Revelation 2:1-7 — Ephesus

The pattern of the seven letters¶

As we enter the messages to the 7 churches, I want to point out some phrases that repeat in every letter. They help us see the structure and purpose of these letters.¶

• "The words of…" — followed by a description of the One giving the message. The author is Jesus himself.
• "I know your…" — Jesus has his eyes and heart on them. He knows them, understands them, sees them. This brings both comfort and warning.
• "The one who conquers…" — a promise for those who conquer.
• "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." — the Spirit himself calls the churches of all time to listen, to hear the message Christ is giving so that we might learn the heart of the One who is head over all the church.
• ¶

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false... But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent... He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.'"

Revelation 2:1-7 (ESV)¶

"The words of him who holds the seven stars"¶

Each letter starts with a prophetic description of Jesus that John saw in his vision — a literary repetition that increases the importance of the subject, and (I believe) another way to continually show the Jews who Christ is. For Ephesus, we see Christ as the one who holds the stars and walks in the midst of the golden lampstands. And in verse 5, Jesus says he will remove their lampstand — as the one who walks among the lampstands, he is in charge of keeping it lit or putting it out. This shows us Christ's headship over his church.¶

"I know your works"¶

Christ shows us how he sees his church. We see the surface of things; Christ sees the heart and understands our intent. Jesus recognizes their works — and these are good works. They toil and have patient endurance — in suffering, discipline, and temptation, the three things we are to patiently endure in this world (2 Timothy 4:5; Hebrews 12:7; 1 Corinthians 10:13). They cannot bear with those who are evil — and Scripture does tell us to remove unrepentant, evil people from among us (1 Corinthians 5:11; Romans 16:17; Titus 3:10-11). And they tested those who claimed to be apostles but were not.¶

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.

1 John 4:1 (ESV)¶

The message of the true apostles was accompanied by signs and wonders, validating that their message was from the Lord (2 Corinthians 12:12). This is one reason Christ did signs and wonders — and by the way, Christ was an apostle as well (Hebrews 3:1). So the Ephesians patiently endured, kept evil from their gatherings, and tested every message. All good things — these should be evident in us as well.¶

The one thing missing¶

But — and this is a big but — what are we if this is all our church is described as? Are these the main attributes that describe the bride of Christ throughout Scripture? If these were the only things to be said about the church, I believe we would resemble more what described the Jews. There is one main attribute missing that makes all these other things work, and Jesus saw it perfectly.¶

But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

Revelation 2:4 (ESV)¶

Love! They were missing love — love for each other, love for others. Not only were they missing it; they abandoned it, left it behind. So though they had good works, they had no more love in them. The Ephesians had started out with a love for all the saints — Paul commends them on it in his letter to them (Ephesians 1:15).¶

Consider the emphasis of Scripture: twice we are told to test every spirit; three times to remove or avoid someone for sinful behavior; seven times to endure. But how many times are we told to love? Twenty-three times we are specifically told to "love one another"; an entire chapter (1 Corinthians 13) and the letter of 1 John are dedicated to it. The gospel itself centers on the love God has for us — that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.¶

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

John 13:34-35 (ESV)¶

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 22:37-40 (ESV)¶

So the emphasis of Scripture is on our love, and those other works are to be practiced in light of it — carefully, in love. We must not be a church that majors on the works and minors on love; neither a church that loves and does none of the works. Our deep love for God, for Christ, and for his church should motivate us to move and to do. Do you want to correct a brother, test something, or endure hardship? Are you motivated by your love for one another, or by something else?¶

The warning, and the remedy¶

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

Revelation 2:5 (ESV)¶

Jesus tells them to remember from where they have fallen — because when we cease to love, that is what we have done: we have fallen. The only remedy is repentance: to return to the love we had when we first received Christ's love. Without love, as 1 Corinthians 13 tells us, we have nothing.¶

This is why Christ warns them about removing their lamp. Hebrews calls Jesus our great high priest, and in the Old Testament it was the priest's job to keep the lamps burning (Leviticus 24:1-4). It is Christ's role as high priest and head of the church to keep the lights burning. The light of a lamp represents the witness of this church; when love is abandoned, so is the witness; when the oil (the Spirit) runs out, so does the flame.¶

And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 24:12-14 (ESV)¶

We cannot let our love grow cold. This happens when we focus more on the wickedness prevailing than on the power and love of Christ; when we focus more on the enduring than the reason we can endure; when we let bitterness root in us rather than celebrate the forgiveness Christ gave us. Without love we have no witness; without love we are without Christ — for all our motivation to love comes from the source of love himself (1 John 4:7-13).¶

To the one who conquers¶

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Revelation 2:7 (ESV)¶

To the one who conquers — or overcomes — Jesus will grant to eat of the tree of life. Who is it that overcomes?¶

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

1 John 5:4-5 (ESV)¶

Jesus is not changing the rules of salvation here — he is not saying, "if you try hard enough to conquer sin you will be allowed to eat of the tree of life." He is saying that those who believe in him are those who conquer. In summary, we see a church that works hard for purity and holiness, hates evil, and patiently endures — and yet abandoned love. And without love, there is no light coming from us. Love must come first. Love must come last. All our actions must be driven by the love of Christ within us.¶