In the book of Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, God comments on the spiritual condition of seven churches in the Roman province of Asia. These churches were on a common mail route and each congregation is mentioned in the order in which the letter was to be delivered. The first church on this route was the congregation at Ephesus. In this article we will focus specifically on that congregation.

Founded by the apostle Paul, the Ephesian church was thoroughly grounded doctrinally, and Christ’s comment in the second chapter of Revelation reflects that fact. “I know your works, your labor and your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary” (Revelation 2:2-3). These positive and encouraging observations could lead some to conclude that the brethren at Ephesus were spiritually sound; however, they had a serious spiritual deficiency. Christ, the spiritual head of this congregation, actually threatens to remove His lampstand from their presence if they did not repent.

The Ephesians were told to “remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent” (Revelation 2:5). Jesus Christ cautioned them to consider the magnitude of their problem. What did they fall away from? What lessons can the modern Church learn from this ancient congregation?

According to Revelation 1:20, “the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” It is difficult to know exactly what is meant by “remove your lampstand from its place.” Clearly, it is a warning of a serious judgment and consequence. It may mean that Christ will remove the light of His Holy Spirit and blessings. It may mean that this important center of God’s work would be removed to another location where God’s people are maintaining their zeal and love for God.

The first love

God’s warning and subsequent correction of the Ephesian church seems, at first glance, to be disproportional. Why did God say, “Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4-5)?

The “first love” of the church may mean first in point of time, referring to losing the passion and zeal they had after they were first called by God. Or it may mean first in importance, referring to love for God and love for neighbor as emphasized in the two great commandments (Matthew 22:37-38). It probably means both, since they usually go hand in hand.

The Ephesians were doing many things correctly: “I know your works, your labor and your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary” (Revelation 2:2-3). Clearly, they were doing the right things, so why did Christ threaten to remove His presence from them? He did so because many of the Ephesians lost their first love for Christ. The Williams translation of the New Testament makes this point clear: “But I hold it against you that you do not love me as you did at first. So remember the heights from which you have fallen, and repent and do as you did at first, or else I will surely come and move your lampstand from its place—if you do not repent” (Revelation 2:4-5).

Even though they were doing a lot of right things, many lost sight as to who they were called into a relationship with. While struggling to defend against doctrinal corruption, they lost sight of the most important aspect of their Christianity—Jesus Christ Himself. While it is essential to remain faithful to the teaching once delivered (Jude 3), Christians must remember their relationship with Christ is paramount. In fact, to remain faithful to our profession of faith requires that we keep our relationship with God as a first priority, while not neglecting the other. Many within the church at Ephesus had forgotten this truth.

No wonder John was inspired to write, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7). Sadly, many in the 21st-century church have succumbed to the same problem. The warning contained in this verse spans the centuries, reminding us to guard against forgetting the relationship we should have with our loving Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Call to a restored relationship

Throughout history, God has desired a relationship with His human creation. Time and again, Satan has been on the scene attempting to thwart this endeavor. Paul illustrated the nature of this proposed relationship by discussing the spiritual purpose of marriage. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church’” (Ephesians 5:31-32).

He repeated this premise when he wrote, “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity [purity] that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2-3). This theme is evident throughout Scripture and is summed up in the book of Revelation. “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7).

As with any relationship, our personal bond with God the Father and Jesus Christ must be nourished if it is to grow. When we first became Christians, we desired to spend time with God in prayer, Bible study and meditation. We hungered for fellowship with others who shared the same beliefs and convictions. Our zeal was evident to others, and perhaps, even inspired others to review their relationship with God. The apostle Paul understood this dynamic when he spoke of his longing to visit the brethren at Rome. “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me” (Romans 1:11-12).

Unless you exceed their righteousness

Religious convictions that do not stress the importance of loving God and our fellow man often succeed at creating a belief system emphasizing the importance of adhering to a strict body of teachings and confusing those teachings with godliness. Jesus made this point clear when He answered a question put to Him by an expert of the law. “Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets’” (Matthew 22:35-40).

Misdirected zeal was not limited to the church at Ephesus. The apostle Paul mentioned his personal experiences in this matter. “For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers” (Galatians 1:13-14). Through the conversion process, he learned that religious zeal is not enough.

The Israelites of his day suffered the same ailment as he once did. Paul identifies their problem when he wrote; “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:1-4). That is to say, Jesus’ example should be the end goal or outcome we desire in our own lives.

It should be noted, Jesus pointed out how love for God cannot be expressed properly apart and separate from the way Christians show love for their fellow man. Jesus Himself chastised the Pharisees when He said, “But woe to you, Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (Luke 11:42). Sadly, they never followed this instruction. Jesus Christ made it clear He expects more from His followers when He said our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees or we will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20).

What did Jesus mean by this? He was speaking about proper motivation. Jesus Christ did not want His followers to merely embrace yet another religion and primarily be concerned with lists of dos and don’ts. Colossians 2:20-22, summarizes the typical legalistic and ascetic religions of the world: “Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—‘Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,’ which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men?”

That is not to say Christians have license to do whatever they think is right. In fact, under the New Covenant, God promises to write His law on our hearts (Hebrews 10:16). The apostle John wrote: “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:2-3).

Jesus Christ came to introduce a new way of living motivated by a unique relationship between God and the believer. That relationship, when properly understood would radically alter the way people respond to each other and the world. “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

The message to the church at Ephesus remains relevant after almost two millennia. It warns God’s people against losing sight of the importance of having a proper relationship with Him. It warns us to not confuse legalism (supposing salvation is earned by works) with true Christianity. We are warned against confusing knowledge about God with the righteousness of God. The message warns us to cling to our first love and to truly understand what our love for Jesus Christ must entail. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7).