THE SIN OF THE NICOLAITANS

Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church is one of the most loved and widely read books in the Bible, and rightly so. Writing from prison, Paul unwraps the mystery of the church as the body of Christ. It is an incredibly enriching letter to read and study.

The beloved disciple, John, was the scribe who wrote down the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the last book of the Bible. In Revelation chapter two, John recounts the words of Jesus as He prophetically speaks to the seven churches of Asia. The first of the churches was Ephesus and Jesus’ words are a combination of compliments and a stinging rebuke. The rebuke was not one of anger but, rather, the slap of brokenhearted disappointment.

Jesus first speaks of the strengths of the Ephesian church. He commends them for their intolerance toward evil, their discernment, and their endurance in the face of hardship. Then He rebukes them for leaving their first love and said, “If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” (2:5).

Ephesians was written around AD 60. The exact timing of the writing of Revelation is unknown but is thought to be between AD 75 and AD 90. The slippage in this great church had happened relatively quickly.

After the warning to the Ephesians, Jesus finishes His prophetic word with this unusual statement, “But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate” (2:6).

Who were the Nicolaitins and what were the practices that stirred hate in both the church and the Messiah? Hate is a strong word and as it is used here, is speaking of the feelings of distaste and anger that arise because of evil behavior.

We don’t know a lot about the Nicolaitans, as they are only mentioned twice in the Bible, in Revelation 2:6 and also in 2:15.

There is evidence that leads us to believe that the founder of the Nicolaitans (Nicolas) was one of the men chosen in Acts 6:5 to be the first deacons of the Jerusalem church. If this is accurate, then the church in Ephesus had a double problem. Nicolas would have been accepted almost without question because of his standing in the Jerusalem church and, therefore, the church at large. For this man to come and bring false teaching would have been deeply confusing and dividing to the Ephesians. To their credit, the Ephesians stood against the error but later the church at Pergamos tolerated it (2:15).

So what was this teaching and why is it meaningful for us to understand? As you read this short treatment, I hope you begin to understand how contemporary the parallel actually is.

First, the Nicolaitans taught that it was permissible for Christians to participate in idol feasts. They rationalized that such conduct was just an empty gesture that fulfilled patriotic or social obligations and was legitimate as long as the Christians did not really believe in the deities being worshiped. However, the early church taught that it was dangerous for believers to continue “eating meat offered to idols.” They taught that there should be a clean break from all aspects of idol worship, with no going back (1 John 5:21 and Acts 15:19-21).

The second major teaching of the Nicolaitans was that Christians should be sensuous. They taught that in order to master sensuality, one must know it by experience, so believers should abandon themselves without reserve to the lusts of the flesh. They falsely rationalized that such behavior concerned only the body but did not touch the spirit of man.

Does this sound at all like some of what is being “pushed forward” in our culture and in segments of the church today? It was these practices that stirred such strong feelings in Jesus.

We don’t have the same type of formalized idol worship that they did in ancient days. However, it is still with us, as our culture makes idols out of all kinds of things; for instance, the pursuit of success in business, entertainment or sports. It makes idols out of education, possessions, and social standing, and a major idol in our culture has been the pursuit of wealth. None of these aforementioned are wrong, of course, when kept in proper perspective but that doesn’t always happen.

I don’t think I have to say much about the declining morals, both in the secular community and in the church. To anyone who thinks there is no problem with rampant immorality, both in and out of the church, let me make a suggestion that I think you might find helpful, “Get your head out of the sand!”

One of the reasons the Nicolaitans got any kind of hearing in the early church was their approach. They came in a seductive manner with a message, not against Christianity, but declaring that they were bringing a new and improved version. In today’s words, they would say, “Our message is more culturally relevant.” Cultural relevance is a foggy term that will continue to be debated long after you and I have returned to the dust. It doesn’t matter if we change the shape of our sanctuary or wear our hair long and shaggy. And if the music is loud and the preacher wears a T-shirt—it doesn’t really matter!

What does matter are the fundamental truths of the Christian faith! One of the truths that some are trying to “broaden” is our understanding of Jesus’ statement, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Those who come like the Nicolaitans say things like, “There are many ways to God but the best way is through Jesus Christ.” On the surface this sounds like an acceptable statement, but it is not. There are not many ways to God—there is but one and that is through Jesus Christ. He is not the best way, He is the only way! The modernized statement is like one of the Nicolaitan heresies of which Jesus says, “I hate this!”