The Lord Jesus wants Christians to continue to have God as their first love. Jesus knows who your first love is and if it no longer is God, then he is calling you to repentance! (The first and greatest command is to LOVE GOD with all of our heart, soul and mind, Mt. 22:37,38.) That issue is supremely important and will not be overlooked or cancelled out even for those who work hard, persevere, cannot tolerate wicked men, have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, have endured hardships for Jesus’ name, have not grown weary and hate the practices of the Nicolaitans! (Those are also important issues Jesus notices, besides our first love.) How do we know that? That was his message to the church at Ephesus (Rev. 2:1-7), after he ascended into heaven. NOTE: That is the same church Paul wrote his epistle to. So even though there were many very commendable godly traits among the Ephesians, who were previously saved by grace (Eph. 2:8,9), the Lord Jesus said the following to them:
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which 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. (Rev 2:4,5)
That is the real Lord Jesus, but far from the one many have been wrongly taught about. The real Lord Jesus held their forsaking their first love against them! He could see their sin and wasn’t automatically pleased with them, because they had been saved by grace in the past, as eternal security imputed righteousness declares! Jesus told them to R-E-P-E-N-T or else!
What a shock to many who have been dangerously taught by a false teacher. Again, Jesus told them to repent, who previously had already repented to get born again (Acts 20:21; 2 Pet. 3:9; Lk. 13:3; etc.)! If they chose not to return to their first love (God), then Jesus would remove their lampstand! Their lampstand was their church (Rev. 1:20) and would be taken away. Hence, their offense of forsaking their first love was very serious, but was amendable through repentance. For those who would, in the end, overcome forsaking their first love, Jesus said:
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Rev 2:7)
Making God your first love is a salvation issue and those who will eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God do love God first! Do you love God first? If not R-E-P-E-N-T. Jesus said:
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (Mat 10:37,38)
Since Jesus is eternal life (1 John 1:2), to not be worthy of him is to not be worthy of eternal life. This makes that a salvation issue. So, who is your first love above all others?
