The Lukewarm Church (4)

It only remains to tidy up some loose ends and flesh out further the positive interpretation of Revelation 3:20: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

First, the "door" at which Christ stands and knocks is the heart and life of each of the members of the church at Laodicea. One could even extend this to include unbelievers who make no confession of faith in Christ, provided, of course, that Christ’s "knocking" is rightly understood.

Second, the "knocking" is the faithful proclamation of the Word of God. By this means, Jesus Christ Himself summonses men. God is holy and you are polluted before Him. There is a rap at your door to leave your carnal mindedness and vain delusions of righteousness (17) to embrace Jesus Christ. Hell looms as a bottomless cavern that is never full. This is another loud and insistent bang on the door. The atoning death of Christ is the only way of salvation for guilty sinners. Another knock! Clearly and unmistakably, men are called and summonsed by the preaching of the gospel to repentance and faith—the only way of enjoying everlasting life in Jesus Christ.

But does this not mean that Christ wants to save everybody? Is He not at the door of every man’s heart earnestly desiring to come in? No, the text says that He "stands" and knocks, not that He is on His knees and knocks. It is true that He does desire to come in to some men. Christ identifies them thus: "as many as I love;" not, "as many as I do not love." They are His sons, whom He chastens (19); not "bastards" (Heb. 12:8). Love is that which desires fellowship and communion. Christ does not love but hates the reprobate (Rom. 9:13). Thus He does not yearn to "sup" or dine (20) with them.

While all under faithful preaching hear the external knocking, only in the elect is it accompanied by the irresistible power of the Holy Spirit. "Many are called [externally], but few are chosen" and thus few receive the internal call (Matt. 22:14), for election and (effectual) calling are inseparably joined (Rom. 8:30). Many only hear the knocking with their physical ears, while others also hear the knocking with God-given spiritual ears (Matt. 13:14-16). To the former the preaching (Christ’s knocking) is a "savour of death unto death," but to His elect it is a "savour of life unto life" (II Cor. 2:16).

Third, Christ’s coming in to dine with men who "open" the door to Him does not mean that all men have the power to do this. Jesus declared, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44). God opens the hearts of His people (Acts 16:14) or "draws" them so that they "come" to Christ (John 6:44) willingly (Ps. 110:3). The elect are empowered by the knocking of faithful preaching to open their hearts and lives to Christ so that we consciously enjoy covenant communion with him. In the Spirit and through His Word, we sit together and dine together, fellowshipping with Him in the riches of His gospel.