25 Signs of Lukewarm Christians + Tips to Burn Hot!

Recognizing the signs of lukewarmness in our faith can be a wake-up call to refocus our priorities and rekindle our passion for God.

It’s important to understand the behaviors and attitudes that can lead us down the path of lukewarmness and distance us from the transformative power of the Gospel. In this article, let’s explore some common signs of lukewarm Christians and how we can avoid them.

What is a lukewarm Christian meaning?

The Bible describes a lukewarm Christian as someone who is neither hot nor cold. These individuals may be living a comfortable life and/or settling for less than what the Gospel promises or requires.

In Revelation, we see that some lukewarm Christians can be prideful, unrepentant, and unresponsive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. They may lack passion for spreading the Gospel to all corners of the world. Adjectives or synonyms that describe a lukewarm person include comfortable, half-hearted, indifferent, nonchalant, unconcerned, dispassionate, and uninterested.

Ultimately, a lukewarm person fails to recognize the brokenness of the world and their role in God’s plan to bring light, love, and healing to it. They may miss out on the joy and fulfillment that comes from a deep, passionate relationship with Christ and the opportunities to make a difference in the world around them.

Jesus Was NEVER Lukewarm

When Christians become lukewarm, they may not fully realize the power of the Gospel in their lives, which can lead to complacency in spreading the Gospel. To reignite our passion for Christ, we should reflect on Hebrews 12:3, which encourages us to consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that we do not grow weary and lose heart when seeking to invite others into the kingdom of God.

Christ never became complacent, but was passionate about the day of His crucifixion because He knew the power of sacrifice. He willingly chose to die, knowing that there was a greater purpose and joy set before Him. He died to bring us into His family, save us from blindly following Satan, and give us the strength through the Holy Spirit to avoid sin. He desires for us to become His pure children when He returns.

Despite our sinful nature, Christ died for us, knowing the potential we had before we even stepped into it. We should remember where we came from, the sin and dysfunction that He saved us from, and know that He loves us the same then and now. As Romans 5:6-8 reminds us, Christ died for the ungodly at just the right time, proving His love for us while we were still sinners. Rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, but for a good person, someone might possibly dare to die. Christ’s sacrifice demonstrates the depth of His love for us.

Related Information: Examples of Lukewarm Characters In the Bible

Are you a lukewarm Christian?

Are you willing to sacrifice your own desires, needs, and expectations to show undeserved love, favor, and forgiveness to others? If you’re unsure whether you have a lukewarm faith, take the Lukewarm QUIZ to assess your spiritual temperature. Additionally, consider exploring Bible verses that can help you evaluate your faith based on God’s standards.

25 Signs of a Lukewarm Christian in Church

It’s important not to judge an entire church based on the behaviors of lukewarm believers.

Everyone goes through difficult situations where they may feel stressed and struggle yo stay connected to God. Sometimes, lukewarmness is not a deliberate choice, but rather a gradual loss of interest in their faith. We should extend grace to ourselves and others, and support each other in finding our way back to the right path.

1. Holding negative ideas and beliefs about God.
2. You don’t understand how the Holy Spirit helps you daily.
3. You only hang around “perfect” people.
4. You limit or deny God’s power to heal the sick and transform sinners.
5. You are focused on lists, rules, and customs rather than loving people.
6. You think you are better and more righteous than someone that is in pain.
7. You struggle with selfishness, lack of compassion, and prioritizing your own needs over others’.
8. You think you’re more powerful than those who are weak, less mature, or know less about the Bible.
9. Holding onto pain and un-forgiveness.
10. You blame your behavior on others to excuse your hurtful behavior.  
11. You are waiting for a leader to give you permission to impact the world. 
12. You need to gain something in relationships. 
13. You live in constant fear, worry, control, and anxiety.
14. You’re too wise to have emotions & too good to deal with certain situations.
15. You only associate with people who are healed and easy to get along with.
16. You’re living life in your own strength and don’t believe things will change.
17. Take the lukewarm quiz to see if you have any of the remaining 25 traits.

Related Article: Jesus Set Boundaries

Can a Lukewarm Christian Be Saved?

Yes, according to Revelations 3:1-23, God calls on churches to repent and be saved. To repent means to feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one’s wrongdoing or sin. Ultimately, a lukewarm Christian must repent due to a strong desire to please God and develop a passionate relationship with Him.

God’s gift of forgiveness, grace, and mercy is always available to humanity. However, Christians must accept this gift daily by walking in faith and believing that they are new creations designed to live righteously. God looks at our hearts and knows when we are giving our all, which may look different for everyone.

As Philippians 2:​12 says, “Keep working out your own salvation with fear and trembling.“

Related Article: 5 Reasons You Can’t Be a Good Person Without Jesus!

Our Role as Christians

Our role as Christians is to follow the example of Jesus. This means walking out difficult relationships and situations, even when it feels like our own death. As we die to ourselves, God’s resurrection power surges in us, and we are made strong.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Are you allowing yourself to be weak in difficult situations? Are you loving difficult people, even if it means creating healthy boundaries? Are you willing to stay in difficult situations for the sake of the Gospel? Remember, “God’s power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-11)

However, it’s important to note that God does not want us in abusive situations. We should pray and seek mentorship to discern what situations the Father wants us in. It’s also important to remember that Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing. There is grace and ease for difficult situations when God wants it. He will reveal to you what you should stick out, and sometimes that means walking away from toxic relationships or situations.

Related Article: Jesus Set Boundaries

Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does. The father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. And to your amazement, He will show Him even greater works than these. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes.” John 5:19-21

What does Revelation 3 mean? This chapter defines the characteristics of 7 churches.  One of the seven churches in Revelations 3 is the church of Laodicea. The letter written to the Laodicea church is where believers can get a bulk of their teaching on lukewarmness.

What does God say about a lukewarm Christian?

The Bible warns about the dangers of lukewarm faith, as expressed in Revelation 3:15-16: “I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other! So because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to vomit you out of My mouth!” Revelation 3:15-16

In Revelations 3, God warns the church of the dangers of lukewarm Christianity, operating in pride, and failing to acknowledge a need for God. “You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.” Revelation 3:17-19

It’s easy for believers to become complacent and lose sight of the many blessings God provides us with on a daily basis. Whether it’s due to pride, comfort, drama, trials, or difficult situations, we can sometimes get distracted or ungrateful. However, we can take comfort in the fact that God is constantly working everything together for our good, even when we don’t fully understand it. It’s often during our toughest moments that we realize just how much God has done for us in the past.”

Do you still have constant need for God? Or do you try to do everything in pride and without God? I have been guilty of getting in the groove of things and feeling strong. But, what is the point of crossing off checklists and getting things done if we are doing it in our own strength? If we are doing it without the passion to die to bring others into the Gospel?

God expects us to overcome sin.

God didn’t just give us the Holy Spirit because he’s like Santa Clause wanting to gift us with anything we want. No, he is passionate about receiving a spotless, pure, and redeemed bride when he comes back. Remember, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”(Ephesians 5:25-27)

Struggling with thoughts of jealousy, lust, anger, spiritual independence, control, manipulation, lying, deceit, shame, sexual sin, pride, and other similar issues can be difficult. However, it’s important to acknowledge and submit them to God, rather than ignoring them. God’s love for us means that He wants us to be free from the temptations of Satan. Trying to resist the Devil in our own strength won’t lead to purity, but turning to God will.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 3:20-22

Related Article: 4 Ways To Removed Carnal and Fleshly Thoughts!

How to Stop Being a Lukewarm Christian

1. Embrace daily selflessness by taking up your cross. God desires you to let go of your selfish desires every day.
2. Refuse to entertain sin. You can’t maintain your fervor for God and engage in sin at the same time.
3. Refrain from judging and ranking righteousness. We all have a place in the body of Christ, regardless of our length of time as a believer or our knowledge.
4. Renew your mind. Refuse to believe Satan’s lies and boldly declare biblical promises over your life, family, and the body of Christ.
5. Pray and fast with passion. When you prioritize the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth, you will fast and pray with purpose to ensure that His will prevails.
6. Grasp your identity in Christ. Understanding your immense power in Christ will ignite you to become an active ambassador for Him.

You can begin to overcome spiritual lukewarmness by prioritizing God above everything else and denying your selfish desires. As Luke 9:23 in the Bible says, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Rampant Sin in Church is a Sign of Lukewarmness

Christianity is not a trivial matter, a social club, or a platform for self-promotion. It is a mission. Our purpose is to love Jesus, be loved by Him, and show love to others by following His commandments. Jesus Himself showed us how to do this, and it’s up to us to follow His example.

The presence of comparison and sin in the body of believers is a common issue that has been addressed in the Bible. In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul rebuked the believers in Corinth for their worldly behavior and emphasized their need to mature spiritually. He explained that they were still infants in Christ and not ready for solid food, because of their jealousy and dissension.

As followers of Christ, we must recognize that the ways of the world should not be present in the body of Christ. We should not engage in actions that are petty, vengeful, controlling, manipulative, or ill-intentioned. These behaviors damage our relationships with one another and hinder our ability to bring people into God’s family.

To overcome these dysfunctional patterns, we must first shed ourselves of the things that harm our relationships. We must seek to mature spiritually and die to our selfish desires daily. Only then can we truly have a relationship with the people that God has called us to and bring them into His family.

Related Article: 3 Strategies To Break Generational Patterns

Have you recently persevered through a challenging relationship (if it wasn’t abusive)? Have you allowed a difficult situation to shape and refine you? Have you ever done something difficult that didn’t benefit you in any way? It’s important to allow God to refine us and remove our imperfections. Don’t run away from your emotions or from doing difficult things with God. When you push through tough situations and relationships, it gives God the opportunity to train and perfect you. Embrace the process and trust that God has a plan for your growth.

“Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it. Therefore strengthen your limp hands and weak knees. Make straight paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be debilitated, but rather healed.” Hebrews 10:12

Examples of Lukewarm People In the Bible

Becoming lukewarm in our faith is a dangerous place to be in as a Christian, and it can happen to anyone, including those who were once strong in their faith. One of the major causes of lukewarmness is when we put our desires and worldly pursuits before our relationship with God. The Bible warns us against idolatry, which can take many forms, such as money, fame, success, relationships, and even our own ego.

Ananais in the book of Acts is an example of someone who put his love for money and greed before the Gospel. He and his wife Sapphira sold their land and gave only a portion of the proceeds to the church, lying about the total amount. This deception was not only a sin but also revealed their hearts’ desire for personal gain over obedience to God.

Similarly, Paul struggled with his pride, which caused him to put legalism before the Gospel. He was once a zealous Pharisee who persecuted Christians until he had a dramatic encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. However, even after his conversion, he still struggled with pride, causing him to focus on legalistic rules rather than the grace of God.

The Pharisees, who were religious leaders during Jesus’ time, loved power and money. They were more concerned with following their own laws and traditions rather than accepting Jesus as the Messiah. This prideful and self-righteous attitude caused them to deny the truth and ultimately led to their downfall.

It is essential to recognize these warning signs of lukewarmness and turn back to God. We must continually examine our hearts, surrender our desires to God, and prioritize our relationship with Him above all else.