you get terminated from your workplace which can be a devastating experience. It’s never a good thing to be dismissed for poor performance but that’s what can happen if you are double minded.
2. You become miserable
A double minded person is typically pulled in many directions which is what makes him or her unstable. Have you ever seen someone who may be with you physically but you can tell when you look at them that their mind is somewhere else? There is really no peace in a person like that.
Galatians 5:22 speaks about the fruit of the Spirit and that includes peace; peace that surpasses all understanding.
Having peace of mind is truly a gift from God and it comes from having total victory internally regardless of what may be happening externally in your life. It’s sad to see people getting up each day with nothing much to look forward each day because they carry a lot of anxiety. It’s even worse when you are getting to old age.
Misery also affects your health especially if depression is thrown into the equation. A lot of people suffer because of depression. That’s definitely not what I would want to experience in my own life.
3. Loss of time
Unfortunately we don’t realize the amount of time we waste when we are constantly moving around in circles only to get up later in life and see that life passed us by. This is especially important to take note of as a young person. Your youth is one of the best times of your life where you have the opportunity to learn and prepare yourself for life’s challenges ahead.
The sad thing about time is that once it’s gone you can never recover it. Being double minded costs you the most in that regard. Time is a precious commodity that should be utilized wisely.
Decide on what you want to be, commit it to God and give it everything you’ve got. That way when you depart this earth you can look back and be glad for having lived your life with purpose.
The good news about being a lukewarm Christian is that you’re not too far gone to be loved by God and make your way back to Him.
In fact, one of the most popular stories in the Bible that depicts the love of God towards lukewarm Christians is the story of the prodigal son. You’ll find it in Luke chapter 15:11-32.
It starts with a simple confession, “Jesus, I need you.” In just one prayer you’re one step closer to a genuine relationship with God.
What spoke to you the most about being a lukewarm Christian? Let us know below!
