What does it mean to be luke warm?

[Mr. Good Faith]

Please only respond if your a fundamentalist Christian. I am posting this topic in the other areas also so as to gather differences between denominations.

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I'd like to know where we are to draw the line as to what it mean to be luke-warm in our faith. Some people (including me) have used the terms "on fire for the Lord" or "backslider" or cold in my/your faith.

What does it really mean to be luke warm?

It seems like the definition changes depending on who you talk to and when and where they are in their walk. If I talk to someone who is really excited about their faith they might claim I am not on-fire enough. I know this because I have done it to others.

Mr. G.

[Marissa]

I feel like I'm luke warm at the moment.

I've basically just lost my zeal. I have absolute faith in Christ and I do love him, but recently I've just gotten comfortable. Almost like if I stayed where I am today in my walk the rest of my life that'd be okay. It happened gradually over the past month that I stopped seeking as much as I used to. My praying pretty much came to a halt, I read my bible the bare minimum every day, I turned up to things (ie. church, prayer meetings) because it's what I do. I was doing all the right things (kinda), but my zeal for it was lost, and unfortunately so was Gods presence as a result.

Maybe I'm been over critical, but God wants all of us and if you're not giving 100% of yourself to God then you're lukewarm.

[J.A.I]

Thank you for your honesty, Marissa. I think we all go through that every now and then.

[Kalypso]

Our walk with Christ is full of valleys and plateaus at times- but you'll climb to the top of that mountain again.

When I think of a lukewarm Christian I think of someone who is content with milk and doesn't feel the need for meat (cheesy analogy I know). Someone who goes through the motions but doesn't really care- maybe a bit apathetic. I think its someone who believes Christ died for them, but maybe just leaves it there and doesn't do much to serve God. Its someone who doesn't want to do more or think they should maybe. I think there is a difference between being lukewarm and being in a rough spot. Maybe its someone who has gone through an extended period of spiritual warfare from Satan and never fully recovered?

[TwinCrier]

Luke warm is when you're not openly sinning, but passivly sinning. For instance, you don't murder, drink or steal, but you also don't witness, pray or worship.

[Razorbuck]

Maybe I'm been over critical, but God wants all of us and if you're not giving 100% of yourself to God then you're lukewarm.
Amen, Marissa! God Bless you and thanks for the post!

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1

Seems the problem with a living sacrifice is they keep crawling off of the altar!
Far too often this has been true of me. If I claim to love God then His desires must be put ahead of my own...period.

Hard to do many times. So much competing for our attention in this sad old world. Thank God He preserves us, molds us, sanctifies us with such longsuffering and faithfulness.

I appreciate all the comments in this thread. Gives me hope!

[Hidden in Christ]

These are all good posts. I believe being lukewarm involves not loving, trusting and worshipping Christ with all your heart AND being content in that situation, not seeking to draw closer to God. Many times lukewarm Christians sit on church pews every Sunday and would never do anything like get drunk or dress immodestly. They think they're OK because they're doing good things, but their hearts are wrong. I think the cure for this kind of condition is realizing that without Christ, we can do nothing. All our religion is in vain without a close personal walk with the living God. Lukewarm Christians must humble themselves in the sight of God that he might raise them up. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

[misti2hope]

everyone gets backslidden from time to time, and there are people who are on fire for God and then those who are not. God knows what we can handleand do and what we can't.
He knows the ones he can send to go soul winning, to go visit the sick, and so on;
but if we do our best in the things He has us to do we are obeying;
but sometimes we do get out of God's will but it doesn't mean we are luke warm.
luke warm, I believe is christians who blend in with the envierment there in. They try to live both worlds: Rev. 3:15 He first says, (I know thy works, ) If you try to live to be acceptible to God , pray, read your bible, and share Jesus.
( I would thou wert cold or hot ) live for him or don't, in the world but not of the world.
but christians who play both parts are luke warm and he will spew you out of his mouth. This is Jesus saying this and he only judges christians ( KJV John 5:24-30 )

[Kelly]

When you are more caught up in the world than in your faith. Into living your life, making money, aquiring things rather than spreading the gospel and letting Jesus work through you - but still going through the motions (i.e. church on sunday, etc).

I'm guilty of this often, but so is the rest of America!

[Harry the Heretic]

One who is comfortable with the world, and it's things. They rely upon themselves more than Christ in their day to day activities.

[brinley45cal]

Luke warm is when you're not openly sinning, but passivly sinning. For instance, you don't murder, drink or steal, but you also don't witness, pray or worship.

That was close to what i was going to say but to me being luke warm is acting lik hell during the week but acting like an angel at church.acting like everyone else when your around them then when your at church you act like the model christian.

[eutychus]

Luke warm is when you're not openly sinning, but passivly sinning. For instance, you don't murder, drink or steal, but you also don't witness, pray or worship.

Good deal. As Spurgeon once said, "I do not know any subject that so much depresses me, humbles me, and lays me in the dust, as the thought of my omissions."

I also think that anything can qualify as "lukewarm" if you can put your life against Scripture (i.e. 1 John) and see that it doesn't match. If a person is on fire for God, then things will fall into place: evangelism, ministry, prayer, meditation, and God revealing things through his word.