Bible Study for Tuesday, 9/29/26
The exact meaning of a Scripture is not always crystal clear. In fact, the Bible says,
“For now we see through a glass, darkly;” 1 Corinthians 13:12 KJV
Sometimes Scripture requires more than a quick overview. Sometimes it requires study and prayer. The book of Revelation is no exception. Chapters two and three are letters to the seven churches from Jesus Christ, delivered by the Apostle John. We can and must learn from these letters still today.
The first letter is written to the church at Ephesus. Jesus said, “Repent and do the things you did at first.“
I have studied this letter often, and the question that hounds me is this: What did they do at first that they stopped doing?
Jesus said,
“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” Revelation 2:2-6 NIV (emphasis mine)
So what were they doing at first that they were no longer doing? The text doesn’t explain exactly what those actions were. We only know they had forsaken the love they had at first. The word translated as love is agape. Was He referring to their emotional response to Him? Maybe not. And here’s why.
1 Corinthians 13 provides a detailed definition of agape love.
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 8 Love never fails.”
Agape love is not a feeling. It is action. Perhaps these are the things they no longer did. Is it possible to work hard, persevere, and have no tolerance for false teachers or wicked people, and yet forsake the agape love they once showed one another?
Had they become impatient with one another and easily angered? Perhaps they had become unkind and looked out only for themselves instead of others. Perhaps they had become envious and boastful. Perhaps they had forgotten how to love one another like they once did. The NLT says it like this,
“But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Revelation 2:4 NLT
The connection between love for Jesus and obedience to His commands is a recurring theme in the Apostle John’s writings. Jesus said,
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15 NASB
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34 NIV
Loving God is not merely a feeling; it is an active, ongoing relationship of following and obeying Jesus.
What do you think Jesus meant when He said, “You have forsaken the love you had at first?” I could be wrong, but it’s something to think about.
In His Love, Cindy
To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic
“I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you…” Genesis 17:7 (emphasis mine)
Photo by Esther Vexler on Unsplash
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I appreciate the way you wrestle with Revelation 2 instead of flattening it. The Ephesian church is such a striking paradox: doctrinally sharp, morally serious, persevering under pressure—yet somehow spiritually diminished. Your focus on agape as action rather than emotion is exactly right. Jesus isn’t lamenting a loss of warm feelings; He’s exposing a drift from the relational obedience that once animated their faith.
One thing that stands out to me is how easily “first love” can erode even in communities that look strong from the outside. You can defend truth, resist false teaching, endure hardship, and still lose the very love that made those things meaningful. When obedience becomes mechanical, when discernment becomes suspicion, when perseverance becomes duty instead of devotion, the lampstand dims even while the activity continues.
The call to “do the things you did at first” feels less like a demand for more tasks and more like an invitation back to the posture they once had—humble dependence, joyful obedience, and a love for Christ that naturally overflowed into love for one another. It’s sobering that Jesus warns He will remove the lampstand if love is not restored. Orthodoxy without affection, and labor without love, simply cannot sustain a church.
Your question is a good one—and worth sitting with. Sometimes the hardest repentance is not from obvious sin, but from subtle drift.
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Thank you, Michael, for expressing your thoughts on this Scripture. I don’t disagree with you. I suppose we should look within and ask ourselves if we are doing the things we did at first. That could be different for different people. I will continue to study on this. Sometimes, our own experiences shape how we understand Scripture (whether we realize it or not).Blessings, Michael!
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Lots of great questions for us all here Cindy. Maybe love isn’t emotion, but purity of motive for why we do things, does touch on the edge of that sphere. Am I just still serving to be seen or to gain influence, or am I serving because I genuinely love others?
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Interesting! Our motives are very important. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. God bless you today, Pastor Pete! 🙏
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This is a good study Cindy, and a question worth consideration. My Bible cross references Rev.2:4 with Jer.2:2, which talks of love from ones youth/early faith being lost. And also with Matt.24:12, which says “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold” pointing to trials/persecutions affecting those who then grow cold/fall away. It could open the question of how strong was their faith in God. It certainly points to our need to stay close to Him in these dark days.
God bless you today my friend and sister 🙏
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You can say that again! We need to stay close to Him in these dark days. This is a bad time to have a casual faith. Thank you for responding with your thoughts on this. God bless you today my friend and brother! 🙏
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This is an important blog post to meditate on.
I take the letter to Ephesus to mean their motivation was not love. In other words, even when they were doing right things they were doing them for the wrong reason. In the Scripture you pointed to in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, Paul basically says that even the greatest sacrifice is meaningless if it is not done as an act of love. Perhaps they were doing things to be seen as we see in Matthew 6:1-8;16-18. I know I spent time trying to be seen as a “Good Christian” and I had to repent and I am glad God called me on it. It is shallow and inauthentic to do things for horizontal validation and pride. This is inspiring a future blog post.
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Thank you, RD for responding with your insightful thoughts and sharing your experience with this subject. I look forward to reading your future post on this. God bless you today as you serve our precious Savior!
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Perhaps the believers had lost their initial passionate devotion to Him and replaced it with routine religious duty.
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I think that’s the view of most commentaries. I just wonder….
God bless you today, Mary!
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