Love Without Compromise

"You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate." Revelation 2:6

Nicholas was from Antioch. He was a convert from his pagan religion to Judaism. He became a Jesus follower and was among the early believers who gathered with the Jesus followers after Jesus' assentation. This fledgling group of believers became a life line for many people because they set up a feeding program for those who needed help. We know from Acts 6 that favoritism became a problem and not everyone was treated fairly when food was distributed. The Apostles therefore appointed some leaders to oversee the distribution of food. Nicholas was among those who were chosen to give oversight of this important work. 

Nicholas later developed his own doctrine and started a sect know as the Nicolaitans. They believed the spirit of a person was good while the body was evil and unredeemable. They believed they could do whatever they wanted with their bodies and this would not negatively impact the person's spirit because God's grace was extended to the spirit of the person. The Nicolaitans were shameless in the despicable things they allowed to take place in the church during worship. 

In the letter to the Ephesian church (Rev 2) the church is accused of: "forsaking their first love." In the same letter the Ephesian church is commended for: "hating the practices of the Nicolaitans." At first glance it seems contradictory for the Ephesian church to be commended for love and for hate in the same letter. A closer look however reveals they are being commended for hating the "practices" of the Nicolaitans. 

This is an extremely important point for disciple-makers to remember. We must love the sinner unconditionally like Jesus did but in so doing we do not need to condone or embrace their actions that don't line up with the moral and ethical standards God expects from all people.