Reformation and Our First Love for Christ

By Dave Jenkins

Always Reforming: Fidelity to God’s Word in Every Generation

In Revelation 2:1–7, Jesus addresses the church in Ephesus. He commends its labor, perseverance, and refusal to tolerate evil. Yet He also confronts a serious failure: the church has abandoned the love it had at first.

This passage speaks directly to the ongoing work of reformation. A church must continually submit its doctrine, worship, and practice to Scripture. That submission includes its affections. The Word that teaches us to reject false doctrine also teaches us to love Christ and His people.

Christ Knows the Church He Addresses

The letter begins with the risen Christ identifying Himself as the One who holds the seven stars and walks among the seven golden lampstands (Revelation 2:1). Revelation 1:20 identifies those lampstands as the seven churches. Jesus addresses Ephesus with full knowledge of its condition.

His evaluation reaches beyond what other people can see. A congregation may have a reputation for theological strength, a busy ministry calendar, and respected leaders. Christ knows whether its public confession is accompanied by love, humility, and obedience.

That should sober and encourage us. We cannot hide spiritual coldness behind a faithful reputation. Yet neither is faithful labor hidden from our Savior. He knows the service that receives little recognition, the costly stand for truth, and the perseverance of believers who feel weary.

Church reformation begins under His authority. We do not get to select the parts of His evaluation we find most comfortable. We must hear both His commendation and His correction.

Biblical Discernment Is Worth Preserving

Jesus commends the Ephesians for testing those who claimed to be apostles and finding them false (Revelation 2:2). They did not accept spiritual claims merely because someone spoke confidently or claimed authority. They examined those claims and rejected deception.

Christ also recognizes their endurance for His name (Revelation 2:3). These believers had continued through difficulty. Their doctrinal vigilance and perseverance mattered to Him.

We should take that commendation seriously. Love for Christ never requires indifference to false teaching. A church that welcomes a distorted gospel or excuses teaching that contradicts Scripture is endangering the people entrusted to its care.

Paul connects truth and love in Ephesians 4:11–16. Christ gives shepherds and teachers to equip His people so that they grow in maturity and are no longer carried about by every wind of doctrine. Within that same passage, Paul calls believers to speak the truth in love as the body grows under Christ its Head.

Healthy discernment serves that growth. It helps believers recognize error, understand sound doctrine, and follow their Savior. We should pray for churches that know the truth well enough to defend it and love people enough to teach it patiently.

Sound Doctrine Must Shape Our Love

After commending the church, Jesus identifies its failure: it has abandoned its first love (Revelation 2:4). Whatever outward strengths remained, the Lord saw a departure that demanded repentance.

The passage does not describe every circumstance behind that departure. We should resist inventing a history the text does not give us. Its central warning is clear: doctrinal vigilance and sustained activity do not excuse a failure of love.

Love for Christ includes trusting His promises, treasuring His person, and keeping His commandments. It also bears fruit in love for His people. First John 4:20–21 will not allow us to claim love for God while hating our brother.

This gives us concrete matters to examine. We may eagerly discuss theological controversy while neglecting prayer. We may defend the church in public while becoming impatient with the actual people in our congregation. We may speak accurately about grace while responding harshly to a struggling believer who needs patient instruction.

These failures do not make doctrine less important. They reveal how thoroughly we need its truth to shape us. The gospel announces that Christ loved undeserving sinners and gave Himself for them. As we grow in understanding that grace, we should become more grateful, more humble, and more willing to serve.

Our love remains imperfect. Every Christian has seasons of weariness and distraction. Yet we must not become comfortable with coldness or treat a loveless spirit as evidence of theological maturity.

Remember, Repent, and Return to Faithful Obedience

Jesus gives the Ephesians a clear response in Revelation 2:5. They must remember where they have fallen, repent, and do the works they did at first.

Remembering requires honest comparison. We must consider our present lives in the light of Christ’s Word. Have we allowed busyness to crowd out prayer? Have we grown more interested in being recognized as discerning than in helping others follow Jesus? Have we begun treating worship as a responsibility to complete while giving little attention to the Lord we gather to praise?

Repentance brings these sins into the light. We confess them without defending them. We turn from them and look to Christ for forgiveness and renewed obedience. His finished work is our only ground of acceptance with God. We do not restore ourselves to His favor by producing stronger feelings or a more impressive ministry record.

Returning to the first works gives repentance a practical expression. We return to prayer, attentive hearing of Scripture, gathered worship, and willing service. We pursue reconciliation where we have sinned against someone. We make time for the believer we have been avoiding. We serve when there is no audience to notice.

These acts do not purchase grace. They express dependence on the Savior who has already shown us grace. Philippians 2:12–13 reminds us that our obedience rests on God’s work in us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Reformation Must Reach the Life of the Church

For pastors and ministry leaders, this passage calls for examination of both teaching and conduct. Are we helping people know Christ through His Word? Do our conversations about error include patient instruction in the truth? Does our care for the flock reflect the gentleness and seriousness Scripture requires?

For church members, the same examination belongs in ordinary relationships. Loving the church includes praying for fellow believers, bearing burdens, forgiving offenses, and receiving the ministry of others. A commitment to faithful doctrine should deepen our commitment to the people Christ has redeemed.

This matters in our homes as well. Our families hear how we speak after the theological discussion ends. They experience our patience, our willingness to listen, and our readiness to confess sin. The truth we defend should shape the way we treat those closest to us.

We need the whole counsel of God. Scripture corrects doctrinal error, exposes pride, comforts the weary, and teaches us to walk in love. Ongoing reformation requires receiving all of that ministry from the Word.

Hear What Christ Says

The warning to Ephesus is serious. Jesus tells the church that failure to repent will result in the removal of its lampstand (Revelation 2:5). A respected past cannot guarantee a congregation’s continued place as His witness.

Yet the letter also ends with a promise. Christ promises the tree of life in the paradise of God to the one who conquers (Revelation 2:7). His people persevere by His grace, hearing His Word and responding in faith.

We need that grace every day. We need it as we guard sound doctrine, recognize our sins, and seek to love one another faithfully. Our confidence rests in the crucified and risen Savior who knows His church and speaks to it with authority.

As we consider the ongoing work of reformation, let us bring our hearts as well as our convictions under Scripture. Let us defend the gospel, repent of spiritual coldness, and pursue the obedience that flows from love for Christ.

The Lord who commended the Ephesians’ discernment also called them to recover their first love. We must hear both.

Continue Growing in Biblical Faithfulness

Read more in our Always Reforming: Fidelity to God’s Word in Every Generation series for biblical encouragement on sound doctrine, the local church, and faithful Christian living.

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