1 Corinthians 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.

 

In Jesus’ letter to the Church in Ephesus, He praised them for hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans. (Revelation 2:6) Here in His letter to the Church in Pergamos, He condemns them for those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. (Revelation 2:15)Most people read over this, but a single word can make all the difference in the meaning.

 

In Ephesus, the people hated the DEEDS of the Nicolaitans. In Pergamos, the people were holding to the DOCTRINE of the Nicolaitans. There is a big difference between the two and we, as members of the Body of Christ today, need to understand this and how it relates to us today.

 

First of all, if God hated it back then, He still hates it today. God does not change. (Malachi 3:6) It’s obvious that those in the Church in Ephesus took a stand against the DEEDS of the Nicolaitans. They did not approve of what they did and they would not allow it to continue in their midst. That was a good thing and the Lord praised them for their strong stand for Him and His Word.

 

However, it was a different matter in Pergamos. There were people there who held to the DOCTRINE of the Nicolaitans. Doctrine means a set of principles that dictate what a person believes. Therefore, in Pergamos, these people may not have been practicing the DEEDS of the Nicolaitans in the church but they were in agreement with the DOCTRINE; what they believed.

 

How is this relevant to the Church today? We have many people today who profess to be Christians but they will stand with those who do evil. They may not do it themselves but they believe it to be permissible. Two perfect examples of this are abortion and same-sex marriage; homosexuality. There are millions of “Christians” who stand for their “right to choose.” They openly speak of this and they vote for people who will make laws in favor of these evil practices. While they may not practice the DEEDS themselves, they hold to the DOCTRINE of these evil-doers.

 

This is a HUGE problem in the Church today. How many things do we know to be sinful and yet we won’t address them as such? We would rather be tolerant of the sin than call it what it is and offer the people help. Jesus never tolerated sin of any sort. He addressed it and cast out the demons that were causing it.

 

When was the last time you saw a demon cast out of a person in your church? Chances are you never have. If we are to pattern our churches after the Ministry of Jesus, the casting out of demons must be a part of it. We cannot tolerate the DEEDS or the DOCTRINE of evil. To do so would put us in the category of those in the Church in Pergamos and to them, Jesus wrote Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. (Revelation 2:15) His next words were the following: Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the Sword of My Mouth. (Revelation 2:16)

 

The Command was, and still is, REPENT!

 

Repent, God will soon….….turn the tide

 

Standing on the Truth of the Word of God,         Doreen

 

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