Cold or Hot

So many preachers have preached on Rev 3:14-16 with a wide variety of interpretations.

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Interpretations range from being hot meaning a zealous Christian, and cold being a non Christian whom God will eventually save, to hot meaning a spirit filled Christian in the Charismatic sense, and cold being one under persecution and suffering.

I believe this is another example of reading Scripture out of context. As Sam Storms writes here, "the word “hot” refers to the well-known medicinal waters of Hierapolis, whose “hot springs” reached 95 degrees. The word “cold”, on the other hand, points to the refreshing waters of Colossae." Both places are very close to Laodicea. Thus it is good to have that medicinal healing effect and also that refreshing cold presence flowing out of our Christian lives. That's the zeal that God wants to see reflected in each Christian.

I do believe there are other acceptable interpretations of this text, like the ones mentioned above. But the original intent of this verse is what the author intended it to mean, and how Christians have interpreted it throughout the ages. It is through this community of believers that we know who God is rather than us making God in our own image, in our own interpretations. It is so easy to come up with right doctrines from the wrong text, and if we do this often enough, it is easy for us to come up with wrong doctrines from any text!