Chapter
Verse

Revelation 2:5

ESV Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
NIV 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.
NASB Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and I will remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.
CSB Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
NLT Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.
KJV Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
NKJV Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

What does Revelation 2:5 mean?

In this verse we read Jesus' twofold command to the church at Ephesus: remember and repent. He calls upon the church at Ephesus to remember the love from which it had fallen. Their commitment to truth was a good thing, but unless it is motivated by love, that obedience is not fully pleasing to God (Revelation 2:1–4).

The New Testament places a high priority on love for the Lord. Jesus taught that our love for Him must exceed our love for our closest relatives (Matthew 10:37). The apostle Paul indicated that our love for the Lord should exceed our love for our spouse (1 Corinthians 7:32–35). In 1 Corinthians 13:3 He declared that even voluntarily dying as a martyr amounts to nothing if love is absent.

Jesus commanded the church at Ephesus to repent. The Ephesian believers needed to reverse their spiritual decline and serve Him as they did when the church began. A failure to heed Jesus' command would bring swift punishment. The church would not continue to exist as a witness for Jesus. More than a few churches in our modern era have closed their doors because they abandoned their love for Jesus.
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