Revelation: Poor Laodicea

Revelation: Justification by Faith

Poor Laodicea

Revelation 3:17-18 (ESV)
"For you say, 'I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,' not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see."

The church in Laodicea thought they were rich, but in fact, they were poor.
Earlier in Revelation, we saw the type of riches that Laodicea lacked. When speaking to Smyrna, the church that was suffering:

Revelation 2:9 (ESV)
"I know your works, your tribulation and your poverty—but you are rich—and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan."

Peter tells us about this kind of wealth:

1 Peter 1:6-7 (ESV)
"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

When gold is mixed with various impurities, fire is used to separate these substances from the gold. In this way, the gold is tested, revealing how much gold is present and how pure it is. At the same time, the gold becomes purer and more beautiful.
This is also the way faith works. Often, faith must go through trials and difficulties to become clearer and stronger.

James 1:2-4 (ESV)
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

When our faith is weak or nearly nonexistent, God offers us gold refined by fire.
Through trials, our faith becomes stronger and we are made complete.
Sometimes God Himself sends these trials, but it is also part of His plan for us to act in faith, which brings trials naturally. We don't need to create trials on our own; by working for God, trials will come, and our faith will grow stronger.

This is what Laodicea lacks.
They don't have an active, living faith that only grows stronger. They are poor. This is why they need trials and fire. They need to possess gold that is refined.

Laodicea is described as lukewarm in love. In our previous study, we saw that in connection with this, they fail to see their own misery. When we realize our misery and our sinfulness, we are driven to love more. For those who have been forgiven much, love much.
But here we are also given a very clear root of the problem: a lack of faith. We must dare to believe that He loves us, forgives us, and justifies us by faith alone. That He takes care of us, works with us, writes His law in our hearts, and knows what is better for us than we do.
Here we find the remedy.

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