Chapter
Verse

Revelation 2:4

ESV But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
NIV Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.
NASB But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
CSB But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first.
NLT 'But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!
KJV Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
NKJV Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

What does Revelation 2:4 mean?

Having commended the church at Ephesus for its doctrinal integrity and perseverance in the face of adversity, Jesus reveals in verse 4 what He found lacking in the Ephesian church. It had abandoned the love that characterized its early history. What remained was devotion to the truth, but not devotion to the Lord.

What would a marriage be like if a wife performed all the duties of a wife but without genuine love for her husband? What would a marriage be like if a husband continued to work to provide an income for His family and kept on performing the usual household duties that fall to a husband, but no longer loved his wife? Wouldn't the marriage be a cold, sterile relationship? On the other hand, duties performed out of love for one's spouse gives meaning and warmth to one's marriage.

The decline of the church at Ephesus from a deep love for Jesus to a dead orthodoxy prefigures the history of the early Church from Pentecost to the mid-second century. The Ephesian church's love for Jesus had grown cold, leaving only a slavish obedience to rules and doctrines. Jesus' rebuke needs to be taken seriously today by every church. Sound doctrine and service are important, but they should be grounded in a deep love for Jesus.
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