In Revelation Chapter 2, Jesus sent a message to the church in Ephesus and commended them for the things they excelled in. These included their good works, perseverance, and shunning evil (Revelation 2:1-3). If these were qualities Jesus praised them for, then He expects the same from us. Moreover, if Jesus’ Himself acknowledged their good works and commended them for persevering in them, then we are deceived to think that good works have no place when we come to Jesus and live under His grace.
Despite their praiseworthy traits, the church in Ephesus still had a vital element lacking in their relationship with Jesus: “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4). Jesus did not say that they had “lost” their first love but had “left” it. This reveals that first love for God is not a feeling we simply have no control over. Rather, the love God pours into our heart when we are born again by faith in Jesus (Romans 5:5) is something we can choose to hold on to, let go, or return to. This evident in how Jesus corrected them: “Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first… (Revelation 2:5). It is worth noting that the way they were supposed to correct the error of leaving their first love was for them to repent and return to doing the deeds they used to do at first. A very important lesson here, from the words of Jesus, is that having first love or returning to your first love for Him involves works, that is doing good works (see Revelation 2:5). This is consistent with how Jesus defines love for Him: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). True love for God is not merely having feelings of intense passion for Him but doing what He says to do out of a willing and yielded heart. We also see this in John’s first epistle: “In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands…” (1 John 5:3).
The Greek word translated first in Revelation 2:4 also means the foremost or first in time, place, rank, order of importance, or in any succession of things or persons. Thus, to have first love for God is consistent with Jesus’ instruction to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). This is the place of total surrender to God when God does not become just another aspect of our lives but the foremost and our very life. It is the place where we don’t just go through the motions but are zealous for and engage in good deeds out of a passionate pursuit of Jesus (Revelation 2:5, Ephesians 2:10, Titus 2:14). It is place where our claims of passion and love for Jesus is matched by our obedience to His commandments.
To be continued.
Dr. K. Omari
December 22, 2021.
A Very Important Message
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). Therefore, If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, I invite you to put your faith in Him. Pray the prayer below to accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour: “I come to you God in Jesus’ name and surrender my life unto you. I repent of my sins and I ask You to forgive me all my sins. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and I believe with my heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead. I thank you God for saving me, in Jesus name, Amen”. If you sincerely prayed this prayer, believe and be assured that you are saved, for the Bible says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13, Romans 10:9-10, Acts 16:31). Find a Bible believing church to attend so that you can be discipled to grow in the ways of God. You can also email me ([email protected]) and I will be happy to grow together with you in Christ.