lukewarm christians

¹⁵I know your works: that you are neither cold, nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. ¹⁶But because you are lukewarm and are neither cold nor hot, I will begin to vomit you out of my mouth.

¹⁴And to the Angel of the Church of Laodicea write: Thus says the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, who is the Beginning of the creation of God: ¹⁵I know your works: that you are neither cold, nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. ¹⁶But because you are lukewarm and are neither cold nor hot, I will begin to vomit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷For you declare, ‘I am wealthy, and I have been enriched further, and I have need of nothing.’ And you do not know that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. ¹⁸I urge you to buy from me gold, tested by fire, so that you may be enriched and may be clothed in white vestments, and so that the shame of your nakedness may disappear. And anoint your eyes with an eye salve, so that you may see. ¹⁹Those whom I love, I rebuke and chastise. Therefore, be zealous and do penance.

¹⁵Do not choose to love the world, nor the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the charity of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For all that is in the world is the desire of the flesh, and the desire of the eyes, and the arrogance of a life which is not of the Father, but is of the world.

³⁰Whoever is not with me, is against me. And whoever does not gather with me, scatters.

³For there shall be a time when they will not endure sound doctrine, but instead, according to their own desires, they will gather to themselves teachers, with itching ears,

¹³You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, with what will it be salted? It is no longer useful at all, except to be cast out and trampled under by men.

¹⁶But because you are lukewarm and are neither cold nor hot, I will begin to vomit you out of my mouth.

¹⁰From the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so! ¹¹Does a fountain emit, out of the same opening, both sweet and bitter water? ¹²My brothers, can the fig tree yield grapes? Or the vine, figs? Then neither is salt water able to produce fresh water.

¹⁰In this way, the sons of God are made manifest, and also the sons of the devil. Everyone who is not just, is not of God, as also anyone who does not love his brother.

¹⁵But sanctify Christ the Lord in your hearts, being always ready to give an explanation to all who ask you the reason for that hope which is in you.

²⁶For how does it benefit a man, if he gains the whole world, yet truly suffers damage to his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

¹⁴Do not choose to bear the yoke with unbelievers. For how can justice be a participant with iniquity? Or how can the fellowship of light be a participant with darkness? ¹⁵And how can Christ join together with Belial? Or what part do the faithful have with the unfaithful? ¹⁶And what consensus does the temple of God have with idols? For you are the temple of the living God, just as God says: “I will dwell with them, and I will walk among them. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ¹⁷Because of this, you must depart from their midst and be separate, says the Lord. And do not touch what is unclean. ¹⁸Then I will accept you. And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

⁴traitorous, reckless, self-important, loving pleasure more than God,

³³Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree evil and its fruit evil. For certainly a tree is known by its fruit. ³⁴Progeny of vipers, how are you able to speak good things while you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. ³⁵A good man offers good things from a good storehouse. And an evil man offers evil things from an evil storehouse. ³⁶But I say to you, that for every idle word which men will have spoken, they shall render an account in the day of judgment. ³⁷For by your words shall you be justified, and by your words shall you be condemned.”