The Risk of a Lukewarm Faith

Have you ever tasted something so awful that you just wanted to spit it out?

For me, it was the barium prep for my CT scan.

I remember it all too well.

spit it out

The nurse handed over the bottle of barium and instructed me to drink it within a certain length of time.

Thank the Lord my wonderful husband was there to keep me on track.

The taste of that wicked brew was absolutely vile – like metallicized milk.

If I think about it too long, I can still taste it. Yuck.

No kidding, it took everything in me not to throw it up right there in a lobby full of other patients.

When something is that bad, naturally we’re disgusted at how offensive it is to the senses.

Speaking of disgusting (and for a more familiar analogy), think of “room temperature” black coffee.

There it is sitting on your kitchen counter.

Without thinking you drink a big gulp – only to realize it had gotten cold and you needed to spit it out.

Barium or lukewarm coffee – no matter – the vile taste of those conjures up a “simplistic” picture of disgust.

Yes, I realize that.

But, at the very least and for me, it prompts a serious reflection of one of the warning verses in the book of Revelation.

The reprimand comes from our Savior Himself.

Lukewarm Faith – Jesus Speaks

lukewarm faith

If you turn all the way back to Revelation, you’ll see how Jesus responded to lukewarm faith.

In the passage, He is referring directly to the church at Laodicea.

After reading it though, do you see how a lukewarm faith is just as offensive to the Lord today?

Check this out.

¹⁵‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. ¹⁶So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth. – Revelation 3:15-16, (NASB.)¹

Many people don’t like to face this, but you have to make a decision when it comes to faith and salvation.

There is only one way – thru Jesus Christ our Lord.

“Doing church” on Sundays and then bowing to the world the rest of the week is a recipe for peril when it comes to your eternity.

It’s obvious in the Bible that God doesn’t want lukewarm believers.

Let’s look at some dictionary definitions of “lukewarm”:

halfhearted

indifferent

wishy-washy

Is that how we respond to our Creator, our Sovereign God?

God’s only Son was sacrificed on the cross to save us from the sin-punishment that we all truly deserve.

How do we respond to that sacrifice and the saving grace of Christ’s resurrection from the cross?

Are we reflecting a “life transformed?”

Are we ready to stand up for our faith in a hostile world?

Which path do we choose?

Cold or hot, either way, a choice is made.

The deeds of the true believer will be “hot” or “cold”—that is, they will benefit the world in some way and reflect the spiritual passion of a life transformed. Lukewarm deeds, however—those done without joy, without love, and without the fire of the Spirit—do harm to the watching world. The lukewarm are those who claim to know God but live as though He doesn’t exist. They go to church and practice a form of religion, but their inner state is one of complacency. – gotquestions.org²

I believe this is something we should continually remind ourselves as we face the daily distractions that life (and the disturbing headlines) can bring.

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²Quotation from gotquestions.org, from “Why did Jesus speak so strongly against lukewarm faith? n.d., para. 5. Web. Accessed January 14, 2026. Retrieved from Jesus Lukewarm Faith

Our Exceptional God

Blue Jean Christianity

July 6, 2016 Gracie

Blue Jean Christianity and What it Means to Me

What is “Blue Jean” Christianity?

The good news is that it has nothing to do with that pair of jeans we own, so our closets are good. 🙂

Frankly, the idea of a Blue Jean Christianity has a spiritual meaning for me. It’s a term I came up with to describe a “casual” faith.

It’s the kind of faith that surfaces only on our terms, when it benefits us, or makes us look good. Sadly, a casual or lukewarm faith doesn’t exist for God’s purposes, but for our own. It’s when church-attending happens only twice a year.

The Bad News

We know that God is sickened by “lukewarm” believers.

Whoa – did I say “sickened?”

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. –From Revelation 3:16, King James Version (KJV), Public Domain.

A graphic description, huh? God is so nauseated by lukewarm faith that He wants to spit it out of His mouth.

If that isn’t convicting, I don’t know what else is.

Unfortunately, that kind of faith used to describe me, starting back during my college years up until about age 30. I believed in God, but never talked about my faith or got into discussions about faith matters. I went to a few church services in college, but not many after that. It was all about the business of friendships and pursuing a career. I never even considered my eternal consequences. The adage, “come what may,” seemed to suit me perfectly.

But God

I was heading in one direction back then, but God’s will would not fail. It took several wake-up calls, before I finally got it. I’m grateful that my life changed, even though the spiritual road I’ve been on is fraught with a lot of painful bumps and bruises. It took time, but God is now at the center of my life where He should be.

Have I missed opportunities to share my faith? Yes. Instead of seizing an opportune moment, I’ve taken the easy, “keep your mouth shut” route. We all do it at times. God opens a door, and we’ve blown it.

It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over

A glance at the definitions of “lukewarm” in the dictionary include “tepid, and “blase.´”

Do those terms describe your faith?

Does your faith take a back seat, present only on Sundays? Or, are you active, engaged, and ready to share when an appropriate occasion comes up?

We can pray for those opportunities, and God will bless our prayers.

Why Did God Put Us Here in the First Place?

It’s pretty simple. We’re here to glorify God. Our focus should be on Him, not on fame, celebrity, fortune, or anything society deems as most important.

That means that casually pulling out the “faith card,” only when we’re in the mood or at church, doesn’t cut it.

No one is advocating tackling someone or “thumping” them, as some atheists and misguided people like to characterize what we do. They are wrong on so many levels.

As human beings, we should care about the lost because,

God cares that none of us should perish.

Nonbelievers will face judgment.

Our Truly Caring God

He created us, not the other way around.

Thankfully, we have a just and merciful God. He has clearly paved a way for our redemption through the Cross, our repentance, and faithful prayers. Once we take hold of that divine promise, how could we not share it with our neighbors?

The time is coming when this world will sink into apostasy. It’s already infecting America, and it’s spreading rapidly like an incessant virus. Our blessed hope is in God’s promise of salvation for authentic believers, and He always keeps His promises. Our desire should be to take the promptings from the Holy Spirit and plant those seeds when and where we can. The Holy Spirit will do the rest. Our mission field could be overseas, or it could be right down the street in our neighborhood.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. –From 2 Peter 3:9, King James Version (KJV), Public Domain.

Life isn’t about bragging rights – that new car, new house, or vacation in Hawaii.

If you’re braggin’, it ain’t right. 😉

Those fortunes are exciting for a time, but unlike what society says, they don’t represent the true meaning of success. Our lives are designed to worship and glorify God.We are here for His pleasure.

Do we thank Him for those blessings when they come our way? Do our lives and actions always reflect His glory? If we’re honest, the answer is most likely, “not always.”

Something to think about, huh?

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Our Exceptional God