Most born-again believers become lukewarm in their Christian journey without noticing until a fellow believer calls their attention to it. This mostly happens because they don’t know the meaning of being a lukewarm Christian as described in the Bible.
In the Book of Revelation 3:15-17, we can see God’s judgment about the Laodicean church, which has lukewarm faith in Him. The Bible verse says, “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”
When the weather is cold, a cup of hot coffee can make a person feel warm, and cold drinks are refreshing on a hot day. On the contrary, a lukewarm drink will neither provide warmth on a cold day nor refresh the body when the weather is hot.
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In biblical context, a lukewarm Christian can be described as someone who is not passionate about or fully committed to their Christian beliefs. Although they may go to church on Sunday mornings and do a few good deeds once in a while. However, they have no true zeal for the things of the kingdom.
Christians in a lukewarm state want to be like the people of the world and also want to live a holy life. They are in a spiritual state of confusion, which can prevent them from inheriting the kingdom of God. In this article, we’ll discuss the signs of people who lack passionate commitment to the things of God’s kingdom.
9 Signs of a Lukewarm Christian
Although people with a lukewarm heart can display several behaviors, we’ll discuss the 9 most common ones:
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For believers to grow in their Christian faith, they need to read and meditate on God’s word. Lukewarm Christians may read the Bible, but they won’t meditate on it. This implies that they read the word of God as though they’re reading a novel or magazine and not like someone who is willing to hear from God. Most times, people who belong in this category find it easy to discuss several passages of the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. Still, it won’t have any meaningful effect in their life because they don’t allow the Holy Spirit to minister to them.
Psalms 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” God’s word serves as a guide for all true Christians, as it tells the mind of God about every life issue. Plus, it gives us clear instructions about the things we need to prosper and the sins we must avoid by all means. Any believer who doesn’t spend quality time reading and meditating on the word of God will make several mistakes in many areas of their life. Moreover, they will likely get carried away by false doctrines that will expose them to the schemes of the devil.
Lukewarm Christians don’t pray until they see the need for it or only when it’s convenient for them. Prayer is one of the ways true believers speak to God and also hear from Him. Jesus Christ spent the majority of His time on earth praying to God the Father and obeying His divine instructions. He also taught us how to pray in the book of Matthew 6:9-13.
As a Child of God, it is not only when you’re in distress that you should remember to pray. Apostle Paul says we should “pray without ceasing” in the book of 1 Thessalonians 5:17. A nominal Christian only turns to God in prayer when they’re sick, hungry, poor, or in other serious needs. They see the Lord God as their last resort in difficult times and often run back to the world once their needs are met.
Further, lukewarm people are always in a hurry to leave the place of prayer. Spending quality time in God’s presence seems like a waste of time to them. God wants us to communicate with Him the way we talk to our loved ones because He’s our heavenly father. When a Christian’s prayer life is poor, they’ll be powerless in the time of temptation and challenges.
Christians who don’t believe in paying offerings and tithes to their local Church don’t have genuine faith in God. They hold on to the belief that giving will reduce their finances and can make them run into debt. However, people who have faith in God knows that when they’re rich towards Him, they will never lack good things.
Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”
From this Bible passage, we can see that tithing is one of the ways to receive blessings from God. As believers, nothing should be too much for us to give to support God’s ministry because everything belongs to Him. Christians who don’t take tithing seriously expose their lives to the devourers that may come in the form of sickness, diseases and lack of productivity.
4. Follows False Doctrines
Another attribute of a lukewarm Christian is their eagerness to follow doctrines that are not in line with the word of God. They don’t filter preachings and won’t find out the mind of God about it the way the Berean Jews did in the book of Acts 17:11. Hence, they’re always ready to go with the flow of contradictory messages that make them commit sins against God.
Believers who are well-grounded in the scriptures know the dangers of obeying the teachings of false prophets whose aim is to deceive their followers and to make a profit. 1 John 4:1 says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
Similarly, Jesus warns Christians about false prophets in Matthew 7:15, which says, ““Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” After knowing the mind of God about wrong doctrines through the Bible, anyone who follows these teachings blindly will have themselves to blame.
People who are guilty of spiritual tepidity live a life of sin without remorse. They know the things God doesn’t like but are not ready to let go of them because of the satisfaction it gives. Some of them rationalize their sinful behaviors to erase the guilt that comes with it in their heart.
God is merciful, compassionate, and forgiving to His children. He also gives sinners the grace to forsake their sinful ways and begin to live a righteous life. This is one of the reasons why some Christians continue to sin, since they don’t suffer from its consequences. Nevertheless, the book of Hebrews 10:26-27 makes us realize that, “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”
Genuine repentance from the life of sin may seem difficult, but it is the best decision that a Christian who has eternal life in mind can make.
6. Ignoring Evangelism
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Some Christians don’t know what it means to be a true witness for Christ. Instead of propagating the gospel at every given opportunity, they prefer to hide their beliefs so that unbelievers will not mock them.
One of the assignments Jesus gave believers before ascending to heaven is that they should make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Many believers brag about being saved for several years, but they have never won a soul for Christ. Nothing about their words and actions suggests to unbelievers that they’re a child of God because their spiritual temperature is neither high nor low.
Nowadays, sharing the gospel of Christ has become easy with the use of social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Moreover, unbelievers are more convinced by the way believers live their lives than the things they say about their spiritual life. God is not pleased with a cold Christian who doesn’t serve Him with a sincere heart. Believers who have experienced the mighty power of God won’t hesitate to share His divine love with as many people as they come across in their Christian journey.
7. Obedience to God is Conditional
One of the ways to identify a lukewarm Christian is by the way they’re selective with obeying God’s word. Before this group of people obeys a divine instruction, they’ll find out if it is beneficial to them or not. God loves it when we obey Him completely without complaining, whether it is convenient or not. It’s proof that we believe in His divine will and plan for our lives.
In the Book of 1 Samuel 15, we can see the story of King Saul’s partial disobedience and its repercussions. God instructed the king. to completely destroy the Amalekites without sparing any living being. Even though Saul destroyed the people of Amalekite, he spared the life of their king and took the best animals in the land for himself. As a result, his kingship was taken away from him and given to David, whom the Bible described as the man after God’s heart (1 Samuel 13:14).
Partial obedience, or lukewarm obedience, is the same thing as disobedience, which offers short-term benefit to anyone who practices it. Obeying God’s instructions may not be easy, but it ensures peace and long-term progress.
8. Copying Worldly Trends
There’s little to no difference between unbelievers and believers who don’t take their belief in Christ seriously. Whatever the people of the world do is what they’ll do, forgetting the word of God in Romans 12:2, which says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Whoever wants to please God must avoid dressing, talking, and behaving like the people of the world. Besides, they must not be carried away by worldly things, which puts them in the same category as people who don’t know God. Normally, a Christian should be able to influence unbelievers with the way they live their life and not the other way round. As believers, we must have it in mind that we’re in the world, but we’re not of the world.
9. Isolation from Fellow Believers
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Lukewarm Christians don’t like to associate with other believers who can encourage and support them about living a righteous life. Instead of going to church, they prefer to read the Bible at home and listen to the ministrations of random preachers on the internet.
Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” Similarly, Apostle Paul advises believers about fellowshipping together in Hebrews 10:25, saying, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
Christians who want to grow in their spiritual journey often mingle with fellow believers whom they’ll be accountable to. If they’re struggling with a sin, a brother or sister in the Lord can offer words of advice or prayers that will help them overcome it. Moreover, the brethren can provide physical, emotional, and spiritual support to anyone going through challenges among them.
In the book of Acts 12, we can see how God miraculously delivered Apostle Peter from the prison guarded by four squads of soldiers. After Peter’s deliverance, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, where the brethren gathered and had been praying for him. God works wonders in the midst of His children whenever they gather to call on Him because He’s always there with them (Matthew 18:20).
Lukewarm Christians believe they are self-sufficient and don’t need the help of others to thrive in their spiritual journey. Unfortunately, isolation from fellowshipping with the brethren is one of the schemes the enemy uses in targeting careless believers before attacking them.
How to Stop Being a Lukewarm Christian
Here are some of the ways a lukewarm Christian can become fervent for God with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Acknowledge the fact you’ve been practicing Christianity of convenience.
Ask God for the forgiveness of the sin of lukewarmness and determine to repent at that moment.
Surrender your life to Christ Jesus again and ask Him for a new heart and the zeal to serve God wholeheartedly.
Develop a habit of praying and meditating on the word of God daily.
Begin to attend a Bible-believing church and be active there. This can be as simple as participating in all their programs and volunteering to use your skills and talents freely.
Make friends with fellow believers who can always offer words of encouragement and be a good support system.
Monitor your spiritual growth from time to time and improve in the necessary areas.
Conclusion
Any Christian can become lukewarm if they’re not careful with the way they live their life. Perhaps you noticed the signs of lukewarmness in your life; there’s hope for you. Ask God for the grace to become passionate for Him and begin to take meaningful steps to become a better Christian. God wants His children to be on fire for Him and to take everything that pertains to the kingdom seriously. As long as you don’t give up, He will grant you the grace to continue on the path to becoming a fervent believer.
Kennie Oguntoyinbo is a freelance content writer, editor and proofreader with over 4 years of experience. She is highly skilled in creating captivating and informative content across the Christian, relationship, and parenting niches. With a deep love for Christian-related articles, she writes content that inspires the readers, combining biblical lessons with practical knowledge. Whether writing devotional blogs, relationship advice, or family-focused articles, she aims to glorify God while connecting with readers through relatable, encouraging, faith-driven articles.
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