Jesus’ words to the lukewarm should bring every professing Christian to their knees and convict them that God must be the number one priority in life. Salvation comes with a cost—and that cost is your life. In Revelation 3:14–16, Jesus says, “These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” We must take this seriously. Jesus is not using soft language—He says He will vomit the lukewarm out of His mouth. That means their actions and way of life literally make Him sick. It is not just a rejection—it is disgust. That is worse than simply being condemned. These are people who claim to follow Him, yet live in a way that offends and dishonors Him daily.
Jesus gives a further warning in Matthew 7:21–23, saying, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” The key word here is “many.” Jesus is talking about people who were not only religious but active in ministry. These are not people outside the church—these are people who believed they were saved. This warning is more severe than anything most people realize. If those who cast out demons and prophesied in His name are turned away, what does that say about Christians who attend church occasionally, live like the world, and disregard His commands?
Many people quote John 3:16, saying, “God loved the world,” as an excuse to love what this world offers. But this is a tragic misunderstanding. The verse says, “God loved the world”—past tense. It was a divine act of mercy, a redemptive gesture through His Son so that we might be saved. It does not mean God loves this present world. James 4:4 says, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” That is clear. The world crucified God’s Son. God gave us His greatest gift, and the world rejected and killed Him. The Bible even says that Satan is the prince of this world. God is not pleased with it. He destroyed the world once through a flood because of its wickedness, and what people do today—with the full knowledge of the gospel—is even worse.
Following Christ requires total devotion. Jesus said in Matthew 16:25, “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” There is no version of Christianity where you live for yourself and also inherit eternal life. The Bible is not about feelings; it is about obedience. In John 14:21, Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.” If you do not obey His commandments, then by His definition, you do not love Him. Reading the Bible daily is essential, not optional. You cannot know God or His will if you are not spending time in His Word. You will not recognize His voice, you will not understand His heart, and you will certainly not be prepared for the spiritual battles ahead.
The Bible tells us in Matthew 7:13–14, “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.” The way is difficult. Jesus didn’t hide that. It takes everything—your heart, your mind, your time, and your desires. We are living in dangerous times, and 2 Timothy 3:2–4 describes exactly what we see today: “Men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” This is not just about unbelievers. Many Christians are living this way, blending in with the world, desiring its rewards, and ignoring the eternal consequences.
If you live like the world, you lack true faith and understanding. You should be crying out to God for both. The moment you realize that your eternity is in jeopardy, you will tremble. The battle is real, and the Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Your soul is under constant attack. Even your thoughts are a battlefield. That’s why 2 Corinthians 10:5 instructs us to “cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” If your thoughts are not submitted to Christ, they will be manipulated by the enemy. That’s the reality.
If you struggle to believe the Bible is the Word of God, you need to cry out for faith, for understanding, and for obedience. Eternal life is not something you gamble with. This world makes no sense anymore—it is falling apart and clearly passing away. Jesus warned that many Christians will be cast into hell, and that truth alone should make you tremble.
We all need to ask ourselves hard questions. Am I lukewarm? Am I living in lawlessness? Do I love this world? Am I truly walking on the narrow path? Am I actually practicing my faith? Am I a living sacrifice? Am I serving Jesus or am I serving Satan? These are not questions to push aside. The only way to answer them truthfully is through the Word of God—by reading it daily, meditating on it, praying without ceasing, and surrounding yourself with other Christians who walk in the Spirit and share the same hunger for holiness.
Going to church on Sundays or reading a message like this will not keep you on the narrow path. It may stir your heart temporarily, but the moment you stop, the enemy will steal what you received. We have to be doers of the Word. And the Bible is the Word of God. You can see that clearly from its content and the transformation it produces in those who obey it.
I wrote this out of love, because hell is real, and sadly, many Christians will go there. I’ve listened to countless sermons and read many messages that don’t clearly show how to live the Christian life. They talk about grace and faith but rarely explain what it actually looks like to walk with Christ or how to identify worldliness. So I plan to write again, offering examples based on Scripture and personal experience—showing the difference between living for the world and living for Christ.
If you’ve read this far, I appreciate it. I would also appreciate your comments or corrections—anything that can help me grow as I continue to share what God is showing me. I’m still learning too, and I welcome the fellowship of other believers who hunger for truth.
Living by Faith 
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