Revelation 2:6

Letters to the Faithful - Revelation 2:6

Berean Standard Bible

But you have this to your credit: You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

King James Bible

But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

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To the people of God who remain steadfast in the midst of confusion and compromise, to those who love the truth and have not bowed to the patterns of this present world, grace and peace be multiplied to you through Jesus Christ our Lord, the Faithful Witness and the One who walks among His lampstands. You are not forgotten, and your labor is not in vain. The Lord knows your endurance, your testing of those who claim His name falsely, and your unwavering stand for righteousness. In an age where darkness cloaks itself in the garments of light, you have not given in. You have clung to what is holy. For this, you are commended.

There is, however, one thing in particular that you must hold fast to and not grow weary in: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, and this is to your credit, for these are works the Lord Himself hates. Understand this well—not every form of spirituality is godly, and not all who name the name of Christ speak truth. There is such a thing as a distorted gospel, one that draws people not toward the cross but away from it, one that redefines grace as license and holiness as optional. The Nicolaitans, in their time, introduced teachings that led the people of God into compromise—compromise cloaked in spiritual language, encouraging indulgence, blurring the line between what is holy and profane.

Today, though the name may differ, their influence still spreads. Many will tolerate what God calls sin. Many will teach that the commands of Christ are heavy, outdated, or unkind. They will celebrate what should be mourned. They will excuse what should be confronted. They will offer a gospel without repentance, a cross without sacrifice, and a Savior without lordship. These are not merely doctrinal errors—they are spiritual infections. And the people of God must not only reject such teaching but hate its works.

Yet hear me clearly, beloved: to hate the works of deception is not to hate the deceived. To detest false ways is not to revile those caught in them. Our Lord, full of grace and truth, is both tender to the repentant and severe toward corruption. So you, too, must walk in this tension. You are not called to be indifferent. You are not called to tolerance where God has spoken plainly. But neither are you called to prideful condemnation. Hate what is evil, but cling to what is good. Judge righteously, but restore gently. Speak truth, but do so in love, always remembering that you, too, were once blind until mercy found you.

Do not be naive—false teaching does not always announce itself with blasphemy. It often begins in subtle drift, a soft reshaping of the truth, a tolerance for minor deviations that grow in time into full rebellion. Therefore, discernment is required. Test every spirit. Weigh every teaching against the Word. Do not be swayed by charisma, eloquence, or crowds. The enemy does not fear large gatherings; he fears holy ones. Be a people who love truth, not only when it is comforting but also when it is confrontational.

Let this also be a warning: if you tolerate the works Christ hates, you risk losing what you once had. Just as the Lord warned the Ephesian church that He would remove their lampstand if they did not return to their first love, so too will He hold every church accountable for what it allows, ignores, or excuses in His name. We must not only oppose evil but be rooted in love and truth so deeply that deception finds no foothold among us.

So what must you do, beloved? Stay awake. Guard the deposit of truth entrusted to you. Teach your children not just knowledge of Scripture but love for the Lord who speaks it. Model in your homes a life that is not shaped by culture but by covenant. In your churches, let there be no place for spiritual laziness or entertainment that masquerades as worship. Let your gatherings be marked by reverence, clarity, and deep joy in the presence of God. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, not only preached from pulpits but flowing in your conversations, your prayers, your decisions.

If you see those entangled in false doctrine, do not cast stones—extend a hand. Be slow to anger, quick to weep, and ready to answer those who ask about the hope within you. Hate the works of deception, but long for the deliverance of the deceived. Pray not only for the purity of the Church but for the repentance of those outside her gates. For the Lord takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but desires that all should come to the knowledge of truth.

And take heart. Though deception abounds and many fall away, the Lord preserves a remnant. He knows those who are His. He walks among His people. He holds the stars in His hand. And He will purify His Bride. There is a day coming when every false word will be silenced, every hidden motive exposed, and every knee will bow before the One whose name is Faithful and True.

Until that day, remain steadfast. Do not grow weary in well-doing. Let mercy be your mantle, truth your shield, and holiness your banner. And may the Lord Himself—who searches hearts and weighs every soul—strengthen you to stand, to speak, and to endure. Hate what He hates. Love what He loves. And walk worthy of the calling you have received.

To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever.

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Holy and Righteous Father, Sovereign Lord of all creation, we lift our voices and hearts before You in humility, awe, and dependence. You are the God who sees with perfect clarity, who searches the hearts and minds of all people, who walks among Your Church and discerns with unerring wisdom between what is holy and what is profane. You are the One whose eyes are as flames of fire, whose voice thunders above every other voice, and whose judgments are always true and altogether righteous.

We come to You as a people who desire to walk uprightly in an age of great deception. We acknowledge with trembling that not all who claim to be from You speak by Your Spirit, and not all that parades as truth is born of heaven. The world around us beckons with compromise—soft, subtle, and persuasive. There are teachings that twist grace into permission for sin. There are voices that flatter instead of warn, that soothe instead of sanctify, and that excuse instead of convict. Yet You, O Lord, are not pleased with such things. You have declared that You hate the works of those who lead others into spiritual corruption and moral decay. You have commended Your people for rejecting those works, and so we cry out to be found in that same faithfulness.

Grant us, Lord, the grace to hate what You hate—not out of bitterness or arrogance, but out of reverent agreement with Your holiness. Let our hatred be directed toward the corrupting practices and not toward the people ensnared by them. Let our grief over deception lead us to action, not apathy. Let our discernment be sharpened by Your Word and informed by Your Spirit. Let us not be naive, nor cynical, but faithful—watchful without becoming fearful, truthful without becoming cruel, and bold without becoming proud.

Search us, O God, and remove from our hearts any tolerance for sin. If we have grown comfortable with what is unclean, if we have flirted with compromise, if we have entertained what ought to be expelled, then we ask You to expose it and cleanse it. Give us courage to name what is false, and strength to walk away from what pollutes. Let us not call good what You have called evil. Let us not be deceived by appearances or persuaded by popularity. Teach us to love truth so deeply that even subtle lies offend our conscience. Teach us to value holiness so dearly that even the thought of spiritual corruption grieves us.

Yet in all this, Lord, keep us from becoming hardened or self-righteous. Remind us daily that we were once deceived, that we have been rescued by mercy, and that without Your grace, we too would still be blind. Give us compassion for the lost, tenderness for the wandering, and patience for those still caught in error. Let us be a people who both confront falsehood and restore the fallen. Let our churches be places of both truth and healing—places where righteousness is upheld without apology, and grace is extended without condition.

We pray for shepherds and leaders—that they would not shrink back from protecting the flock, that they would teach sound doctrine, refute false teachings, and lead with integrity. We pray for homes to be guarded from the slow creep of worldly philosophy and spiritual passivity. We pray for the next generation to rise up as lovers of truth, discerning between the holy and the profane, courageous in their devotion, and unwilling to bow to the pressures of a compromised culture.

And we ask, Lord, for endurance. For as we stand against false works, opposition will come. Some will misunderstand. Some will resist. Some will revile. But let our response be steadfastness in love, clarity in conviction, and gentleness in strength. Let our lives be living testimonies that holiness is not only possible but beautiful, that truth is not burdensome but liberating, and that obedience to Christ is not legalism but the pathway to life.

Fill us with reverent fear, with unshakable hope, and with unwavering loyalty to Your name. Let mercy mark our posture, let peace rule our hearts, and let love be our banner—but never at the cost of compromise. Let our allegiance to You be louder than our desire to be accepted by the world. Let our faith be deep, not shallow; burning, not lukewarm; rooted, not easily shaken.

And when we see works in our midst that You despise, let us not ignore them. Let us confront them in humility and remove them in obedience, knowing that what we tolerate may eventually rule us. Let us learn to judge rightly—not as hypocrites, but as those who have first judged ourselves and repented. Let the purity of Your Bride matter more to us than public praise, and let the fear of God outweigh the fear of man.

In all things, Lord, keep us close to You. May we never become so vigilant against falsehood that we forget our first love. May our discernment not eclipse our devotion. May our resistance to sin not outpace our intimacy with You. For You are not calling us to merely oppose what is evil, but to cling to what is good—chiefly, to You, our Redeemer, our Shepherd, our King.

So we offer ourselves afresh today. Set us apart for Your purposes. Sanctify us in truth. Refine us in fire. And let the light of Your holiness shine through us, not only in words, but in life, in power, and in love. To You alone belongs the glory, now and forevermore.

In the holy name of Jesus Christ our Lord,

Amen.