Today, as I was reading through the Book of Revelation, I came across Jesus’ message to the church in Ephesus.
I had gone through this passage many times before, but this time one verse would not leave my mind.
“Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken your first love.”
Revelation 2:4
I stopped and asked myself:
What does Jesus mean by “your first love”?
Because when I read the verses before it, the church of Ephesus appears to be doing everything right.
A Church That Looked Perfect
Jesus begins by praising them.
“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.”
Revelation 2:2
Jesus sees everything.
He sees that they are:
- working hard
- serving faithfully
- patiently enduring
- protecting sound doctrine
- exposing false teachers
Then He continues:
“I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for My name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.”
Revelation 2:3
This sounds like the ideal church.
- Faithful.
- Committed.
- Strong.
- Persevering.
If we were looking from the outside, we would probably say,
“This church is doing wonderfully.”
Yet Jesus sees something no one else can see.
“You Have Forsaken Your First Love”
Then comes one of the saddest verses in Scripture.
“But I have this against you, that you have forsaken your first love.”
This puzzled me.
How could a church that was doing everything right still receive such a warning?
So I began studying the passage more deeply.
The Greek word translated love is ἀγάπη (Agapē).
This is not simply an emotional feeling.
It is wholehearted devotion.
A love that places God above everything else.
The church had not stopped serving Christ.
They had stopped loving Christ as they once did.
Their work had slowly replaced their relationship.
A Marriage Without Love
Imagine a husband.
- He works hard every day.
- He provides for his wife.
- He pays the bills.
- He fixes everything around the house.
- He protects his family.
From the outside, everyone would say he is a good husband.
- But he never sits with his wife.
- He never speaks with her.
- He never enjoys her company.
- He no longer delights simply in being with her.
Everything is technically correct.
Yet the relationship has become empty.
That is what Jesus was saying to the church in Ephesus.
Their service remained.
Their love had faded.
Jesus Gives Three Steps Back
Jesus does not simply point out the problem.
He shows them the way back.
“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.”
Revelation 2:5
Notice the progression.
Remember
Remember who you once were.
Remember the joy of knowing Christ.
Remember when spending time with Him was your greatest desire.
Repent
The Greek word is Μετάνοια (Metanoia).
It means more than feeling sorry.
It means changing your mind and turning back toward God.
Do the First Works
Jesus does not tell them to manufacture emotions.
He tells them to return to the things they did when they first loved Him.
Spend time with Him.
Pray.
Read His Word.
Listen for His voice.
Walk with Him again.
Love is renewed through relationship.
This Reminded Me of Another Saying of Jesus
As I reflected on this passage, another teaching of Jesus came to mind.
“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness ‘”
Mathew 7:22
This tells us our first priority is to have a relationship with Jesus, because our salvation will never come from merits of our works, but only through the grace of Jesus Christ – Our Loard and Saviour