Sermon Central
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When Believers Lose Their First Love
Contributed by Rev. Samuel Arimoro on Oct 22, 2025 (message contributor)
Summary: When believers lose their first love, their passionate devotion, intimacy, and zeal for God fade, leaving them with outward religious activity and an empty heart disconnected from true fellowship with Him.
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.
