WHEN BELIEVERS LOSE THEIR FIRST LOVE
By Rev. Samuel Arimoro
Main Text: Revelation 2:4-5
“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” (KJV)
1. INTRODUCTION:
Among the seven letters to the churches in Revelation, the message to the church in Ephesus stands out for its piercing relevance to believers today. The Ephesian church was active, doctrinally sound, morally upright, and resilient under persecution. Yet, despite these commendable traits, the risen Christ issued a solemn charge: “You have left your first love.” (Revelation 2:4)
This divine complaint reveals that spiritual decline often begins not with visible sin, but with the cooling of love toward God. The Lord Jesus Christ, walking among the lampstands (symbolic of His churches), discerned that beneath their orthodoxy and diligence lay a diminishing affection for Him. The tragedy of losing one’s first love is that everything may appear healthy outwardly: attendance, service, giving, and worship while the heart has grown cold.
In today’s church, the same condition persists. Many believers retain form but have lost fire. The complaint of Christ to Ephesus echoes to us: “You have left your first love.” It was not that they had lost salvation, but that their love had declined.
Love is the heartbeat of Christian life (1 Corinthians 13:1–3). Without it, our faith becomes mechanical, our worship empty, and our service hollow. Jesus desires not mere activity, but affection; not only hands that serve, but hearts that burn.
2. THE MEANING OF “FIRST LOVE”
The phrase “first love” in Revelation 2:4 is translated from the Greek words ten agapen sou ten proten, literally, “your love, the first.” The word agape denotes divine, sacrificial love that flows from the Spirit (Romans 5:5). The adjective proten means first in both time and rank. Thus, first love means the supreme, original, fervent love believers once had for Christ at the beginning of their faith.
When a person is newly converted, the awareness of grace, forgiveness, and new life fills the heart with awe and joy. There is zeal for prayer, hunger for Scripture, eagerness for fellowship, and boldness in witness. That early devotion is marked by purity, freshness, and delight in communion with Christ.
“First love” is the believer’s heartfelt response to the overwhelming revelation of God’s love in Christ. It mirrors the words of John: “We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19). This love is not sentimental emotion but a total surrender of the heart, mind, and will to God.
When believers lose that first love, they do not necessarily cease to love God; rather, their love becomes lukewarm, routine, and divided. Their affection wanes, zeal diminishes, and devotion becomes formal. The fire that once burned bright now flickers dimly.
3. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF FIRST LOVE
To grasp the seriousness of losing first love, we must recall what characterises it:
a) Deep Gratitude for Salvation — The first love begins with profound thankfulness for the mercy of God (Psalm 103:1-5). Early believers constantly remember the pit from which they were drawn.
b) Unquenchable Hunger for God’s Presence — Like David, the soul thirsts for God: “My soul followeth hard after Thee.” (Psalm 63:8)
c) Joyful Obedience — Commands are not burdensome because love motivates obedience (John 14:15; 1 John 5:3).
d) Fervent Prayer and Worship — Love longs for communion. In the first love, believers pray not out of duty but desire.
e) Generous Sacrifice — Love compels giving. Early believers willingly gave up possessions and comfort (Acts 2:44–45).
f) Passion for Souls — First love produces evangelistic fire; believers cannot keep silent about Christ (Acts 4:20).
When these traits fade, love has begun to decline.
4. THE EVIDENCE OF LOSING FIRST LOVE
Losing first love is a gradual process—rarely a sudden fall. The Ephesian believers continued in service, but their motivation had shifted. Paul had once commended their faith and love (Ephesians 1:15), but decades later, John records that love had waned.
The following evidences often accompany this loss:
a) Coldness in Devotion: Prayer becomes mechanical; worship loses intimacy (Psalm 51:10–12).
b) Preoccupation with Duty: Service is done out of habit, not heart (Luke 10:38–42).
c) Loss of Joy in the Word: Reading Scripture becomes an obligation rather than delight (Psalm 119:97).
d) Neglect of Fellowship: Isolation replaces loving community (Hebrews 10:25).
e) Indifference to Sin: The conscience becomes dull (Ephesians 4:18-19).
f) Diminished Love for Others: Bitterness and criticism replace compassion (1 John 4:20–21).
The warning is subtle but deadly. Jesus told the church in Laodicea, “Because thou art lukewarm, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:16). Lukewarmness is often the fruit of lost first love.
5. BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF LOST DEVOTION
Scripture provides sobering examples of individuals and groups who once loved God deeply but drifted away.
a) Israel in the Wilderness
God lamented through Jeremiah: “I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after Me in the wilderness.” (Jeremiah 2:2). Israel once followed God passionately, but later turned to idols. Their story mirrors how believers can forsake the God who first redeemed them (Hosea 2:13).
b) Samson
Once empowered by the Spirit, Samson’s heart turned to worldly pleasures (Judges 16:4–21). His affection shifted from divine purpose to carnal desire, leading to loss of strength and fellowship.
c) Solomon
Early in his reign, Solomon loved the Lord (1 Kings 3:3), but later, his heart was turned by foreign wives (1 Kings 11:4). Intellectual brilliance and success cannot preserve love without vigilance.
d) Demas
Paul wrote, “Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world.” (2 Timothy 4:10). Demas’ love for the world eclipsed his love for Christ—a timeless danger for modern believers.
e) The Church in Ephesus
Despite being doctrinally strong, they failed in the greatest commandment: to love the Lord with all their heart (Matthew 22:37–38). Orthodoxy without affection leads to spiritual sterility.
6. DOCTRINAL IMPLICATIONS OF LOSING FIRST LOVE
Theologically, losing first love has profound implications:
a). Love is the Essence of Christianity
Jesus declared love as the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37–40). The entire law and prophets hang on it. Without love, obedience is empty and faith is dead (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
b). Love is Evidence of Regeneration
The presence of divine love is the mark of true conversion (1 John 3:14). Declining love may indicate spiritual immaturity or backsliding.
d). Love is the Motivation for Service
Paul declared, “The love of Christ constraineth us.” (2 Corinthians 5:14). Without love, ministry becomes performance. God values motivation as much as action (1 Samuel 16:7).
e). Love is the Fulfilment of the Law
Romans 13:10 affirms that love is the fulfilling of the law. When love fades, legalism replaces relationship.
f). Christ Evaluates the Heart
In Revelation 2:4, Christ addresses not outward works but inward affection. His eyes, “like flames of fire” (Revelation 1:14), discern the motives behind deeds.
Losing first love thus grieves the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) and diminishes divine fellowship.
7. THE CALL TO REMEMBER
The first remedy Christ prescribes is “Remember from whence thou art fallen.” (Revelation 2:5)
Memory is a spiritual instrument of revival. To remember is to reflect on past intimacy, to recognise decline, and to stir holy longing. Israel was often called to remember God’s works (Deuteronomy 8:2). The prodigal son “came to himself” when he remembered his father’s house (Luke 15:17).
Believers must deliberately recall:
The joy of their salvation (Psalm 51:12)
The fervour of early devotion (Jeremiah 2:2)
The moments of answered prayer and communion
Forgetting divine mercies leads to spiritual lethargy (Psalm 106:13). Remembering rekindles gratitude and repentance.
8. THE CALL TO REPENT
Christ’s second command is “Repent.” The Greek word metanoeo means “to change one’s mind and direction.” Repentance is not mere remorse; it is a decisive turning from spiritual complacency back to wholehearted devotion.
John the Baptist, Jesus, and the apostles all began their ministries with the call to repent (Matthew 4:17; Acts 2:38). In Revelation 2, repentance is addressed to believers, proving that Christians too can fall into spiritual apathy.
True repentance includes:
1. Recognition of decline (Psalm 139:23–24)
2. Confession of coldness (1 John 1:9)
3. Renunciation of rival affections (Colossians 3:5)
4. Restoration of fellowship (James 4:8-10)
Repentance is both a duty and a gift. It is God who grants the grace to turn (Acts 11:18). Without repentance, love cannot be restored, and the lampstand (symbol of divine approval) may be removed.
9. THE CALL TO RETURN
The third instruction is “Do the first works.” (Revelation 2:5). Love is rekindled through action. As faith without works is dead (James 2:17), love without expression withers.
Returning to first works means:
1. Renewed prayer life (Luke 18:1)
2. Restored hunger for the Word (Jeremiah 15:16)
3. Revival of worship (John 4:24)
4. Recommitment to evangelism (Mark 16:15)
5. Rekindled fellowship with believers (Acts 2:42)
The principle is simple: do again what you did when your heart was on fire. Spiritual fervour follows obedience. As the two disciples on the Emmaus road discovered, hearts burn again when Christ walks beside us in the Word (Luke 24:32).
10. RESTORATION AND RENEWAL OF FIRST LOVE
When believers heed Christ’s call to remember, repent, and return, renewal follows. God delights to restore the contrite heart (Isaiah 57:15).
a) Restoration of Joy
David prayed, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.” (Psalm 51:12). Joy is the fruit of revived love.
b) Restoration of Fellowship
Confession reopens intimacy with God (1 John 1:7). The believer enjoys once more the warmth of communion in the Spirit.
c) Restoration of Power
When love is renewed, power follows. Samson’s hair grew again, and his strength returned (Judges 16:22). A heart ablaze with love becomes a vessel of divine power.
d) Restoration of Witness
The lampstand, once dim, shines again. Love draws the lost, for love is the greatest evangelistic force (John 13:35).
e) Restoration of Reward
To the overcomers in Ephesus, Jesus promised access to the tree of life (Revelation 2:7). Eternal reward awaits those who love Him steadfastly (2 Timothy 4:8).
CONCLUSION:
The greatest danger to the church today is not external persecution but internal coldness. The Lord’s rebuke in Revelation 2:4–5 remains a prophetic warning: “You have left your first love.”
Christ does not accuse the world; He addresses His bride. He longs for love that is pure, undivided, and passionate. His desire echoes the plea of Song of Solomon 8:6 — “Set me as a seal upon thine heart, for love is strong as death.”
To lose first love is to lose the essence of Christianity. But to regain it is to rediscover heaven on earth. Let every believer examine their heart (2 Corinthians 13:5), for revival begins when love is rekindled.
Let us, therefore, pray as David did: “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” (Psalm 85:6). May the Holy Spirit fan the flame once more until our hearts burn with holy passion for Christ, our first and eternal love.
🔥 PRAYER POINTS
1. Father, forgive me for every way I have drifted away from my first love for You.
📖 1 John 1:9
2. Lord, rekindle in me the fire of my first love that once burned passionately for You.
📖 2 Timothy 1:6
3. Father, remove every spiritual lukewarmness and revive my zeal for Your presence.
📖 Romans 12:11
4. Lord, help me to love You above all else and seek You wholeheartedly again.
📖 Deuteronomy 6:5
5. Father, restore my hunger for Your Word and my delight in Your truth.
📖 Psalm 119:97
6. Lord, break every distraction and worldly attachment that has stolen my affection for You.
📖 1 John 2:15-16
7. Father, rekindle my prayer altar and restore my communion with the Holy Spirit.
📖 Luke 18:1
8. Lord, help me to return to my first works of service, love, and devotion.
📖 Revelation 2:5
9. Father, renew in me a steadfast spirit and a burning passion for righteousness.
📖 Psalm 51:10
10. Lord, fill me again with the joy of salvation and the freshness of Your presence.
📖 Psalm 16:11
